Category Archives: Networking Tips

My Anniversary. Your Gift.

Ten tips to maximize your anniversary celebration

This month marks 15 years for me as a solo-preneur Public Relations and Marketing Communications professional.

I celebrate this milestone with a gift to you, an e-book: 25 Tips to Prepare for Your Next Conference. Request a copy.

Here’s my story. I hung up my single shingle in January 2009.

You may recall it was a challenging time for a new business venture. It was the depths of the financial crisis. The Dow Jones Industrial Average had lost more than 50% of its value between May and December 2008. Corporate layoffs were an everyday occurrence.

For these 15 years, it’s been my pleasure and an education to learn about your business.

Together, we’ve connected with reporters, potential clients, networking contacts, vendors and referral sources.

We’ve polished your website and LinkedIn profile, plus edited your articles, speeches, presentations and marketing materials.

In appreciation of your support, your business and our warm relationship, I thank you for standing with me. I would not be here for 15 years without you.

As for corporate anniversary celebrations:

  • I composed text for an industry trade association marking its 20th year; the booklet was distributed to the membership at a gala awards dinner.
  • I produced a 70th anniversary brochure for a family-owned business; plus, I wrote the speeches the company executives gave at the celebratory breakfast.

Perhaps you will agree the people who care the most about an anniversary are the insiders: the founders, leaders, employees and members. Clients may notice to a lesser degree.

When you mark your anniversary, keep your inner circle in focus at all times.

Accordingly, here are ten suggestions for how to promote the news of your successes over the years, the knowledge you’ve gained and shared, plus the longevity of your business. Take note of the most appropriate recommendations:

  1. Pick a date. It can be the date your company incorporated, you launched your website or you signed your first client.
  2. Review your resources, both physical and digital. How will you incorporate a reference to the anniversary year and update your materials? A modified logo is often the simplest way to spruce up your existing materials with a tagline referring to the anniversary celebration. Add it to your company’s website and the email signature of employees.
  3. Compose a short history of the organization with milestone achievements: a new location, a new service, an expanded product line. Decide whether this history will be a brochure, e-book or video and contract with a professional to produce it.
  4. Incorporate visual elements. Assemble photos, perhaps a map of prior locations or areas served, and previous versions of your logo to add color to the narrative.
  5. Share the anniversary announcement in newsletters tailored to employees, clients and referral sources, expressing gratitude for their role in your success and longevity.
  6. Contact the media and offer your perspective on the state of the industry, from your launch date to today, and how the landscape has changed. Provide a forecast on what lies ahead. Add your strategy for the future and how your values will help you achieve it.
  7. Send a printed thank you card to employees, clients and referral sources to recognize their contributions to your success. Acknowledge key people with an individual card and perhaps a gift.
  8. As the budget permits, create a commemorative item, something useful and more unique than a T-shirt or pen.
  9. Make a charitable donation to a nonprofit group whose mission aligns with your industry. Endow a scholarship at a college or university, whether local or an alma mater of the founder.
  10. Host an event to acknowledge employees and clients. Consider a family day in the spring.

This Month’s Tip

Document the anniversary and spread the word. Take photos and create informal videos of the activities underway. For example, compare the new anniversary logo with the one in use and describe the process of designing it. All events should be captured; these photos and video can be shared on your company’s website and social media accounts.

Contact

Check the calendar. It’s never too soon to plan for your next anniversary or milestone.  Contact me at Janet@JanetLFalk.com, book an appointment here or call me at 212.677.5770. Let’s set a date to discuss making your celebration memorable.

Click here to read prior issues of this newsletter.

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Image credit: OpenClipArt.org

Tell Me About Your Highlight of the Year

Ideas for cocktail conversation.

Are you looking forward to the meetings and holiday parties scheduled in December?

As you celebrate the close of a productive year, consider what you will talk about with your colleagues, clients, contacts and friends.

Try this perennial question:

     What was the highlight of the year for you?

If it is a business-related event, add this prompt to confirm your genuine interest in learning about them and a project they completed with a client:

What is something you did for a client, that would not have happened, if you were not involved?

In our culture, it often is unseemly to brag.

Leaders and coaches say, “There is no ‘I‘ in team.”

Turn that upside down.

In order to better connect with someone, you give them this opportunity to brag and show off how they uniquely contributed to a client’s success.

This approach yields valuable insights about this person:

    • What sort of clients do they work with
    • What kinds of problems do they solve
    • What types of solutions do they bring to the table

Then, having heard their brief narrative, you may dig deeper.

No matter what they’ve said, continue with:

That sounds hard. How did you do that?

This question opens the door for additional details and for you to get a fuller picture of their work, their industry, their clients and so on.

What if it’s a social gathering?

The highlight question works the same way. Here’s what your acquaintance might mention:

    • They achieved a personal or chronological milestone
    • They visited a distant place
    • They started or finished a pet project

In this case, the follow-up question, How did you do that, may be inappropriate.

Instead, perhaps focus on the emotion the person felt, their sense of accomplishment or the people with whom they shared the experience.

There’s always a highlight, whether professionalor personal.

This Month’s Tip

Be prepared when your contact likes the highlight question so much they repeat it back to you. Review your list of successful projects; select a few that are the most indicative of the clients you work with, the problems you solve and the skills you bring to these situations. Consider anecdotes and events of a more personal nature as well.

Contact

Plan ahead for your holiday cocktail chatter. Let’s brainstorm a few questions and your own responses. Contact me at Janet@JanetLFalk.com, set an appointment here or call me at 212.677.5770. Talking about a highlight with your contact can lead you both to celebrate the holiday season on a high note.

Click here to read prior issues of this newsletter.

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Maximize Your Membership in an Association or Networking Group

Develop relationships and increase your activity in the organization.

You probably pay dues to at least one organization, whether a professional membership group (e.g., New York State Bar Association), industry association (e.g., 100 Women in Finance) or networking group (e.g., Business Networking International).

Certainly, you hope to get clients and referrals from your participation in the group, and you may have landed a few of each.

Consider that it’s not always the direct financial payoff that is the benefit of being a paid member.

There are other intangibles that make your membership dues worthwhile. Keep these in mind when you renew your membership.

Three steps to increase your participation in the group.

1. Build your network: Make a point of connecting with other members. The membership directory may be online, so it’s easy to locate members who:

  • are in a business that overlaps or competes with yours
  • serve the same clients, but in a different capacity
  • have an office near yours or in a city where you travel
  • are alumnae/alumni of the same college or postgraduate school

(See Find Golden Contacts in Your Association’s Directory)

2. Hold one-on-one conversations: Getting to know individual members yields tremendous benefits. Not only do you learn more about each other’s business activities, you also establish a warmer footing for that next conversation or referral.

More selfishly, you gain practice in explaining what you do and what makes you different from others in your sector. You sharpen your own listening skills and develop more probing questions to become better acquainted with someone outside your usual arena.

3. Request an informal consultation: Have you ever needed a quick brainstorming session? Would you like another pair of eyes to review a short document? The larger your circle of contacts among the members, the more easily you can land the assistance you need. Reciprocate and show you are available for a similar request.

How have my memberships worked out?

Here’s the payoff from belonging to Women Owned Law, an association for women attorneys and women-owned businesses serving the legal sector; I joined in 2020:

  • I established relationships with attorneys who were sources when I wrote columns on Best Practices for the Solo Practice for The New Jersey Law Journal and The New York Law Journal. Their quotes, names, law firms and practice areas were prominently mentioned in my articles, with little effort on their part. This created considerable goodwill, and, in at least one case, greatly enhanced the visibility of a lawyer’s recently established practice to other attorneys. A win-win for both sides.
  • A member asked me to join a panel for a state bar association’s webinar.
  • I requested an informal consultation on a personal matter from another member. I have a Ph.D. in Spanish literature and speak, read and write with native fluency. Yet, before I submitted a brief personal narrative in Spanish for publication in a scholarly book, I asked Carmen Hiers, Managing Partner of Transforma Translation Services and a native Spanish speaker, to check what I had written.
  • I’ve presented five 60-minute webinars to the national organization over the years, plus another to a local chapter. These programs led to an invitation to speak to a state bar association.
  • I edit articles submitted to the member column in the monthly newsletter and I’ve contributed many as well. I later amplified one column as a two-part series for a legal industry newsletter.

Plus, I landed FIVE clients from informal networking and value-added conversations with these new connections.

Additionally, after serving as an active member on a committee of 100 Women in Finance for nine years, I was hired as a consultant to the organization, now entering my sixth year.

This Month’s Tip

Apply the Marketing RBI paradigm to your membership. As you may recall, two of the components are:

  • Speaking (Here’s the Pitch): Create opportunities where you can speak to the members, as a panelist or moderator, or on the association’s podcast.
  • Writing (Keeping the Box Score): Contribute to the organization’s newsletter or blog.

When you implement these activities, remember this step:

  •  Extend Your Presence Online (Cover All the Bases): Promote your involvement and the group’s activities in your posts on LinkedIn and other social media platforms.

You can see how these tactics have supported my business development. Try them yourself.

Contact

It only takes one client to cover the whole thing, namely your dues. But it’s not only about getting business. Your membership dues are an investment. It’s time they yielded a payoff in intangible returns beyond clients and referrals.  Contact me at Janet@JanetLFalk.com, set an appointment here or call me at 212.677.5770.Together, let’s brainstorm how you might take advantage of networking, speaking, writing and other activities as you engage with fellow members of your professional and industry associations. 

Click here to read prior issues of this newsletter.

Click here to subscribe to this monthly newsletter and make sure you don’t miss the next issue. 

Thanks to Nancy Mertzzel, President of Women Owned Law, whose conversation inspired this discussion.
Image credit: New York State Bar Association.

22 Tips for Attending a Conference (Part 2 of 2)

How to maximize your conference follow-up.

Congratulations on a successful conference, where you implemented some of my tips in advance or at the event.

Click to request an e-book with 25 tips.

You gained new insights into the industry that will help you grow your business.
You had meaningful conversations with a few potential clients and referral sources.
You re-connected with colleagues and friends.
You gave away branded items from your company, plus you collected a healthy stack of business cards, along with some neat items from the exhibitors.

Now it’s back to your desk and computer to follow up with the new contacts you made and send them the items and introductions you promised.

After the Conference

  1. Assemble the business cards of those you met and review the notes you made on the back. Send each of these new connections an email, perhaps using the template below as a model. Include the article or newsletter you mentioned that may interest them, as promised.
  2. Connect with the attendees you met at breakfast and lunch. Take a look at their website/latest newsletter/recent article and comment on that. Suggest something related to your conversation or pose a question that invites a response.
  3. Write up your notes and key takeaways from the sessions as individual posts on LinkedIn, or other social media. Tag the speaker, for example: @PatWhite. If you gathered a lot of ideas, write a longer post or article that combines highlights of all the panels.
  4. Send each panelist an email including the link to your social media post. Note the steps you were inspired to take based on their remarks. Start a conversation by asking for their opinion or advice.
  5. Review the photos you took and send them to the people you met.
  6. Congratulate the conference organizers on a great event. Share some positive or constructive feedback on your experience.
  7. Go to LinkedIn and invite the contacts you made to connect with you there (or on another social media platform where you both are active).
  8. Set calendar reminders to follow-up with the new contacts of greatest interest. Add the names of the members in the directory who you identified as from your local area or as potential collaborators and referral sources.

This Month’s Tip

This email template is easily customized. Be inspired by the possible topics and slots to insert specific references to follow up with each person you met.

Subject line: Great meeting you at Name of Conference

Name,
It was great to meet you at the Name of Coference and learn about your business focused on __.

I visited your website and noticed __.

Remembering our conversation about __, this (article, newsletter, podcast, video) discusses __and may be worthwhile. Do let me know what you think.

You mentioned you are interested in __. If you are not already acquainted with my colleague (link to website), I’m happy to introduce you.

If you’d like to keep in touch on a regular basis, please subscribe to my newsletter/blog here (link).

Of course, I’m happy to receive yours as well.

Shall we connect on LinkedIn? (link)

Looking forward to continuing our conversation. Please let me know how I might be helpful to you.

Regards.

Signature block

Contact

Networking is all about the follow up; these tips will make it easy to re-connect when you return from the meeting. Contact me at Janet@JanetLFalk.com , set an appointment here or call me at 212.677.5770.Together we’ll draft a warm reminder of the conversations you had at the conference and build on these nascent relationships for the future. 

Click here to read prior issues of this newsletter.

Click here to subscribe to this monthly newsletter and make sure you don’t miss the next issue. 

(This discussion has been lightly edited for updated content.)

Image credit: Mattia Di Tommaso

22 Tips for Attending a Conference (Part 1 of 2)

How to maximize your conference attendance.

Conference season is well underway. It’s exciting and energizing to gather with your peers. You’ll get updates on industry developments and network with colleagues, plus meet with clients and referral sources. You may also pick up some nifty swag from exhibitors.

Prepare in advance to meet the people attending the sessions. Think also about how you will engage in conversation with them to cultivate a mutually beneficial relationship; your goal is to share information about the industry and also make referrals in a two-way process.

Click to request an e-book with 25 tips.

Before the Conference

  1. Consult the membership directory to identify the members who align with your business or are potential referral sources. Look also for members who are in your state. Email them casually to say you look forward to meeting them. Perhaps women will mention that they will wear a colored jacket (NOT black or navy), while men will sport a distinctive colored tie or pocket square. Mentioning your attire helps you stand out in the crowd, so your new contacts can easily find you.
  2. Have an ample supply of business cards .
  3. If you have a small branded giveaway item, bring plenty along. A pen with your company’s name is universally useful. I have a business-card-sized list of tips for a phone interview with a reporter, which includes my contact details and website URL, plus a QR code to subscribe to this newsletter.
  4. Place an auto-reply on your email stating that you are at a conference and will not be checking email until late in the day.
  5. Practice your elevator pitches: one for general audiences and another for specific target markets.
  6. Contact the panelists. Mention that you are very interested in their presentation. Offer to ask a question, perhaps on a related topic that they want to address, but may not be able to cover in their remarks.

During the Conference

  1. Do not check email during the lull between sessions. Talk to the person next to you.
  2. Turn off your cell phone.
  3. At breakfast, sit with attendees you already know. Get the lowdown on what they’ve been up to since your last conversation.
  4. While listening to the speakers, take notes. Write two action-oriented steps you will take. Plan to contact the panelists by email in a few days with a congratulatory note, indicating your takeaways from their discussion.
  5. At lunch, sit with attendees you don’t know. It’s time to expand your network.
  6. As you chat with other attendees, write a note on their business cards about your conversation. For example, did you offer to make an introduction to a colleague or send an article? If they did not give you their business card, make a note on one of yours so you can contact them later.
  7. There probably will be a scheduled networking session. What’s your favorite question to learn about other people, the clients they work with or their personal interests? Maybe you will ask others what they have learned so far at the conference, plus which action steps they will take.
  8. Use your cellphone to take some selfie photographs with other attendees and snap shots of small groups.

    9. This Month’s Tip

    Have fun at the conference. You traveled quite a distance and paid for a hotel stay to attend this meeting. Follow some or all of these tips to make the most of this event — and the next one.

    Contact

    Get ready in advance of the next conference. Contact me at  Janet@JanetLFalk.com, set an appointment here or call me at 212.677.5770. Together we’ll assemble your business cards and giveaway item. We’ll peruse the directory, identify members of interest and contact colleagues to alert them that you are eager to speak with them at the conference.

    Click here to read prior issues of this newsletter.

    Click here to subscribe to this monthly newsletter and make sure you don’t miss the next issue. 

    (This discussion has been lightly edited for updated content.)

Find Golden Contacts in Your Association’s Directory

Directory Pixabay notebook-g2d029f835_1280 Salome Maydron

Peruse the listings for colleagues, consultants and referral sources.

One of the benefits of a membership association is your listing in the organization’s directory.

When you join the group, you are invited to fill out their standard form for your listing. which usually includes:

  • Name
  • Company name
  • Pre-set categories to describe your business
  • Mailing address
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Photo

Now that you are inscribed, take a look around and learn more about the other members.

You can search by profession or industry to identify consultants and vendors who work with similar or even mutual clients.

Pick out names of possible collaborators.

See which members might be potential referral sources.

Look for members in your city (or an area you often visit) to meet for coffee or lunch.

You may even locate someone you know and with whom you’ve lost touch over the years.

Take the opportunity to introduce yourself to some members of the association. When they learn you are a new member, they probably will welcome you and may well be open to a conversation regarding their involvement in the organization to encourage your active participation.

There’s a treasure trove of connections in the directory. Be selective. Do not contact every member; instead, search for those whose business interests most closely align with your own.

This Month’s Tip

A directory listing, like an elevator pitch, offers a bare minimum of information. You have to engage in conversation to flesh out the details. To start the relationship with a fellow member, introduce yourself by email. Focus on YOU, the reader/member, and establish shared interests. Your goal is to have the next conversation. For example:

Pat,
Your name came to my attention as a member of the Regional Association, which I recently joined.

Your listing caught my eye, as a professional/business owner in the ____ industry, because I often work with ____/clients in my ____ business.

As a new member of the organization, I am excited to get involved and meet other members.

It would be great if we could chat and become better acquainted, so that I might learn more about your business.

I’m also eager to hear how you think I might participate in the association’s activities, perhaps by contributing my ____ skills.

Looking forward to your reply.

Signature

This approach works equally well when you are a long-time member of the association. Check your listing to ensure all the details are current. In your note to a fellow member, suggest a conversation to discuss their view of trends in the industry or profession, ask a quick question or propose a future program for the organization.

Contact

Take a closer look at the directory of an organization where you are a member. After confirming your listing’s details are correct, consider which fellow members fit the categories of possible collaborator or referral source. You may even plan to meet for lunch locally.

Contact me at Janet@JanetLFalk.com, set an appointment here or call me at 212.677.5770. Together we’ll build a direct connection from the directory to a fellow member, who may, serendipitously, become a client. It worked for me.

Click here to read prior issues of this newsletter.

Click here to subscribe to this monthly newsletter and make sure you don’t miss the next issue. 

Grab a Partner for the Next Event

Woman introduces client at event

Connect and double your meeting fun.

Your networking groups, professional membership organizations and industry associations have resumed in-person meetings after a long hiatus of virtual events.

You’re probably eager to attend events in person and see your colleagues.

Use this tactic to raise the bar for a doubly productive meeting.

Plan ahead and invite a guest to attend the program with you:

  • a new contact
  • a client
  • someone you’ve been meaning to connect with.

Don’t go it alone, especially if you’re out of practice with in-person networking after the many virtual gatherings you’ve attended.

As a member of a networking group, industry organization or professional membership association, you are responsible for spreading the word about the value of belonging to the organization.

Inviting a new contact goes beyond recruiting members. At an industry event, you’ll help the visitor garner insights on the latest developments and trends as presented by the speaker. At a networking meeting, the guest will create new connections among the other members of the group, perhaps learning some networking tips. In either case, a visitor often brings a different and welcome perspective to the group’s usual discussion.

When the visitor is your client or someone you’ve been meaning to cultivate, you’ll put them in the spotlight at the event you attend together. Introduce them to the group’s officers and other attendees who will warmly welcome them; members are eager to meet the newcomer. The guest will appreciate the attention and your status with them will be enhanced when they see you in your element, mingling with the leaders.

Having a partner affords you and your guest the opportunity to tag team; you will introduce each other to the attendees and periodically re-group to check in as the event progresses.

Your partner need not be someone new to the host organization. You may reach out to another long-time member of the group, say you look forward to seeing them in person and confirm they will attend.

Whoever you invite, attending an event together strengthens your relationship.

This Month’s Tip

Hold a pre-meeting meeting. Arrange to meet your guest for a coffee 30-minutes before the meeting. Use this time to re-connect and catch up on their latest news. Hear what their agenda for the meeting might be. Plan to work the room together and maximize the moment.

Contact

Let’s identify people in your circles or on your wish list who might appreciate an invitation to be your guest. Contact me at Janet@JanetLFalk.com, set an appointment here or call me at 212.677.5770. Together we’ll plan ahead to make the next meeting doubly productive for you and your guest.

Click here to read prior issues of this newsletter.

Click here to subscribe to this monthly newsletter and make sure you don’t miss the next issue. 

NEW E-book: Create and Monitor Your Marketing RBI

Play a winning game with these five ways to grow your business.

You may recall I wrote about the five ways to attract business in June 2017. Your Marketing RBI (Runs Batted In) has these components:

  1. Networking
  2. Speaking
  3. Writing
  4. Participating in the trade association of your target market
  5. Extending your digital presence

I’ve spoken on this aspect of Marketing in presentations to groups of accountants and attorneys, as well as on podcasts.

More recently, I wrote a series of six articles for the PLI Chronicle Insights and Perspectives for the Legal Community, a monthly publication produced by the Practising Law Institute.

Naturally, these ideas have evolved over time.

I have now revised those articles and presentations, assembling them in an e-book of more than 50 pages.

It’s chock-full of detailed instructions, examples and best practices that apply to professionals who are accountants, business owners and consultants, not only attorneys.

Now, this guidance is offered to you and others in a general audience who might benefit from these strategies. The e-book is available for purchase for $9.99 via Venmo.

Here’s the Table of Contents so you’ll see what you’ll learn.

This Month’s Tip

Try ALL FIVE strategies and then focus on the ones where you feel most comfortable. Networking may be your favorite and speaking may give your stomach butterflies. Or vice versa. The e-book gives examples of how you can take some practice swings and become more comfortable with the approaches you don’t ordinarily use.

Contact

It’s time you stepped up to the plate and took a swing for the fences. After you place your order and purchase the e-book on Venmo, contact me at Janet@JanetLFalk.com, set an appointment here or call me at 212.677.5770. Together we’ll explore which of the five ways to grow your business will most improve your Marketing RBI. 

Click here to read prior issues of this newsletter.

Click here to subscribe to this monthly newsletter and make sure you don’t miss the next issue.

Raise Your Virtual Networking Game

Be active and show you are accessible.

Networking has always been a vital component of your marketing.

With a year’s experience of networking online under your belt, consider these FIVE best practices to strengthen your presence in virtual networking groups and improve your activity.

  1. Customize your virtual background. Use the space of your box to display information about your company and how to contact you. Many templates are available online at Canva.com and other sources.

    You can see the difference a custom background makes in the array below.


    In the top row, I’m in the second box; my contact information is displayed and legible to the attendees (although blurry in this photo). Only a few other people, like the woman in the fifth box, also have a custom background; see how her orange logo stands out.

    In the bottom row, the man in the third box put his company’s logo smack dab in the middle of the screen. Notice that his body completely obscures the logo until he shifts his position.

    Don’t miss this opportunity for promotion. Consider the virtual background to be a frame and position your company name and contact information accordingly.

  2. Be prepared when the large group disperses into breakout rooms. Everyone in the small group is looking at the other participants, wondering who’s in charge of the discussion.

    Step up to the plate and YOU take charge. State your name and your profession. Then say “I’m going to give my elevator pitch and put my contact information in the chat. Next, I will call on each of you in turn to do the same. Here we go.”

    After you and the others have participated in the round of introductions, ask a question that will invite responses from all the members. You can focus on a problem that you are facing in your business, or ask about something that is related to your services. For example, I usually pose a question about how people are promoting their business; that opens the door for me to share an aspect of my Public Relations and Marketing background.

  3. Craft an effective elevator pitch. It should be 30 seconds, which is 75-84 words. Summarize a skill or a recent client success. Mention your target client or referral source. Remind the audience to contact you.

  4. Use the chat to connect with others in the meeting. Send a private message to those you know and reach out to those you want to meet. Save the chat by clicking the three dots in the lower right corner in Zoom.

  5. Commit to attending more networking groups and being an active participant. Invite your clients and referral sources to the groups you attend and ask to be invited to their groups. You will all expand your circles of contacts.

These five tips are designed to help you boost your participation and outreach in virtual networking events. For more ideas, please contact me and I will be glad to deliver a presentation to you and a group, a minimum of FIVE attendees, for a modest fee.

This Month’s Tip

Prepare in advance to share your contact details. You can easily copy and paste your name, email and phone in the Zoom chat, preferably in the middle of the networking session, when everyone has arrived and settled in. For example:

Janet Falk
Public Relations and Marketing Communications
www.JanetLFalk.com
Janet@JanetLFalk.com
212.677.5770

Save this contact information block as a DRAFT email to keep it handy. You’ll never worry that you typed so quickly you dropped a digit from your phone number.

Contact

Does your elevator pitch pack a punch? How does your virtual background display? Check in with me for a test drive over Zoom. Contact me at Janet@JanetLFalk.com , set an appointment here or call me at 212.677.5770. Let’s work together to make your virtual networking success a reality.

Click here to read prior issues of this newsletter.

Click here to subscribe to this monthly newsletter and make sure you don’t miss the next issue.

How You Can Stand Out as a Conference Attendee

Tips to maximize your presence and activity at a large group meeting.

When you attend a conference held by an industry trade group or a professional membership association, you plan to learn the latest in your field, contribute to the discussion and be seen by your peers, among other activities.

Follow these tactics so you will stand out from the crowd. Connect with the panelists, plus be noticed by other attendees and the conference organizers.

  • Identify the speakers who are of most interest. Contact each panelist at least one week in advance of the conference with an email about your mutual interest as it relates to their presentation. Perhaps ask a question, so that you begin the conversation before you walk into the conference session. At the event, briefly introduce yourself before the discussion starts, simply to put a face to the name, then take your seat. It’s easiest at this time, when there will be fewer people clamoring for the panelist’s attention.
  • Wear a distinctive jacket or tie. Women should wear a colored blazer or suit and avoid black and navy at all costs. Men might wear a light gray or camel sport jacket; it gives a professional appearance and also stands out in the sea of dark suits. Alternatively, men might wear a tie of a less ubiquitous color, such as green or orange. When you contact panelists (and perhaps attendees) in advance of the event, mention you will be wearing this article of clothing, making it easier for them to locate you in the crowd.

I had notified several panelists, at a one-day meeting of 300 attendees, that I would wear a royal blue jacket. Four speakers scoured the ballroom during the lunch break and sought me out, so that we could have a conversation. One of them subsequently referred three clients.

  • Plan to ask a question. Take the microphone, stand up and introduce yourself with your name, and, if appropriate, your profession and the name of your company. Ask your question and remain standing while the speaker answers it. Now everyone in the room will know who you are. Plus, because you are wearing that distinctive jacket or tie, other attendees will be able to locate you and speak with you after the session to continue the discussion.
  • Volunteer to represent the breakout group. When attendees meet in small groups and then report back to the larger body, offer to summarize the discussion. As noted, take the mic, stand up and introduce yourself, before launching into your remarks. Most people in your group will shy away from this task, so confidently step up for your moment in the spotlight.

In the above photo, I summarize a breakout group’s discussion at New York CFA Society’s Alpha Women Event, May 22, 2019. Note the colored jacket.

  • Post a summary of the sessions on LinkedIn so others may learn vital insights and the latest trends. You’ve taken notes of the speakers’ remarks, correct? Compile these highlights and takeaways within 24 hours. Write them up on your company letterhead, save the document as a PDF and attach it to your post. Add a snapshot of one panel for visual interest.

After attending a two-day conference that featured top social media professionals, I wrote two posts on LinkedIn. Each discussion cited the speakers (e.g., @Speaker Name) and summarized that day’s highlights in an attached PDF. By mentioning the speakers’ names, the LinkedIn algorithm displayed the write-ups on their respective feeds; the posts were shown to many of their several thousand connections. Each of these two posts was viewed more than 16,000 times; people now associated my name with these experts and were prompted to view my LinkedIn profile.

  • Connect with the conference host. As the program ends, take a moment to congratulate the organizers on a fantastic event. Offer some feedback, both positive and negative, and exchange business cards. Perhaps you have an idea for a session for next year, whether or not you are a panelist.

See also: Speak at an Event AND Report

This Month’s Tip

Take selfie-photos with the attendees you meet and event hosts. Post the pictures individually on LinkedIn with the name (@New Contact) and refer to the idea you discussed. Email the photo (and perhaps the link to the post) to the person with a note about your great conversation, along with the article or contact you promised. Invite them to connect with you on LinkedIn. You’ve started an in-person conversation; keep up the momentum.

Contact

Check your calendar for the next conference and consider which of these activities are most appropriate for you. Contact me at Janet@JanetLFalk.com , set an appointment here or call me at 212.677.5770. Let’s brainstorm so you will make a stand-out impression on the speakers, attendees and hosts at the upcoming event.

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