Speakers. Sponsors. And swag. Who doesn’t love getting to go to a good conference? But with so many events to choose from, how do you pick the right ones and make the most of the experience? Let’s do a deep dive into the wide world of marketing conferences.
This is related to a recent episode we did about continuing education for marketers. We wanted to take a deeper look at learning from conferences & events.
Choosing Which Conferences to Go to
- Cost: charging people actually helps more people show up
- Location: can you afford to travel? Are there conferences near you?
- Content: how broad is the conference theme? What are the breakout topics?
- Speakers: any big names or brands you recognize?
Choosing Which Sessions to Attend
- Hopefully, the conference lists some of the breakouts or sessions ahead of time.
- Take the time to print off this list and review it.
- Have a game plan on which ones you’d most like to attend.
- This is especially important if you’re going as a team, so you can divide and conquer.
Networking at Conferences
- Networking isn’t always easy, but it’s a big advantage of conferences.
- Conferences should have a space for introverts to recharge from talking to people.
- Wear that name tag and bring some business cards.
- Visit the sponsor booths, get some swag, and hear what they have to say.
Taking Notes at Conferences
- Bring a pen and paper, or a (fully-charged) laptop
- Grab something interesting you learn from each speaker.
- Mark 1-2 items that you can implement immediately when you get back to the office
- Be sure to write down their name and contact info when possible.
- Download digital notes if they offer it and make plans to review them later.
Beyond just going, you could…
Being a Conference Sponsor
- Conferences are good chances to get in front of your target audience.
- Think about attending a conference before becoming an official sponsor.
- How your booth is setup and what swag you have impacts your conversations.
- Consider doing a giveaway (that’s relevant to the audience) to collect leads.
- Setup a dedicated landing page with trackable URL for conference attendees.
- Have an automated email series ready to go for the email addresses you collect.
Conferences we like
