By Alan Shoebridge, HCNW President and AVP, National Communication, Providence
“They’re just talking about the same old stuff again this year. Blah, blah, blah.”
That is a rough approximation of a phone call I overheard during a break at a conference I was finding relevant and informative.
Why was there such a disconnect between my experience and the other attendee? I can only guess, but in almost all cases, getting value out of an experience takes some effort. Conferences are no exception to that rule.
In this article, I’ll share four habits that move you from a passive attendee to an active participant who benefits from being there.
- Planning ahead
- Being fully engaged during the conference
- Helping promote the event and getting involved
- Defining how you will measure return on investment (ROI)
Let’s explore all four areas in more detail.
Planning ahead
I attend several industry events in person every year. One thing always stands out to me right away: passive attendees. These people don’t take any notes. They don’t participate in social media or event feeds. They are on their phones sorting through email while great presentations are happening. They sit in sessions without really listening to speakers.
In short, they are disengaged.
Here is my totally unscientific breakdown of most conference attendees.
- 10% are distracted and disengaged. Why are they even attending? These folks are unlikely to come back in future years.
- 20% are passively participating. Maybe picking up a few insights along the way. Low effort, but they are getting something out of being there.
- 60% are actively participating. They listen to sessions, meet other people, and seem to get good value out of the event. They’ll most likely return next year.
- 10% are highly engaged, fully participating in just about everything. They help promote the conference before, during and after it takes place.
I think you should aim to be at least in that 60% group.
Being fully engaged during the conference
Here are a few important actions that will help you maximize the value of attending a conference:
- If possible, arrange your travel so that you can attend each full day of the event.
- Clear your work calendar as much as you can and set an out-of-office notification.
- Limit checking email to breaks.
- Plan your agenda ahead of time to select sessions that will be of the most value to you.
- Attend the keynotes. These sessions and speakers are generally well-vetted. Some keynotes I’ve attended have been great. None have been bad.
- Change plans as needed. Sometimes, I’ll quickly realize that a session isn’t going to deliver what I expected. Don’t be afraid to step out and try something else happening at the same time.
- Download slides from presentations that you found valuable.
- Schedule any follow-up meetings with new connections ASAP.
Helping promote the event and getting involved
So, what’s the key to moving to the top 10% of engaged attendees? I think it’s fully embracing the opportunity to promote the conference before, during and after the event.
Here are a few actions to consider.
- Share a preview about the event. If you’re speaking promote your session!
- Offer your top insights on your social media accounts.
- Interact with others who are sharing and promoting the event.
- If invited to take part in a video, podcast or other content opportunity, do it!
And here is something else I encourage you to do: be a presenter!
Going back to the start of this article, I remember thinking a good response to the person complaining would have been, “what interesting topic do you have to present?”
A great way to make any conference even better is for you to present a topic. There is no more impactful way to be fully involved in the content than to contribute to it.
Presenting is also great for networking and supporting your professional development.
Measuring ROI on conference attendance
OK, here is the most difficult part. Can you measure the ROI of attending a conference? Should you even try?
This is a tough one for anyone who is not actively soliciting business at an event, but I’ve come up with what I think is a decent calculation. I ask myself, “Did I get at least one idea that I can implement that is worth the cost of the conference?”
I’ve rarely answered no to that question. The value might be in a new process for the team that saves time, an engagement strategy for customers, or a campaign that drives business. Over time, it might be a personal connection that pays off with way more value than the cost of the event.
Most often, I get at least a handful of ideas that become concrete actions. I always meet great people.
There is also another type of ROI you get from conference attendance. It’s the value of realizing that you’re not facing unique challenges. Hearing about experiences from others can be helpful at finding solutions, developing contacts for advice or just level-setting your own expectations.
Closing thought
If you’re not engaged, you won’t get much value out of attending any event – no matter how well it’s planned or how effective the speakers are.
Be active, not passive.
It takes a bit of effort, but it makes a world of difference.