{"id":8917,"date":"2019-05-20T10:00:07","date_gmt":"2019-05-20T14:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.brainstation.io\/?p=8917"},"modified":"2019-05-22T13:03:51","modified_gmt":"2019-05-22T17:03:51","slug":"networking-tips-for-conference-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season","title":{"rendered":"Networking Tips for Tech Conference Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

With conference season upon us, it\u2019s a good time to revisit our networking skills to make the most out of events.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Networking, after all, can be daunting, especially at a conference where you\u2019re surrounded by hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of professionals who seem like they\u2019ve trained for this their entire career. To help, w<\/span>e spoke with Derek Plewes, Career Success Manager at BrainStation<\/a>\u00a0and got his top tips for networking at conferences. <\/span><\/p>\n

Start by Making a Plan<\/b><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s all too easy to attend a conference, hang in the background, and not get much out of it. The best way to avoid this is to be prepared ahead of time. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"DerekDo your research, know who the keynote speakers are, when they\u2019re speaking, and what other talks or workshops you would like to attend.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFocus on research and self-awareness,\u201d says Plewes. \u201cGaining a thorough understanding of what key companies, speakers, and topics will be featured will help you make the most of the experience. It also helps to generate conversation with new contacts if you’re aware of everything going on at the conference.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Make a schedule in advance, being careful to include the dinners and extra activities that are happening each day. These social events are a great opportunity to meet people in a more natural environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Set Measurable Goals<\/b><\/h2>\n

One way to ensure that you don\u2019t take a backseat is to set measurable goals for yourself. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSet goals. It\u2019s easy to be passive and not get much out of an event if you don\u2019t have a clear purpose heading into it,\u201d explains Plewes. <\/span><\/p>\n

And the goals don\u2019t have to be lofty, in fact, the more attainable the better. You\u2019re more likely to feel confident and inspired to meet a realistic goal like \u201ccollect 10 business cards from potential project collaborators\u201d than one that\u2019s too far fetched, for example, \u201cfind someone to invest in my business idea.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Conferences are all about planting the seed \u2013 making a connection with someone that can be built upon afterward.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brainstorm Conversation Starters<\/b><\/h2>\n

It sounds cheesy, but having questions and conversation starters ready will spark more interesting connections. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d always suggest preparing a few unique questions before an event,\u201d says Plewes. \u201cGet people talking about what excites them. Because of the number of times people at conferences get asked \u2018what do you do?\u2019 that conversation turns into an automatic response rather than an engaging exchange.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of the standard \u2018where are you from?\u2019 question, branch out by diving right into interesting topics. Here are some of Plewes’ go-to conversation starters:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • What exciting projects are you working on right now?<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \u201cThis is a more interesting way of finding out what they do, while inviting them to open up the conversation beyond simply stating their job title.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • What do you think are the biggest challenges facing our industry?<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \u201cGet people\u2019s opinions on macro-level issues facing your industry. They\u2019re likely to offer insight that will start a meaningful conversation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      • Have you always worked in this field?<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        \u201cMany people have a varied background,\u201d explains Plewes. \u201cAsk them about their career path and previous experience and you might find that you have more common ground.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

        Follow-up and Follow Through<\/b><\/h2>\n

        A large part of having a successful conference experience depends on what steps you take once the event is over. A crucial step is to send follow-up emails to new contacts, including a specific detail from your conversation so that you stand out from the crowd. <\/span><\/p>\n

        \u201cFollow-ups are a simple tactic, and yet so many people forget about them,\u201d says Plewes. \u201cSome people take a few notes on the back of business cards, on their phone, or in a small notebook so that it\u2019s easier to recall the details of the conversation. These small efforts go a really long way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

        In addition, make sure that if you offered to help someone, you follow through on that promise. People often get caught up in networking for personal gain, but ensuring your connections get value out of your relationship is equally important.<\/span><\/p>\n

        Put Yourself Out There<\/b><\/h2>\n

        Finally, remember that one conference may not give you everything you need. It may take a few before you get comfortable and have mastered getting the most out of the experience. <\/span><\/p>\n

        \u201cConferences are one of the most valuable ways to network because there is no other setting that concentrates like-minded people in the same field into one place,\u201d says Plewes. \u201cThey also dramatically increase the number of face-to-face interactions you have. Strategically putting yourself in the position to have these conversations ultimately gives you the opportunity to develop stronger relationships.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        With conference season upon us, it\u2019s a good time to revisit our networking skills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":8922,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[160,336,685],"tags":[887,888,89],"yoast_head":"\nNetworking Tips for Tech Conference Season | BrainStation\u00ae Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hoping to make better connections at an upcoming conference? Here are one industry pro's top tips for how to network at a conference.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Networking Tips for Tech Conference Season | BrainStation\u00ae Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hoping to make better connections at an upcoming conference? Here are one industry pro's top tips for how to network at a conference.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"BrainStation\u00ae Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-05-20T14:00:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-05-22T17:03:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/34461893061_2193a41f5b_b-e1558544618576.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"234\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"BrainStation\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"BrainStation\u00ae Blog\",\"description\":\"The Digital Learning Company\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/34461893061_2193a41f5b_b-e1558544618576.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/34461893061_2193a41f5b_b-e1558544618576.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":234,\"caption\":\"networking\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season\",\"name\":\"Networking Tips for Tech Conference Season | BrainStation\u00ae Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-05-20T14:00:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-05-22T17:03:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9f37983a6c4da6cf5dd422481ac8cf11\"},\"description\":\"Hoping to make better connections at an upcoming conference? Here are one industry pro's top tips for how to network at a conference.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Networking Tips for Tech Conference Season\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9f37983a6c4da6cf5dd422481ac8cf11\",\"name\":\"BrainStation\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/80c14b8388838ae1453aec36606b232d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/80c14b8388838ae1453aec36606b232d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"BrainStation\"},\"description\":\"BrainStation is a global leader in digital skills training, empowering businesses and brands to succeed in the digital age. Established in 2012, BrainStation has worked with over 250 instructors from the most innovative companies, developing cutting-edge, real-world digital education that has empowered more than 50,000 professionals and some of the largest corporations in the world.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/author\/brainstation\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Networking Tips for Tech Conference Season | BrainStation\u00ae Blog","description":"Hoping to make better connections at an upcoming conference? Here are one industry pro's top tips for how to network at a conference.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Networking Tips for Tech Conference Season | BrainStation\u00ae Blog","og_description":"Hoping to make better connections at an upcoming conference? Here are one industry pro's top tips for how to network at a conference.","og_url":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season","og_site_name":"BrainStation\u00ae Blog","article_published_time":"2019-05-20T14:00:07+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-05-22T17:03:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":234,"url":"https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/34461893061_2193a41f5b_b-e1558544618576.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"BrainStation","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/","name":"BrainStation\u00ae Blog","description":"The Digital Learning Company","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/34461893061_2193a41f5b_b-e1558544618576.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/d2re7sjnpekmig.cloudfront.net\/prod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/34461893061_2193a41f5b_b-e1558544618576.jpg","width":600,"height":234,"caption":"networking"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season#webpage","url":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season","name":"Networking Tips for Tech Conference Season | BrainStation\u00ae Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2019-05-20T14:00:07+00:00","dateModified":"2019-05-22T17:03:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9f37983a6c4da6cf5dd422481ac8cf11"},"description":"Hoping to make better connections at an upcoming conference? Here are one industry pro's top tips for how to network at a conference.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/networking-tips-for-conference-season#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Networking Tips for Tech Conference Season"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9f37983a6c4da6cf5dd422481ac8cf11","name":"BrainStation","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/80c14b8388838ae1453aec36606b232d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/80c14b8388838ae1453aec36606b232d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"BrainStation"},"description":"BrainStation is a global leader in digital skills training, empowering businesses and brands to succeed in the digital age. Established in 2012, BrainStation has worked with over 250 instructors from the most innovative companies, developing cutting-edge, real-world digital education that has empowered more than 50,000 professionals and some of the largest corporations in the world.","url":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/author\/brainstation"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8917"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8917"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8943,"href":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8917\/revisions\/8943"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}