Tis' the season for conferences and trade shows.
Networking at these shows can be super lame and sometimes scary.
Even for the most gregarious of personalities, connecting with people can be daunting.
Below are my favorite tactics to make conference & trade show season a little easier.
Circle Crashing™: Have you ever gone to an event, seen a circle of people, and got a little heartburn about joining said circle? It's a real "new kid on the first day of school in the cafeteria moment." Don't assume everyone in the circle knows each other. They might have just made that circle moments before you entered the room. Instead, approach the circle with a Did You Know Question. "Did you know that Mandalay Bay was named after a poem in the late 1800's?" "Did you know Clara Carter has 3 days in San Diego named after her?" "Did you know Louisville is one of the largest producers of the disco ball?" Go armed with a little knowledge about the destination, conference organizer, or agenda, and drop some Did You Know wisdom to the circle when the time is right. This breaks up that awkward moment of joining strangers AND you never know when your fun fact might resonate with a new friend.
Pre-Conference Networking Prep: Make your prep for the conference visible on social platforms BEFORE the event. Luxury Real Estate brand strategist Candice Carcioppolo does this with perfection on her Instagram page. Start the conversation before you ever set foot on the tradeshow floor. For example: post pictures of your potential outfits you'll wear, do a poll on which lucky pen to bring, share your airport journey or airplane mishaps, take a video of you arriving at the event, scroll through your agenda, or show which speaking sessions you're excited about seeing. This will build excitement for the trip and give you natural conversation starters when you get to the event.
Have a Greeting Plan: Have you ever gone in for a hug to someone who only shakes hands and you got punched in the gut? Yep, it's happened to me. Instead of the surprise of how you'll interact with people, make your greeting declaration. If you're a hand shaker say "I'm a hand shaker" If you're into jazz hands, hold up those spirit fingers high and say "jazz hands" If you're a fist bumper, raise your hand, show your knuckles and let the person on the other hand know. Declaring the way you prefer to greet eliminates an awkward first meeting and makes your initial interaction more comfortable.
Be In The Moment, Have Fun: Hey, you, with your head bobbling around like a bird when you're in the middle of a convo with someone...we see you. STOP IT. When you're in a conversation with someone, be in that conversation. Make eye contact, ask questions, be interesting, have fun. If you're looking around for someone else don't stop to have a conversation. Quality conversations require two people to connect and contribute. Half listening or looking for something else tells the person you're talking to that they don't matter and it makes you look bad. When you're in a circle or in a moment, have fun. Ask fun questions, be yourself, be authentic, and celebrate that moment with that group or person.
Mid & Post-Conference Follow-Up: THIS is the most important part of the conference.
At the end of each day post a couple of pics of you and your new besties with your top 4 - 6 takeaways for the day. Tag pals you met. Use the word "event" in your post and let people know where you'll be the next day. After the event, have a plan for follow-up. Are you sending an email? What does your subject line say? Take a page our of Erin King's Digital Pursausian book about how to craft a compelling email with a more interesting subject line than "nice to meet you" or "following up"
Whenever you follow up after a show Be Brief. Be Bright. Be Gone. Note a specific personal conversation you had and what impact it made on you and then hit send. Follow-up doesn't always have to ask for business, it can be just a breadcrumb you drop that leads you to future more meaningful interactions.
Using any one of the tactics above will make networking more fun and way less scary. This barely scratches the surface of the many ways to be memorable in the marketplace and expand your network. What are your favorite ways to network at a conference? What am I missing? Tell me everything and drop me a line at coach@mandigraziano.com or let me know when you see me at the next event. To follow Mandi's pre-conference networking posts, visit her Insta Profile. or Linkedin Page
Mandi Graziano is a best-selling author of Sales Tales, acclaimed group sales coach, and Vice President of Global Accounts for HPN Global. To learn more about Mandi visit www.mandigraziano.com and let her know your favorite networking stories.
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