You can spend several days at a conference, have good conversations and come home feeling that it was worthwhile. Then regular work takes over. The people you intended to contact get pushed down the list, your notes become harder to interpret and the article you planned to write never gets started. A few weeks later, you remember enjoying the event but have trouble identifying what developed from attending.
I’ve spent a lot of time helping lawyers prepare for conferences and organize what happens afterward. The work starts well before anyone picks up a badge. You have a better chance of meeting relevant people and having productive conversations when you know why you’re attending, what you want to learn and which relationships deserve attention. You also need room in your schedule afterward to do something with the information and connections you bring home.
That preparation can be manageable. A focused list of people, a little research and a few messages can change how you spend your time. The important part is treating the conference as a series of opportunities to develop relationships, with specific actions before, during and after it.
Before You Register, Know Why You Want to Be There
An event can be relevant to your industry without being the right investment for you at that moment. Look at who attends, the topics on the agenda and the opportunities to spend time with people outside the sessions. Think about whether the conference supports relationships you’re developing or helps you understand issues affecting your clients and prospects.
Identify what would make attendance worthwhile. You might want to spend time with existing clients you don’t see often, meet professionals in a particular market or learn more about an industry you’re supporting. Put those priorities in writing. They’ll help you decide whom to contact, which sessions to attend and where to leave time for conversations.
If you’re attending with colleagues, discuss the plan together. Compare the people you know, identify introductions you could make for each other and decide who will reach out to shared contacts. You may discover opportunities you wouldn’t have recognized on your own. You can also avoid several people from the same organization sending disconnected messages to the same person.
Make a Short List and Do the Research
Use the agenda, speaker list and attendee information available through the organizer to identify people you’d like to meet. Include existing relationships alongside new contacts. It’s easy to spend all your preparation time pursuing people you don’t know while overlooking clients, former colleagues and referral sources who would welcome a conversation.
Research enough to make your outreach relevant. Review a person’s role, their organization and any recent public information connected to the reason you want to meet. Look for shared connections or interests, but avoid forcing a connection that doesn’t exist. You should be able to explain why a conversation would make sense.
Keep your priority list realistic. A long spreadsheet can create the appearance of preparation without helping you take action. Identify the people who matter most, record the reason you want to connect and decide what to do next. A smaller list you use is more valuable than an extensive list you never revisit.
Reach out before the event, when people still have room in their calendars. Suggest a brief meeting that fits the setting, such as coffee during a break or a conversation before a reception. Make the request easy to understand and give enough context for the person to decide whether they’d like to meet.
Use LinkedIn to Support the Conversations
A preconference post can let people know you’ll be there and give them a reason to reach out. Explain what you’re interested in learning or discussing. If you’re speaking, describe the questions your session will address and what attendees can expect to learn. Include the practical details people need to find the program.
Take a look at your profile before you begin outreach. Someone who receives your message or meets you at the event may visit it to learn more. Your profile should explain your work clearly and reflect the experience relevant to the conversations you’re hoping to have. Recent content can provide additional context, especially if you’ve written about issues on the agenda.
You can also engage with public posts from speakers and other attendees when you have something relevant to contribute. Read what they’ve shared, respond thoughtfully and let the interaction develop naturally. That can create familiarity before you meet, provided the interest is real and the response has substance.
Give Yourself Time to Have a Conversation
At the event, leave room for discussions that develop naturally. A schedule filled from breakfast through the final reception can make it difficult to spend time with someone you unexpectedly meet. You also need enough attention to listen, which becomes harder when you’re constantly thinking about where you have to be next.
Ask about the person’s work and what brought them to the conference. Listen for the issues they’re trying to understand and the things they’re looking forward to. Share relevant experience and explain your work when it fits the conversation. You’re learning whether there’s a reason to stay connected and what that connection might look like.
Be generous with introductions when you see a clear fit. If two people are working on related issues, explain the connection and help them meet. Include colleagues who may have relevant knowledge. These moments can make the event more productive for other people and give them a better understanding of how you think about relationships.
After a meaningful conversation, take a minute to record what you discussed. Include anything you promised to send and any next step you agreed on. Capture enough context to help yourself follow up personally. A name and company alone won’t remind you which question they asked or why you offered an introduction.
Share Something People Can Learn From
Conference photos help document your participation, but the accompanying text should offer more than a thank you and a list of names. Think about the people in your network who couldn’t attend. What did you hear that would help them understand an issue? Which question deserves more attention? What did a discussion make you think about differently?
You can write about a theme from the program, summarize a public session or explain your own perspective on an issue raised during the event. Attribute ideas accurately and respect any restrictions on sharing. If you want to quote someone and aren’t sure whether you can, ask.
Give yourself permission to wait until you have something substantive to share. Taking notes during the conference can help you develop a thoughtful recap afterward. You might also identify material for an article, client alert or future program. The event can inform your content without every conversation becoming a post.
Put Follow-Up on Your Calendar Before You Leave
Reserve time after the conference to send messages, deliver promised resources and review your notes. It’s easier to protect that time in advance than to find it once you’re back in a full schedule. If you attended with colleagues, arrange a short discussion to compare observations and assign responsibility for next steps.
Make each message reflect the conversation you had. Reference the topic, send what you promised and suggest another conversation when there’s a clear reason. Someone you met briefly may appreciate a connection request and a relevant article. Someone who described an issue you can help with may welcome a more detailed discussion. Match the follow-up to the relationship.
Some contacts will respond immediately, while others may take time. Keep your outreach relevant and respectful. A relationship can continue through future events, thoughtful engagement and information worth sharing. You can stay connected without repeatedly asking for a meeting.
Once you’re back and have caught up, think about what you got out of the conference. Who did you meet? Which conversations have continued? Did you learn something you can use in your work or share with a client? That can help you decide whether to go again and what you’d do differently, whether that’s setting up more meetings ahead of time or leaving more room to talk with people between sessions.
Your Conference Checklist
Before you go
- Identify what you want to get out of attending.
- Review the agenda, speakers and available attendee information.
- Make a short list of clients, contacts and new people you’d like to meet.
- Coordinate with colleagues on outreach and introductions.
- Reach out to priority contacts and schedule a few conversations.
- Update your LinkedIn profile and share a post about attending.
- Block time for follow-up after the event.
While you’re there
- Leave room for conversations between sessions.
- Spend time with existing contacts and introduce yourself to new people.
- Make relevant introductions for colleagues and other attendees.
- Note what you discussed and anything you promised to send.
- Capture useful takeaways for posts, articles or client conversations.
- Ask permission before sharing quotes or details from private conversations.
When you get back
- Send personal follow-up messages referencing your conversations.
- Deliver promised resources and make introductions.
- Connect on LinkedIn with people you met.
- Compare notes with colleagues and agree on next steps.
- Add relevant notes to your contact management system.
- Share a recap with takeaways your audience can use.
- Set reminders for conversations you want to continue.
- Note what made the event worthwhile and what you’d do differently next time.
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