NETWORKING AT A BUSINESS CONFERENCE:

 You are excited to be attending a big conference- 

Learning tricks of the trade, and meeting new people to your network.

After dishing out a registration fee, made travel plans, and possibly a hotel or lodging expenses- You want to make the best of your conference experience so you earn back the money you invested in simply attending the conference. 

 Ask yourself- how much new business did your career get from the last conference you attended?  

If you don't know or you know you DIDN'T get anything from that investment 

 here are a few tips to insure your conference experience is the best possible:

Bring Along Your Business Cards

1) This is the one tool that will connect you with people- you should include contact information, such as a phone number, email and mailing address.

2) Choose a design that is professional- SIMPLE one sided, odd sized  and NOT glossy-*you can’t write on a glossy card.  

3) Get an email address that is not too personal or gimmicky.it's better to conduct your business emails through an address that is formatted similarly to the industry standard, such as "first firstnamelastname@domain.com." Services like Gmail offers a great free email account that has a pretty good spam catcher- and flexibility.

4) Have your cards printed professionally. Remember you never get a 2^nd chance to make a first impression and you can buy professionally printed cards for as little as $14.00.

You should choose a good-quality card stock  (remember no glossy cards) for printing and be sure to double-check your card for errors before and after printing.  I recommend Psprint.com, or PrintsMadeEasy.com

WRITE A ELEVATOR PITCH / INTRO STATEMENT: 

THIS is what separates YOU from everyone else at the conference. 

1) Compose an "elevator pitch / into statement"  to use when you meet new people at the conference.

 2) Include information such as your name, concisely describe what you do (something more descriptive than “I am a singer” or “I am a songwriter” this doesn’t explain who/what you do and what you need or are looking for while attending the conference). This speech can be geared towards different contingencies, such as one for meeting the decision makers another for meeting individuals who might be interested in sharing contacts.

3) Keep it brief. Your elevator pitch / intro statement should last no more than 30 seconds.

4) Practice your speech before you get to the conference. Use a friend as a Guinea pig. Watch their reactions to gauge the effectiveness of your speech, altering it to fit your purposes. 

 5) Attend sessions at which you can network easily with others, such as mixers or breakfast events, and use your elevator speech as an icebreaker.

6) More important than giving out the cards is GETTING cards from your prospective new partners so YOU have THEIR contact info. WRITE DOWN info on the back of their card that will help you remember who they are and what key points you discussed (something brief to jog your memory later after you have talked to 150 people!)

FOLLOW UP W/ THE CONTACTS YOU HAVE MADE.

This step is often neglected and a main reason you attended the conference-

1) Get in touch with your contacts directly following the conference using a short email. Reiterate your pleasure at meeting them and follow up on any conversations you may have had. MAKE SURE you have included links to your website & appropriate social media sites if you need to direct them to the content you want them to see or hear.

2) Send a handwritten thank-you note to anyone in your new network that may have supplied you with additional assistance.

DO YOU NEED HELP?

Creating you pitch and to professionally pitch and present yourself like anything else requires refinement and practice, If you are not cultivating good leads, or getting work following attending events let me help you!   “Providing business solutions for creative minds” so YOU can succeed in the evolving art / entertainment business community- I look forward to assisting you with growing your career and having success.

Individuals interested in making a difference in their lives and careers may contact Tamra at: guitartam@gmail.com