How
can one get the most out of attending a writing-related conference?
Let’s first define a few things:
·
Are
you attending the conference or presenting at it?
·
Is
the conference about the craft of writing, getting published, editing, book publicity,
or book sales?
·
How
big is the conference? How many
attendees? How long will it last?
·
Is
it online or held at a location?
·
What
are your goals for participating?
If
you are presenting at a conference, I would assume you are there to not only
give back to those who attend but to commoditize the appearance. Are you getting paid to speak? Are you selling your book there? Can you find clients for whatever service
that you sell? All good questions.
This
piece is written for those who attend a conference, where their goal is to
learn and have an action step taken, such as get published, sell more books, or
discover how to be a better writer. So
what can you do to take advantage of whatever the conference can offer?
Look at it in three parts:
·
Pre-conference.
·
At
the conference.
·
Post-conference.
Pre-Conference
There
are plenty of things you can do before attending a conference that will
position you to experience the conference more effectively. Start by consulting
the website that’s dedicated to the conference. Look at who is going to
speak. See what they will discuss and
determine ahead of time, if there are competing sessions, which ones to attend.
Contact those who are giving a session after you’ve reviewed their biography. Introduce yourself and tell them you look
forward to hearing them present. For those whom you won’t hear speak, see
if you can connect with them via social media.
Next,
look at who, if anyone, is sponsoring the event. Reach out to them and thank them for their
support. Invite them to connect with you
on social media. Share your blog or
website with them. They may be vendors
who want to sell you something, but you want to sell them on who you are and to
tap into their networks.
Reach
out to those who are putting the conference on.
Ask if you can connect with them via social media. Compliment their
organization. Look at their organization’s site and see what resources may be
listed. Ask them if you can submit a
guest post to their blog or be considered, if relevant, to be a future speaker.
If
emails are listed for the organization’s members or speakers, put them into
your networking database.
If
members of the media are attending the conference, see if a list of who is
attending is available.
If you have a book to promote, contact them. If there’s a newsletter that you can subscribe to via the conference’s organization, sign up for it.
If you have a book to promote, contact them. If there’s a newsletter that you can subscribe to via the conference’s organization, sign up for it.
If
the event is in another city, see what else there is to do while you are
there. I don’t just mean sightseeing
locations, but rather, are there publishers, media, authors, literary agents,
or other members of the book publishing community that you can seek an appointment
with?
Is
there something you’d like to hand out at the conference – like a business
card; gift, or special flier? Find out
how many will be in attendance and bring enough items. Ask if there’s an opportunity to sell or
showcase your book.
See
if the website references the last time the conference was held and examine how
the event is described. What happened
then and who attended? Consider reaching
out to last years participants and tell them you’ll be attending this year and
welcome their advice on what to do or expect.
At The Conference
You
are there to accomplish something, most likely to learn, sell yourself/book, and
network. Gather information by asking questions,
attending as many workshops as possible, and socializing at meals or evening
cocktails. Don’t be shy -- befriend someone. Always be ready to give your elevator
speech and to ask people what they do.
Have business cards with you at all times.
Grab
any handouts from anyone – you can filter them later. Place your handouts, if it is allowed, so
that others discover you. Dress
appropriately but seek to stand out, not blend in. Be memorable in what you say, how you say it,
how you act, and in the image you project.
Be offensive minded. That means reach out and say hello to strangers. You have nothing to risk. Staying on the sidelines as an observer is easy -- but not productive.
Be offensive minded. That means reach out and say hello to strangers. You have nothing to risk. Staying on the sidelines as an observer is easy -- but not productive.
Follow-up
on the email and social media introductions you had made prior to the
conference. Seek out people who had responded
to you.
After
a session concludes, walk up to the speaker and share words of praise, your
card, and an offer to hang out later. Again, you have nothing to lose.
Seek
out the organizers and compliment their good work. Tell them about your book and ask them
questions about their group and why they got involved. Exchange cards.
Post-Conference
All
of your hard work before and during the conference goes to waste unless you
follow-up on the ground work that you set in motion. If people contact you, respond quickly. If you reached out to people who were
previously, unresponsive, try them again.
If you met someone at the event, stay in touch with them.
If
you enjoyed the event, plan on being at the next one. Even better, ask them if
you can speak at it (if relevant). Ask
the organizers of similar events put on elsewhere that they know of. Look into
attending those as well.
Post
positive comments about the event on your social media, blog, or podcast – and
share with those who attended or that you connected with. ?If there is a group hashtag, be sure to include it.
Who
knows, maybe after you observed and experienced this event, you’ll want to put on
your own conference. Don’t dismiss such
an idea. Explore it and see what can be
done. Maybe you can pull it off by combining
forces with an existing group.
Participating
in conferences is a great way to be exposed to news ideas, acquire knowledge,
test out assumptions, make great connections, and market your brand. But the work of the conference, as you can
see, starts way ahead of the event, and continues far beyond it. Make the most of it!
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