A healthy share of conventions is always good for business, however many times these very important conferences have turned into really long, boring affairs that we just love to hate. In these instances, it is important to have a good action plan before attending the conference. I would suggest that you use the ideas below at your next convention to boost your overall experience;
Ensure that you interact with as many people from your industry as you can during breaks. Use their insights to start exciting discussions on your Facebook page. Encourage the discussion by adding your view on the subject and constantly update your wall with facts that come up from your interviews. At the very least, you shall have made helpful contacts for your business and remained relevant to your business.
Take pictures throughout the conference and upload them to your social networks with brief commentary on each photograph. Use the pictures to describe the conference and its importance to your industry. If you have taken pictures of the keynote speakers, make brief commentary on the topics they discussed and generate a buzz on the subjects. Ensure that you also get interviews with these speakers to add to the budding discussion.
Interview influential people in your industry at the conference. This extra information will come in handy for future use on your online platforms for many purposes, not least being company publications such as newsletters and blogs. A good quote from an influential person in your interview would also be a useful item to have handy for use on your company website, so make sure that you ask your interviewees for permission to publish their statements on your website.
In case the conference becomes too unbearable, you should take out your laptop and use the time to catch up on lost office time. Consider this the best time to catch up on emails, write-up reports and prepare for upcoming meetings. Basically, you should use this time to prepare for your inevitable return to the office.
Write stories for your blog during the most unproductive points of the conference. You could write about your overall experience in the meeting as well as your impression of the surrounding country, if the event is in a different state or district.
In conclusion, there will no longer be any reason to completely write off a convention as useless when you realize that every bit of information is crucial to the success of your business. This realization will free you to generously offer your customers as much material as you can glean from any opportunity.
