Don't Just Show Up, Show Out: Maximize Your Time at In-Person Events
Conferences and events are awesome! We’ve mentioned that once or twice. In fact, we love events so much that we bought one—you may have heard us talking about Content Entrepreneur Expo (CEX). We firmly believe that nothing compares to the value of being in a room full of inspired, like-minded peers and pros, no matter the subject.
But… we also know that attending an in-person event can be costly. Not only do the actual financial expenses add up—registration, travel, hotel, food—but you’re also spending time and energy away from your daily business operations.
So it’s important to make it all worth the investment. The event organizers will do their best to deliver as much value as possible, but that only goes so far; the rest is up to you! If you want to truly make the most of your time and expense, there are things you can should do before, during, and after attending an event.
3 Steps to Prep Before the Event
Always look to see if there’s an event app that includes a complete conference agenda so you can keep track of which sessions you want to attend instead of using a big, over-the-top spreadsheet like Lauren usually does.”
— Matt Briel, Lulu’s Chief Marketing Officer and Co-host of Publish & Prosper
#1 - Review the Agenda and Make a Plan
You know what’s worse than missing out on a really cool event? Finding out after the fact that you missed something really cool at the event you were at. Something awesome, like one of your favorite creators presenting in a breakout session, or a long-time online friend also attending.
Take the time in advance to thoroughly review the full conference agenda.
- Who are your can’t-miss speakers?
- Is anyone you know, or want to meet, speaking?
- What sessions most directly contribute to your business goals?
- Are there any sessions that catch your eye even if they don’t directly relate to your goals or your brand?
Map out your sessions. If the event has an app, you’ll likely be able to create a custom agenda with all your carefully selected sessions. If not, you can always just write out your personal conference agenda.
Also note that some conferences, especially bigger ones, ask attendees to register in advance for specific sessions—don’t miss out on one you’re excited about because you missed the registration window.
#2 - Check Out Pre-Event Community Spaces
One of the best reasons to attend an in-person event is unparalleled networking and connecting with other attendees. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to meet people once you get to the event, but you don’t have to wait that long!
Keep an eye out for online community spaces dedicated to the event. It might be built into the app, hosted on a Facebook page, Discord server, or Circle community, or it might be something more informal, organized by other attendees. You’ll often find people planning meet-ups, organizing dinners and happy hours, offering recommendations for things to do around the city, or even a place for solo travelers to connect.
Sometimes these meet-ups are officially sanctioned by the conference, sometimes they’re unofficial. Either way, they’re a great opportunity to set up plans and start networking, especially for those of us a little too anxious to strike up in-person conversations with strangers.
Hey, worst case scenario, you’ll know what restaurants and bars to avoid when you need some alone time after a long day at the conference!
#3 - Prepare Your Tools
Trust me: once you get there, the conference is going to be a whirlwind. You’re going to want to be engaged, actively listening and absorbing it all, not scrambling to find a pen so you can jot down a must-read book title. On your hand, because you didn’t bring a notebook. And your phone’s dead. Because you didn’t bring a charger either.
We all have different ways of keeping track of all the things you’ll learn at an event. Whether you’re an analogue note-taker, a laptop loyalist, partial to an iPad and an Apple Pencil, or dedicated to your favorite dictation app, you know better than I do what tools you need.
But whatever they are, make sure you have them prepared in advance. Pack extra pens, in case your favorite runs out of ink. Make sure everything is fully charged and that you have all your chargers packed in your conference bag, because we all know outlets will be in high demand and short supply.
Assume that the wifi at the convention center is going to be lousy, and the cell reception might not be great either. Download any files you need, switch your Google Docs to “available offline,” and make sure that none of your apps or tools are exclusively powered by internet access.
3 Must-Dos at the Event
Make friends in line! The coffee line? Line for registration? Any line you're waiting in is a great place to meet new contacts. Some of my best conversations have come from lines. It's not awkward, and typically there's a finite end of the conversation when you get to the front of it (just in case the convo isn't going well).
— Sarah Franklin, Lulu’s Public Relations Manager
#1 - Take Notes or Record Sessions
The biggest lie ever told at any conference? “No really, these shoes are more comfortable than they look.” The second biggest? “I don’t need to take notes, I’ll just absorb the information now, and I’ll definitely remember it later.”
No, you won’t. Trust me.
If you did your homework ahead of time, you should be prepared to take notes, record sessions, or let an AI note-taker like Otter.ai do the work for you. You may also want to take the time before or after a session to confirm if the session is being recorded, if attendees will be able to access those recordings, or if the speaker will make the slide deck available.
Personally, I’m a Google Docs on my laptop kind of note-taker. But I also know that I’m going to need a little extra help jogging my memory when I look back on my notes later. Three things I like to do with my notes to help future-me:
- Highlight the top actionable tips or inspiring ideas as I’m taking notes, so they stand out when I’m skimming through a 30-page notes doc after the event.
- Snap a photo of the slide with all the speaker’s info, like socials, contact info, website, instructions on how to get the slide deck, etc. I’m also better with faces than names, so I try to get the speaker in the picture too.
- Keep a running recs list for the various newsletters, books, podcasts, etc. that people so often recommend off the cuff or during Q&As.
Also, we know those heels aren’t comfortable. There are plenty of super cute shoes that match the fit and don’t kill your feet. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint.
#2 - Engage With Other Event Attendees and Speakers
I already said it once, and I’ll say it again: One of the best reasons to attend an in-person event is the unparalleled networking and connecting with other attendees.
A well-designed event should have plenty of built-in opportunities for attendees to network. Happy hours are great, but you should also keep an eye out for smaller group opportunities like themed community tables, breakout special interest rooms, and those pre-planned meet-ups from the pre-event online groups.
Remember that most of the people attending are here for the same reasons you are—to learn from their peers, forge new connections, network with others in their industry, and find new ways to grow and support their passion or business. You’re not approaching someone at a bar who’s reading a book and wearing headphones and clearly doesn’t want to talk to you, you’re reaching out to people who are specifically open to meeting new people.
Don’t overlook the five-minute chat with the person sitting next to you before a session starts, or standing behind you in line, like Sarah said. As an introvert, I know how tough it can be to talk to a stranger, but you’re at the same niche industry event. You sat through the same slightly cheesy but oddly inspiring keynote speech. You fought through the same mob around the mid-afternoon snack table. You already have so much in common!
And don’t miss your chance to connect with some of the speakers, too. Sure, you might be a little star-struck after seeing them on a small pop-up stage lit up by projector lights, but don’t forget: they’re here because they’re passionate about the same thing that brought you here. In fact, I’d argue that the biggest nerd in the room at any conference is the one standing up on the stage.
Whether it’s a quick chat in an elevator, eating lunch at a community table with a few strangers, connecting with your new favorite speaker on LinkedIn, or finding your next great collaboration partner, take the time to make the connections. It’s worth it.
#3 - Pace Yourself
Sometimes, when giving advice on how to maximize your experience attending an in-person event, the advice starts to sound overwhelming. Drink from the firehose! Attend every single session, even if you have to invent time travel to do it! Stay at the hotel bar until last call so you can talk to everyone else still hanging out, but still wake up early enough to get a good seat for the opening keynote tomorrow morning!
You might feel like the only way to truly get your money’s worth is to experience as much of everything as possible. But the reality is that burning yourself out by lunchtime on day two means you’ll be too tired or disconnected to absorb any new information. We’ve all felt that cognitive fatigue; we should all know it’s not worth it.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t try to do it all! Do as much as you can, that’s the whole point of being here. But take care of yourself as best you can in between all of the everything.
- Stay hydrated!
- Find out in advance what the food situation will be—some events provide meals or light snacks, others don’t. Either way, stash a few power bars, snacks, sweet treats, whatever, in your bag for when you need a quick energy boost.
- Layers are your friend—bring a sweater.
- Prioritize comfort. Shoes you can stand in all day, jeans you can sit in all day, a bag that can comfortably hold all your supplies and extra swag you pick up along the way.
But most importantly, remember to take breaks. Skip one session and take a walk outside the conference center, build in buffer time between the last session of the day and your dinner plans, and pack a travel yoga mat.
The conference and all its amazing activities will still be there when you get back, and you’ll be recharged and ready to take it all in.
3 Ways to Keep the Momentum Going After the Event
Write out the goals you have for the conference and what you hope to learn, then reflect after to see if you felt like this was a beneficial experience for you.
— Haley Johnson, Lulu’s Events & Partnerships Coordinator
#1 - Review Your Notes and Use Them to Make a Plan
Even the best session notes in the world won’t get you anywhere if you never look at them again after the conference! And let’s be honest—nobody’s taking their best possible notes while sitting in a crowded lecture with an enthusiastically fast-talking presenter.
Whether you do it every night after the conference has ended, on the plane home from the event, or in the days after you’ve had a chance to catch up on laundry and sleep, reviewing your notes is a must. Keep an eye out for unfinished sentences or ideas, places where you jotted down a note to yourself, or actionable tips you wanted to try.
We’ve all had the experience of a presenter moving on too fast from a slide you were trying to transcribe. One thing I’ll often do during sessions with content-heavy slide decks is snap a picture of a slide and just put [picture of the slide with the duck on it] in my notes. That’s a great way to keep pace with the presenter during the session, but useless if I don’t go through my notes later and actually add in the picture of the slide with the duck. Or even better, if the presenter offered to share the slide deck after the session, insert the actual slide right into your notes.
At least once at every conference I’ve ever been to, a speaker has made a point to say: Capitalize on this momentum now. Don’t wait until you get home, don’t wait until next week, do it now. Post something right now on LinkedIn. Create a Reel immediately after this session. Whatever it is.
And honestly? They’re right. When you’re going through your notes, make a list of post-event action items, things you can try right away, things you want to try in the immediate future, and more long-term ideas. And then make a plan for how you’ll start incorporating those into your existing strategy. And then—and here’s the real kicker—actually start doing them.
In fact, go do something right now. I’ll wait.
#2 - Follow Up with New Connections
You stepped out of your comfort zone, made a bunch of new friends at the hotel bar, followed all your favorite speakers on LinkedIn, downloaded a few episodes of another attendee’s podcast, maybe even made tentative plans to swap content with a few creators. Awesome!
But all that value that comes from networking at events? It falls flat if you never talk to those people again once the conference is over. If you really want to solidify those new relationships, be sure to take the time after an event to reach out to anyone you want to stay in touch with.
It doesn’t have to be anything over-the-top. Make sure you’re following your new friends on social, and proactively find their latest post and give it a like, share, or comment. Reach out and let someone know that you listened to the podcast they recommended, or their blog post they told you about. If you talked to anyone about doing a content exchange, guest appearance, newsletter feature, collaborative social post, giveaway, etc., now is the time to follow up.
#3 - Create and Share Content About the Event
A great way to combine your post-conference review, give yourself a reason to speak to your new connections, and get some immediate return on your investment is to create content out of your experience.
What kind of content is up to you, but it should be content that aligns with your brand. Maybe you:
- Share a blog post, email newsletter, or podcast episode with insights, highlights, and key takeaways from what you learned at the event.
- Post an Instagram carousel of selfies with everyone you met (don’t forget to tag them!).
- Film a few vlogs and edit daily “come to this event” videos for TikTok or YouTube Shorts.
Whether your approach is educational, social, or behind the scenes, the point is to show that you were there! You’ll be building authority and proving your expertise to followers looking to you for information and education. You’ll be reinforcing those new connections, maybe even introducing yourself to their fans and providing some proof of concept for a potential collaboration.
Plus, if you tag the event itself in the content you share, you’ll be engaging within the space of that event community, potentially connecting with other creators you didn’t have the chance to meet, event organizers, and even future attendees. Who knows, maybe this time next year, someone will be looking at you as the expert opinion, helping them decide whether or not to attend an event.
Lauren
Bonus Tips from Team Lulu
Buy that ticket, pack your bags, you’re ready to survive and thrive at your next conference! But if you need a few last-minute tips before you’re on your way, we got you.
- “Drink water!”
— Laurie Shipley, Email Marketing Manager - “Bring comfy shoes (for exploring), conference shoes (for looking professional), and always bring an extra pair of socks.”
— Paul Hobday, Senior Marketing Manager - “Always bring a sweater, mints or gum, hand sanitizer, and Emergen-C.”
— Chelsea Bennett, Education & Community Manager - “After each day, jot down one thing that inspired you. It's way less overwhelming than trying to remember everything, and more meaningful later!”
— Sarah Nilson, Social Media Manager
Download a few episodes of your favorite podcast for the flight, early morning getting ready time, or for a few minutes of time to yourself between sessions. I hear Publish & Prosper is pretty good.
— me
