You Could Be Getting a Lot More Out of Conferences—Part 2: More Pre-Conference Preparation

Last week we started our blog series on how you can maximize the effort that goes into attending industry conferences. Hopefully, you read the first post on pre-conference preparation. You know how to determine which conferences are truly worth your time and energy. You have a well-defined conference messaging strategy. You and your team have practiced everything from elevator pitches to how to strike up a conversation at the bar. Finally, you’ve researched the conference attendance list and created dossiers for your most important prospects.

This week we’ll be covering…more pre-conference preparation. That’s right—you’re not done. Stop your whining, I don’t want to hear it. In order for each conference to deliver maximum return on investment, you have to put the work in ahead of time. So, buckle down—there are many tasks to complete before check-in.

HI [[FIRSTNAME]]

You’ve already figured out who you need to be emailing, so now it’s time to develop the messages you’ll send leading up to the event. It’s also time to create the emails you’ll be sending to your prospect list during the event, emails you will send during the conference to people you’ve connected with, and follow-up emails for after the conference. All these messages need to be written before the conference. Every. Single. One.

Based on your conference attendee research, you should have two defined groups. One list contains any attendees who could be potential clients. The second list is for those attendees you want to specifically target. These are the folks for which you’ve created dossiers.

Develop a cadence of eight to ten messages to be sent between 90 and 30 days out from the conference. Another 8–10 messages will be sent from 30 days out to the day before the conference—these will include requests for meetings. You’ll also need emails to send to this list each day of the conference. Finally, you’ll develop another general group cadence for a marketing campaign that’s ready to switch on as soon as the conference is over.

Wow, that’s a lot of emails you’ll be writing! Hopefully, you’re an excellent email writer and know the tips and tricks for getting prospects to read your message and respond. If your email game could use a refresh, however, another pre-conference preparation task could be Maestro’s online, self-paced email workshop. 

All these pre-, during-, and post-conference cadences will need to be developed for your top targets as well, but they will require more personalization. Are you sick of typing yet? Suck it up because there are more messages to prepare!

What happens when you meet a prospect at the conference and have a great conversation with them? That requires a different kind of follow-up email. Something like:

Hi [[FirstName]],
It was great meeting you yesterday. How did the rest of your day go? Was there anything that stood out to you? Let’s reconnect when we’re back in the real world.

You’ll also need to prepare post-conference emails for the prospects you met and with whom you’d like to set up meetings.

Hi [[FirstName]],
It was great meeting you. Let’s continue our conversation about [[WhatYouTalkedAbout]]. Which of the following times works for a 20-minute call?

Don’t forget to include a picture of yourself in all your conference emails. This will make it easy for people to recognize you and remember you. Also, be sure to include your phone number in your signature block along with a note letting recipients know they are welcome to text you.

BECAUSE IT’S NOT REALLY THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS

Don’t leave your gifting strategy at the office. During a conference is a great time to send gifts to your prospects. Prepare a spreadsheet ahead of time with a list of and links to articles that pertain to the event. Your follow-up messages to the people you’ve met will be even stronger when you can provide them with something useful.

It was great talking to you today about [[WhatYouTalkedAbout]]. Here’s an article I think you’ll find interesting and helpful.

Not only is your new friend thinking, “Wow, that woman from Company X is so thoughtful and organized,” but now you have an easy way to reach back out after the event.

Did you have a chance to read the [[Topic]] article? What did you think?

It’s nice to gift prospects with relevant articles, but conferences open up gifting possibilities even more. You know what conference attendees probably need right now more than an article? How about a list of the best restaurants in the area, or the top five must-sees in town?

A list of the best coffee shops or non-touristy bars they would never find on their own is a great gift to keep at your booth. Be sure it’s well branded so that when your potential client is drinking the local brewery’s latest seasonal IPA, he’ll think of you.

CONFLICT-FREE ZONE

There are likely several people from your organization attending the conference with you. More colleagues attending can help your organization get more out of the conference, but only if there is some planning.

You’ll want to develop a deconflicting strategy so that you and your colleagues are using your limited time as efficiently as possible. You should work out before the conference which groups and individuals each person will focus on.

You’ll also be meeting new people at the conference that you won’t be able to plan for. If your colleague just spoke to someone for an hour, you should probably spend your time speaking with someone else. “Have you met anyone else from Company X today?” If they have, tell them you want nothing to do with them. I’m kidding. Obviously, we want you to be tactful and polite, but now you’ll know that this isn’t someone you should start an in-depth conversation with right now.

Speaking of in-depth conversations, it’s happened to all of us. You’re at a conference and you’ve been cornered by someone who seems to have all the time in the world to talk about something that has nothing to do with you. Be ready with some polite strategies for removing yourself from a conversation.

[[Topic]] is really interesting. Let’s exchange information so we can talk more about it later.

Please excuse me, I’m going to make a quick restroom trip. It was lovely to meet you.

If you are a people pleaser, this can be an uncomfortable situation to be in. Remember in last week’s blog when we mentioned practicing for different scenarios? Politely exiting a conversation is a skill that can and should be practiced. After all, time is your most valuable commodity.

Guess what? You’re finally ready to go to that conference! But what should you do once you’re there? Stay tuned. Our last blog this month will give you tips and strategies for maximizing your time during and after the conference.

Do you need a better conference calculator that doesn’t miss any hidden costs? Contact us a mastery@maestrogroup.co.