We all know the importance of an agenda for meetings…without one, time is wasted and there is no way to evaluate if your goal was accomplished.
Well the same is true for networking. Networking is business…not pleasure (okay, not ALL business…it’s certainly more fun to conduct business at the bar than in a formal setting, but at the end of the day, it’s still work). After seven years in trade show management, I still don’t think my husband understands that when I say I can’t call him because I have to go to a party, late-night dinner or even the hotel lobby bar, it’s atually work!
So, if the networking events that are part of your next conference or trade show are part of the job you’ve been sent to do, how do you prepare an agenda to ensure you accomplish your goals?
1. Start by defining your goals. What do you hope to accomplish by attending a networking function?
2. Review the event attendee list (or look at who has RSVPed to the event through social media event listings such as LinkedIn and Facebook events). Identify the key people who will be attending the function who you would like to meet and do business with.
3. Review what you have in common with these people and why getting to know them would be mutually beneficial. Develop a quick elevator pitch to help you make the connection.
4. At the event, make a point of introducing yourself to these people (or get others who you know to help make the introduction). Use your elevator pitch to make a connection that leads to a next step, such as a business card to follow-up or an appointment to continue the conversation.
What other strategies do you use when attending networking functions (for business) to make sure the business doesn’t get lost in the networking?
ts2show
Shauna Peters
