10 Tips For Meeting People at Industry Events
Meeting new people and networking is the number one skill anyone can master when it comes to business, especially when attending a number of different industry events. Events and conferences can be challenging though – it might be an intimidating situation for some people plus there’s a lot of people around and everyone wants to talk to the mover and shakers of the industry.
Here are top 10 tips on how to meet people at industry events:
1. Prepare for the event beforehand
Have a small introduction ready in a few different versions, like a 30 second, 60 second and a 2 minute version which you can use depending on the situation.
2. Arrive before the event starts
Once the event starts, there’s a lot of people and noise but arriving early will give you some precious one-on-one time with a lot of people.
3. Pick who are you sitting next to
If you’re seeing that the person sitting next to you on a presentation is not engaging with you, don’t be afraid to move somewhere else.
4. Join circles of people
Don’t be afraid to join circles of people – you’ll be able to meet many people at the same time if you’ll do that.
5. Invite others to talk
Make it easy for other people to join the circle that you’re in and engage in conversation with them once they’ve approached your circle.
6. Business cards
Bring your business cards with you and ask for business cards as well. However, focusing on quality networking will get you better results than simple asking everyone.
7. Follow up
Remember to follow up! You’ve met a lot of people but it will be all pointless if you won’t send them an email, call them or engage with them on social media.
8. VIPs
If possible, try to talk to the VIPs on the event. It doesn’t necessarily has to be one of the speakers – learn to spot them.
9. Don’t overdo it
When going to a conference, you have to realize that the most influential people in the industry are the ones that have the least time and they don’t attend the events very often. Most people are newbies and it might be a waste of your time to network with them.
10. Have fun
As intimidating as an event or conference might be, remember to have fun! The friends and partners that you’ll gain are well worth the effort.
If anyone has other tips or ideas, please share with us!
