Social Media Camp Archives - Page 2 of 2

Headshots of Elaine Tan Comeau, Wendy Armbruster-Bell, Jacqueline De'Ath, Angela Crocker and Constance Zacharias — Vancouver Mompreneur panelists at the Microsoft Canada event Celebrating Women Entrepreneurs

As I’ve said before, I LOVE conferences. Taking two or three days to focus on professional development is a great way to hone your business communications. Conference attendees learn new things, share ideas, meet new people and reconnect with familiar folks. They also get to practice their elevator pitch, explore potential partnerships and fine tune the smooth moves needed to elegantly exchange business cards.

My next conference is the 2016 National Mompreneurs™ Conference in Toronto. Together with fellow west coast attendees Elaine Tan Comeau of Easy Daysies and Maria Freeman of Little Jots, I’ll be connecting with some of the brightest and most-successful female entrepreneurs in Canada. I’m looking forward to meeting keynote speakers Debbie Travis, Erica Ehm and Natalie MacNeil. I’m also keen to connect with Mompreneurs™ Canada CEO Maria Locker and the leading women of the 15 chapters from across Canada. With three notable keynote speakers and two-days of events and workshops, I’m sure I will be inspired, enriched and energized.

As always, I think its important to prepare to make the most of each conference. There’s no point in wasting time and money going to an event without some careful forethought. My two part article How to Prepare for a Conference, is a handy reference. Check out part one on my website and then head over to Social Media Camp to read the rest. (By the way, I’ll be speaking at Social Media Camp 2016. Its been five years since my last presentation at Social Media Camp, one of my all-time favourite conferences. I’ll debut my new talk The Digital Cleanse.)

I’m a conference junkie. Yup, I have the habit of going to conferences. These events are a great opportunity for networking, learning and gaining some new perspectives. As much as I love conferences, I don’t go to every conference out there. You’ve got to pick the events that relate to the work that you do or will be attended by your prospects and customers.

This week I’m preparing to go to Social Media Camp Victoria – a two day extravaganza of social networking experiences. I’m honored to be a speaker and am looking forward to learning from my fellow presenters including Jay Baer, Amber Naslund, Callan Rush, Sean Moffit, Rebecca Coleman and many others.

Given I could put “Conference Goer” on my resume, I’ve experimented with what to do and take. After lots of blisters, useless notes, dead batteries and some wicked headaches, I’ve figured out what works. Read on if you want a better conference experience:

A couple of weeks ahead, check how many business cards you have on hand. Plan to bring 250 cards with you. You won’t use them all but it’s better to have too many than too few. If your stock is low, order more now. Even if you don’t have a business you still need a card. Simple black type on crisp white card stock is fine. You can order them from Staples or Office Depot or your local print shop for a quick turnaround. Having a card makes it easier for the people to find you again after the conference.

Make a packing list of all the computer technology you want to bring with you. Do you need your cel phone? A laptop / Netbook/ iPad? What about chargers? Peripherals like external speakers or a wireless mouse? What about microphones or headsets? Don’t forget batteries and a power bar. The list should include the gear you want in your conference bag and the stuff you’ll need in your hotel room.

Cameras are another biggie. Are you planning to take photos or shoot some video? Then decide which cameras to pack. Is a simple point & shoot enough or do you need a digital SLR? Are you shooting video on your iPhone or creating something higher quality with a Kodak PlayTouch or a Flip? Again, what batteries or chargers do you need? How many memory cards will you pack? And bring your own tripod if you need one.

You know that TV show “What not to Wear?” Keep that in mind as you pack for a conference. There are some practical considerations – the time of year, the weather and the geography. A sunny summer day at a ranch venue requires jeans and a hat whereas as a June day in a conference centre requires business casual attire including a shawl, light jacket or cardigan just in case the air conditioning’s on full blast. Beyond the practical, try to figure out the style of the conference – social media conferences tend to be more casual (not sloppy) compared to hospitality shows, for example.

Separate from the clothes on your back, I implore you to pack comfy shoes. Flats, sandals or nice walking shoes are essential for you to keep on trucking around the conference. Wear runners if that works for you but please leave the smelly trail run sneakers at home for sake of those who have to sit next to you!

Take a look at at the speaker list – who do you already know? What blogs can you add to your RSS reader? Who should you follow on Twitter or fan on Facebook? If you haven’t already, get reading and start connecting.

Study the conference schedule. Are there concurrent sessions? Make some decisions about what you’d like to attend before you arrive but be flexible enough to go anywhere on the day. Make your selections a blend of topics you already know and challenge yourself to learn something new.

Thanks for reading this far … the folks over at Social Media Camp are posting a companion blog with 7 more tips to help you enjoy the event. Carry on reading here.

What tips can you share to thrive at a conference?