Social Media and Conferences

Having just returned from the annual Toastmasters International conference, I have some thoughts on using social media to get more out of in-person events.

Toastmasters is the premier provider of leadership and communication training in the world, so this was a large event – over 2,500 attendees from all over the world. But these ideas could be applied to a smaller gathering such as a state-wide or city-wide event, a local gathering for your industry, or a meeting for an organization you volunteer with.

Prior to the Event

• Reach out via LinkedIn, Facebook, other social sites, email, or even a phone call to people you hope to speak with at the gathering.
• If they’re planning to come, try to schedule a brief face-to-face meeting during a break in the schedule of events.
• If they’re not planning to be there, try to schedule a phone or Skype conversation.
• Whether you plan to talk at the conference or meet via phone or internet, take the time to skim through their LinkedIn profile, Facebook page, and website (if they have one) in advance.
• Whether they are attending or not, ask them if there is anyone they know who is attending whom you might want to meet. Ask them to introduce you, either in-person at the event or via email or a social site.
• Remember to pack plenty of business cards.

At the Event

• A night or two before the event, review the program (typically there will be a detailed listing of the schedule online).
• Use email to confirm the dates and times of any in-person meetings you have scheduled. You might need to make adjustments in these “coffee dates” depending on other things going on at the event.
• When meeting with the person, be sure to ask plenty of questions about what is up with them, and ask again if they know if anyone else attending the conference to whom they could introduce you.
• When handing out business cards, consider writing a (short!) personal note on the back when you give them to people you meet at the conference whom you want to connect with on social sites, such as LinkedIn.
• Spend time during breaks or when you get back to your hotel room each evening making notes on the backs of the cards you collect about the circumstances of your meeting, things you want to ask them about, anything you promised you’d send them – or might want to send them – after the event.
• Don’t be shy about asking people to connect with you on LinkedIn or other social sites, though LinkedIn is likely the best site for professional contacts.
• Also, if you see people at the event whom you know via social sites, take the time to at least say “Hi” and remind them of which site you’re connected through. It touches me that some of the top leaders in some pretty big organizations have told me that they track my LinkedIn postings.

After the Event

• Within a week or less of the event, follow up with both new and renewed connections via email, LinkedIn, and/or Facebook.
• Review the notes on all the cards you collected and make good on any promises you made to share information or introduce someone to one of your contacts electronically.
• If someone said they would send you something or introduce you to someone, wait a little longer, maybe a whole week, to let them do the outreach you’re doing and get back into the swing of their life before sending a friendly email mentioning something relevant to how you met or what they do and make the request again.
• If someone is not already on LinkedIn, send them an invitation. If you didn’t get a business card, try asking a mutual connection for their email address.

 How About You?

Have you reached out to social media connections at conferences you both attend? What approaches have you used?

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 50 and up, to become more comfortable using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter.

She works with business owners, business development professionals, leaders of nonprofit organizations, job seekers, retired people, consultants, and many others. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.