Despite the development of online conferences against the background of the pandemic, live communication is not canceled, but on the contrary, it acquires a new meaning. 85% of business leaders around the world say that networking at offline events has a key impact on business development.
How To Prepare for The Event?
Here are some ways to prepare for an event:
Define tasks
First of all, you need to determine the goal that you want to achieve at the event, and, based on this, choose the format of communication with the participants. If you are looking for new clients and partners, then international conferences, such as the CIO summit will be useful. They need to distribute materials that include information about the company, as well as discounts and special offers. For example, flyers with QR promo codes.
If you are looking to find contractors, then choose local industry conferences. In this case, prepare materials – from business cards to leaflets – with direct contacts of managers who will negotiate. To connect with platform developers and get special terms of use for business, it is better to pay attention to technical conferences.
Based on the purpose of the business, participants from your company are also determined. A CTO of a company should be present at tech events, and large general-purpose conferences need marketing specialists.
Be punctual
It would seem that this is a rather elementary recommendation, but it is really important for participants to come to the event in advance. It is worth considering the time it takes to register, the queue for entry, and the layout of marketing materials.
Allocate time and budget
It is better to make a calendar of events a year in advance, indicating in it major industry conferences where your presence is mandatory. The budget should include the cost of transport and accommodation, and make hotel reservations in advance.
In the case of popular events in small European cities, such as Cologne, all hotels are sold out several months in advance. If you plan to participate with a stand, then you need to budget the amount for the entrance ticket and marketing materials.
Prepare the materials in advance
At the stage of starting a business, when you are looking to introduce the company and increase sales, it is better to participate with an exhibition stand. Medium and large businesses that have been on the market for many years must-attend events to show a stable position. However, if the goal of the company is networking to attract partners, then you can do without a stand and just chat with conference participants.
It is possible to come up with an alternative format of participation. For example, we didn’t have a stand at Streamfest, but attendance was mandatory due to the scale of the event. Therefore, we invited well-known content creators who put on a performance in T-shirts with our logo.
Don’t forget to follow up
Conferences lay the foundation for collaboration, so it’s important to keep in touch with potential partners. Participants of the event should not only collect business cards but be proactive and write a follow-up themselves.
During conferences, company representatives receive dozens of new contacts, so they may not answer you right away. It is better to take the first step yourself and remind yourself of the agreements that you reached during the event.
