With Analytics That Excite quickly approaching next week, we wanted to put together some tips for getting the most out of your attendance. I’ve been to a few conferences in my day – and I’ve also crowdsourced some ideas (from others at InfoTrust) about how to make the most of Analytics That Excite.
Whether you’re a current student, practitioner, manager, or executive, you should find this list helpful next week.
10 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Analytics That Excite
1. Plan Your Day Out Ahead of Time Using Our Guidebook App
If you’ve never heard of Guidebook, it’s a company that lets conferences and events build out an app quick and easily for attendees. We have information on our speakers, the schedule, a FAQ, a map of the venue, and more all included on one app!
The best feature is that you can plan your own personal schedule of the sessions you want to attend. I would highly recommend downloading the app and building your schedule ahead of time because the rooms will fill up and you don’t want to sit in the very back of the room.
You can download the guide by visiting guidebook.com/g/ate2015/ on your mobile phone and downloading the Guidebook app, then searching for “Analytics that Excite”.
2. Bring Your Business Cards to Network
I know, I know. LinkedIn is many people’s business card these days. However, you will find there are people that value a business card over a “let’s connect on LinkedIn”. Especially for me, I’m terrible with remembering names. If you have a business card that I can stick in my pocket, it’s much easier for me to remember you after the event. And, if I really find you interesting, I can then add you on LinkedIn.
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make, and I’m guilty of this 99% of the time, is not bringing business cards to conferences and events. My focus for conferences is usually to hear great speakers and jot down a thousand pages of notes. Because I know I will forget them, I have business cards stashed away in my backpack that I carry my laptop and charger in. That way, I always have them with me. Sort of like American Express, “Don’t leave home with out it.”
For those interested in networking, the best times to meet new people is during breaks and lunch. That way you’re not interrupting any speakers or making it hard for other attendees to hear.
*For students: Obviously you won’t have business cards. Strike up conversations and ask for the person’s business card if you are interested in continuining the conversation after Analytics That Excite. If you do get business cards, follow up a day later, thank them for their time, and ask to learn more about their job/company over coffee. You’ll be surprised how far that goes.
3. Introduce Yourself to Everybody You Sit Next to
On a simliar note, don’t sit next to your friends or co-workers if you came to network. This way, you can make a very casual introduction when you sit next to someone. I recommend being as unobtrusive as possible and being aware of the other person’s body language. If they’re fidgeting with their phone or writing something down, it’s probably not the best time to interrupt them.
One tip I’ve learned is to ask the person if the seat next to them is available. This is a quick and kind way to make sure you can sit there, but also once they make eye contact and say it’s available, you can introduce yourself quickly before they get back to whatever it was they were doing.
If you still need some pointers, take a look at this article on how NOT to introduce youself at networking events.
4. Bring Co-Workers and Attend Different Sessions
You may have heard the term “divide and conquer” before. Well, this is essentially what I’m saying. We have a few sessions that have two or three speakers talking at the same time. Obviously, it’s impossible to be in two or three places at the same time – I’m pretty sure.
So, if there are a few speakers you want to hear, but they’re speaking at the same time, why not bring out an additonal co-worker to take notes for those that you miss? This way, you can compare notes and really impress your boss with everything you learned!
Also, we’ll give you 20% off tickets!
5. Take Notes Early and Often
One of the other huge mistakes I’ve made is not taking notes at conferences. I’ve had people tell me NOT to take notes, because instead of writing, you’re listening, but I don’t believe that. I actually learn better if I listen and write down what I’m hearing.
I’ve actually been to events where I don’t write a single thing down and by the time I’m home later, I can’t for the life of me explain to someone what I’ve learned. There are obviously a few ways to take notes, whether you’re using pen and pad (which, hint, you might be getting some swag at the conference), a laptop, or your phone. I’m not a fast writer by any means, and I also don’t write legibly, so I actually take notes on my laptop.
If you are going the technology route, I would recommend minimizing all other windows than your note-taking app to avoid distractions. One minute you’re writing down something important from the session you’re attending, and the next you’re on the 10th page of your Google results trying to find out when Kanye West’s new CD comes out. As of 10/15/15, I still couldn’t find an actual date, in case you cared.
One of the stipulations for InfoTrust members to attend conferences is to come back and share knowledge from the conference that could help the company in the short or long-term. If I didn’t take notes, my boss would be convinced I actually went somewhere like Boston (INBOUND 2014) and only went on brewery tours.
Note: I did go on a brewery tour (Harpoon Brewery – highly recommed), but it was after a full day at INBOUND 2014 in case you’re reading this, Michael.
6. Move Around Often and Stay Hydrated
I can’t stress this one enough. For anybody that has had to sit down for more than 45 minutes, you might notice you start to become tired or sluggish. As someone with a bad back, after 20 minutes I’m fidgeting around in my seat trying to find a comfortable position. Moving around, taking a quick walk to see the venue, and staying hydrating can keep your energy levels up so you’re not falling asleep in your chair.
Don’t be like this me* – move around and stay hydrated:
*Points if you get the DirecTV commercial reference.
7. Use the #AtE15 Hashtag to Take Part in Conversations
One of the coolest parts about attending a conference in my opinion is being able to take part in a conversation without having to shout over other people. With the ubiquitousness of social media, this has become much easier by using hashtags (especially on Twitter, though other networks have adopted hashtags now as well).
Some people like to live tweet conferences, and if you’re one, feel free. I love paying attention on Twitter to conferences I wasn’t able to make to see who’s speaking, what’s being said, and identify people I should be following.
For Analytics That Excite, our hashtag this year is #AtE15. You might be wondering why the “t” is lowercase. Well, then it looks like you’re talking about eating something and frankly, that’ll make other people hungry.
We might have some surprises for people that have the best tweets, most tweets, etc. using the hashtag #AtE15. I don’t know. Maybe. Possibly. Who knows?
8. Arrive Early to Fuel Up Before a Big Day
Who doesn’t like free food and drinks to start the day? Honestly, that’s all I have to say about that.
9. Bring Your Laptop and Phone Chargers
If you’re taking notes on your iPhone or Laptop, you’ll probably need to charge them at some point. There will be outlets throughout the venue and within the rooms, so you’ll always have power nearby.
Also, there is WiFi throughout the venue, so you can always stay connected (if you’re into that kind of thing).
10. Research the Speakers and their Companies
This is last on the list, but who am I kidding, this list isn’t in any particular order. I highly, highly recommend when you’re following tip #1 the day before to check out the speakers and their companies.
We have some amazing speakers from some really cool companies again this year. So make sure to do a little research once you’ve figured out your schedule.
Things to do:
- Follow the speakers on Twitter so you can tag them in posts during their presentation
- Learn about their companies and how they might be different or similar to your own company
- Think up potential questions you might want them to answer relating to your own situation
Coming prepared with this information in your head or written down somewhere will help you better engage during their presentations and hey, they might retweet or follow you back!
In Conclusion
Hopefully you’ve found this list helpful when preparing for next week’s Analytics That Excite conference. If you attended last year and have additional tips (remember, we’re at a much newer, much more technologically-savvy venue than last year), feel free to drop us a comment below! See you all next week!
If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet – you still have time! Use the discount code “ATE20” to get 20% off today!
