Tag: events

Categories
Sales & Marketing

Which Event is Right For You? 3 Questions to Help You Choose the Perfect Event

If it hasn’t hit you yet, it will soon — there are an awful lot of live events happening in the online world.

 

Now there’s an excellent reason for this — hosting your own event can be a huge business booster, so many entrepreneurs find themselves giving the whole event-hosting a whirl. However, for the attendee, it can be downright overwhelming to decide which events are worth the time/money/aggravation to attend.

 

If that’s you then never fear, help is here. As someone who has attended probably a gazillion events (the good, the bad and the ugly) I have a few thoughts on this whole event-attending business. Below are 3 questions to ask yourself when an event invitation crosses your path:

 

1. Is the event promise something you feel like you need to learn? First and foremost events are about training, so taking a look at what you’re going to walk away with is an excellent place to start. In addition to reviewing the event promise (or transformation you’ll receive by attending) also check out the event host. Is this someone you want to learn from? Not only from a credibility standpoint but are you going to enjoy watching them on a stage for big chunks of time?

 

If the answer is “yes” then it probably would be worth your while to carve out the time in your schedule to attend (especially if there’s not another way to get your hands on the information). If the answer is “no,” that doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t attend, but you should definitely keep reading.

 

2. Will the networking be worth it? Will your ideal clients be in attendance and/or possible joint venture partners? Events are also about meeting people live and in person. If your peeps will be at the event then you also probably want to be there. If they aren’t going to be there, well, then you may want to think twice about attending, unless…

 

3. Is it time to infuse your business with new ideas? Are you feeling old and stale sitting by yourself in your home or office? Events are fabulous at helping you shake the cobwebs out of your current thoughts and behaviors and have you see things in a new light. If you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed in your business, attending an event can be just the ticket to helping you get a fresh new perspective (which ultimately can lead to you getting unstuck and un-overwhelmed).

 

And I know I promised 3 questions but here’s one more bonus question:

 

4. Has it been awhile since you attended an event? I do think there are a ton of benefits to getting yourself away from your daily to-do list and into the energy of possibilities that events hold, and if it’s been awhile since you attended an event, then it’s probably time.

 

Now for scoring — unless you had all yeses or all no’s, there’s no real right or wrong answer. If there was only one yes but it was a really strong and important yes, that may be enough for you. But on the flip side, you still might decline to attend an event even with all but one yes (if the one no was strong enough you just felt like you couldn’t stomach going).

 

Mostly what I wanted to do is to help you think about all the reasons why it’s important to attend events, and then to decide if this particular event is the right one for you.

 

 

Categories
Sales & Marketing

To Attend or Not to Attend — 3 Keys to Determine the Right Event for You

In case you haven’t been paying attention, there are more events out there then you can shake a stick at. And every time you turn around, even more events pop up.

For the most part, I’m glad there are so many events because there are many good reasons to attend them. The networking, the learning, the “getting out of your rut and exploring new ideas” and more. But the problem is, how do you decide which events are worth you spending your hard-earned money (not to mention your time) attending and which are the ones you should skip?

Well, I’ve put together 3 keys to helping you determine the right event for you.

1. First — ask yourself why you want to attend this event (or any event for that matter) in the first place. What do you hope to get out of it? Are you looking for business? Joint venture opportunities? To learn a new skill or strategy? To brainstorm some new ideas for your business? To just get away from your office and talk to people who “get it?”

Be very clear and very specific on what you want. Don’t be vague — if you’re vague you’re not going to have enough information to actually make the right decision.

2. Now, take a look at the event. If you’re looking for clients or joint venture partners, are those the people who will be attending? Will it be too small (or too big) for you to be able to do they type of networking you enjoy? If you want brainstorming or masterminding, will the right folks be there for that?

If you’re looking for education, is the event promise a good fit? Do you think you’ll actually walk away with the information you’re looking for?

3. Okay, so if you’ve gotten this far and the event appears to be a good fit, now I want you to take one final look to make sure attending this event is absolutely the right way to go.

If you’re looking just for information and have no big interest in the networking (or you don’t much like to network) is there a simulcast option or a home study course you could get instead? (You can also do quite a bit of networking on simulcast as well.) If you are interested in the networking, is this the absolute best event you should attend or if there a better option? And if this is the best option, should you simply be an attendee or would it be worth your while to upgrade your visibility to a sponsor package?

I’m not trying to talk you out of your decision with this third step, but what I AM trying to do is make sure you’ve thought this through so you aren’t disappointed. There’s nothing worse then spending all that time and money to show up at an event and realize either it’s not what you were looking for OR you should have made a different choice (for instance — you should have chosen a sponsorship option or a simulcast option).

So take a few extra minutes and just make sure this is the right decision for you.

And lastly (but probably most importantly) once you DO decide this is the right event for you, go buy your ticket and make your travel arrangements NOW. Don’t wait — get it done and move on to your next decision.

Categories
Networking

3 Secrets on Getting the Most Out of Attending Events

You’ve got your suitcases packed, your airline booked and you’re on your way to a live event.

But you’re a little nervous. You’ve already spent a bunch of money, you’re about to spend a bunch more on hotels and food, not to mention the time away from your business and life. Will this turn into a good investment (i.e. help your business grow) or will it end up being just a waste of time and money?

That’s an excellent question and as someone who has attending more than her share of events with fabulous (and not-so-fabulous) results, let me share my 3 secrets to getting the most out of your attending events.

1. Set your intentions on what you want to get out of the event. Are you looking for joint venture partners? New clients? New ideas or information you can implement in your business? Is there someone you really want to meet in person? All of the above? Something else entirely?

It doesn’t matter how you define a successful event, what’s important is that you actually spell out what you want to have happen and make it as clear as possible.

If you’re not clear on what you want, then your results could end up being equally murky. You want to visualize exactly what would have to happen for this to be a successful event for you.

Let me take a moment and share a quick story about this. At an event I recently attended, I was walking through the dining room at dinnertime and I saw a woman sitting by herself. I went up to her and asked if she wanted some company, which she did. It turned out she had set the intention for meeting ME at this event and we’ve ended up doing a couple of joint ventures together. Isn’t it amazing once you set the intention how the Universe actually delivers it?

2. Don’t just hang around your “crowd.” There’s no question that one of the reasons why I love going to events is I can reconnect with all my old friends and colleagues. However, as much as I treasure the face-to-face bonding, I also want to meet new friends and colleagues too.

Make a point of having either lunch, dinner, drinks, etc. with a new group each day. That gives you the opportunity to meet new people without going too far out of your comfort zone. (Now, if the thought of that is making you break out into a cold sweat, take a deep breath. Bring a friend with you, just don’t only talk to your friend. Or only do this once or twice in the few days you’re there and slowly work your way up. You’ll probably discover the vast majority of the people at these events are just as eager and just as nervous as you are, and it all ends up working itself out.)

3. Manage your energy. This is a big one I never see anyone talk about but it’s really important. Events are exhausting. Period. Between being “on” when you meet people to absorbing all the information that’s flying at you, it can wear you out.

So it’s important to know your limits and listen to your body. You don’t have to be at every single networking opportunity. It’s okay to skip a group lunch or dinner and get room service.

Everyone is going to have different limits and whatever that is, it’s perfect for you and you should honor it. The last thing you want to do is wear yourself out so much that when that perfect client DOES show up on Day 3, you’re not so drained you don’t properly represent yourself (and end up losing the sale).

There’s one more thing I want you to do to make your event attendance as successful as possible, but this is SO important I’m going to devote an entire article about it. Stay tuned!

Categories
Networking

Why You MUST Attend Events to Grow Your Biz

Look, I get it. Attending events can be a big deal. There’s travel costs, time away from work, time away from the family, etc. etc.

So why on earth should you bother? After all, between social networking and the telephone, you can meet all the people you want, right? And with all the classes and programs out there, you can get all the learning you need without leaving your house too. Right?

Well that’s not exactly true.

You see, going to events is a lot bigger than the networking and the learning. I would go as far to say something magical happens when you start going to events. Here are 3 reasons why you MUST make attending events a part of your marketing tool kit.

1. Gets you out of your “day to day” rut. It happens to the best of us. Between your huge to-do list and your commitments to your family, community, life etc., you have a lot going on. And sometimes it’s all you can do to focus on the next thing you have to get done.

The problem is when you’re in that mode (and trust me, I’ve been in that mode many times before) you can’t see the forest for the trees. You’re focused on the details, not the big picture. And when you get in that mindset, it’s really easy to miss something — maybe it’s a big opportunity, maybe it’s a problem waiting to explode in your face.

Going to an event means a break in your routine. It gives you a chance to breathe, to see things you might not have seen when all those to-dos are staring you in the face. It can give you a perspective you never had. You could end up with an idea that could transform your business, add an additional income stream or stop a problem in the bud that could cost you thousands in money, time, energy and aggravation.

2. Keeps you from feeling lonely. There’s no question about it — being an entrepreneur can be lonely. Chances are your friends, neighbors and family really don’t “get” what you do to make money, much less what it means to be an entrepreneur — the responsibilities you have and the decisions you need to make. Who do you use for a sounding board? Who do you talk to when something goes wrong — maybe your web site goes down during a crucial launch or your assistant sends the wrong email to the wrong list and causes all sorts of confusion and complications. Your friends and family probably don’t even understand the problem much less be able to give you any sort of help solving it.

But your entrepreneurial friends “get it.” They know EXACTLY what you’re going through because they’re living it too. And it can be such a relief to be surrounded by your “tribe” (not to mention having the opportunity to brainstorm and bounce ideas off of other successful entrepreneurs to see what “pops” for your business.)

3. Gets you in front of people you would never be able to reach any other way. Are there people you’d love to connect with but think they’re so “big” you’ll never get their attention? People like Alex Mandossian or Ali Brown? Well, I can tell you from experience it’s a heck of lot easier to connect with thought leaders at an event then it is to try to get them on the phone or through social networking. (And yes, one of the reasons why I got both of them as a client was I first met them at an event.) Over the years I’ve met nearly all my clients in person, and that has really helped me develop deeper relationships with them. And that doesn’t even count all the joint ventures or other opportunities that have come up because I met great people in person at events.

I really believe one of the reasons why my business started taking off is because I started attending events several years ago. Events can be a great way to boost your business, especially if you know how to approach them. I’ll cover some tips on getting the most out of your event attendance next week.