I blurted out laughing in line at my favorite coffee house today. Why? Well, I heard someone discussing how terrible they felt about heading to a marketing conference next week. He didn't want to do the "go team" thing during any conference activities because - frankly- "that stuff doesn't apply in my day-to-day operations." His honestly was brutal, his candor made me laugh, and he was 100% right!
Here's the thing, conferences don't have to be a waste of time. Networking events can benefit you. The trick is to know how to navigate these activities.
If you don;t head into a conference thinking about what you will not learn, chances are you will capitalize on the extra time (yes, away from your desk and your clients) to do the following;
Meet new people and potential new employees
Hear amazing speakers and generate ideas for your firm
Crystallize strategies you may have been considering
Forge partnerships with other co-managing PR firms
Learn about new technologies and figure out how to be ahead of your competition
Un-learn bad habits - which happens
Create a notebook full of smart tactics to take back to the office and implement
I think life is all about attitude. Sure, the things learned at conferences will not always fit into your day-to-day operations' plan. But, if you implement them correctly, they can elevate your business overall.
Until Monday,
Velma Trayham of ThinkZILLA
No comments:
Post a Comment