Attending Live Social Media Events – Which Events Are Right For You?

Live events are a great way to network with others in your business field. Human interaction builds strong relationships. Also, you get to practice those networking skills in person. But, what events are right for you?

Live events are going on all around you. The trick: knowing where to look.

Where To Find Events of Interest

• Visit your favorite blogs for information. If your bloggers are speaking or attending a conference they will want to let their readers know about it. Most of the time you will see a badge or a list in the sidebar or if they’re very busy speakers you may find a separate page with their engagements listed.  Ask for more information if they don’t provide a link.

• Visit forums. Business forums usually have a place where they list upcoming events both online and offline. Check to see which are close to you and if they are on a topic that interests you.

• Visit social networking sites. These are great for business connections. If friends are hosting events or attending, they may post an invite to the event for their business contacts. Read the information and attend.

• See my events list. Since you’re here on my blog I figure you’re interested in some of the same events I am.  You can see my wish list of events I’m looking to be SPONSORED for on my Sponsor Me page.

If you’re a business looking for a professional conference blogger that’s the page to find one!  Whether it be me or another blogger, it’s important to know how to reach out to a blogger and find the best match.  I wrote an article on Branding With Blogger Outreach that may be helpful in your approach.

If you’re a blogger that would like to be sponsored for an event, let me know and I’ll post a few of the tips I’ve learned.

JD Lasica put together an awesome Calendar for 2010 conferences and events that lists best social media, tech­nol­ogy, media and mar­ket­ing con­fer­ences for the upcom­ing year.  It’s a great starting point for your research.

Finding Events For Your Interests or Niche

The live events you choose may interest you in two ways:

• Professionally
• Personally

Professionally, choose live events that are relevant to your business. You wouldn’t attend a crafting seminar if you sell gardening supplies. And, you probably would pass on a seminar that highlights how offline businesses can get into online markets if you already own an online business.

It can be hard to decide if you are new to online business. Because you aren’t sure what you need to know, you don’t know what live events will be best for you. Here are some pointers:

• Check geographic location – Your first time out, you might want to stay close to home to lower costs. Money is often tight when you just get up and running.

• Look at event registration costs – Now, money is not the only consideration. As the fees get more expensive, your attendees will reach a different caliber as well. And, some events are tax deductible as a business expense. What we are talking about here is to see if you can swing the cost for a highly rated event that will benefit your business in many ways. Or you could consider offering your promotion skills for a brand that can’t attend an event and be sponsored to go.

• Look at the speakers – Who is coming that you really feel you can learn from? Don’t go just because the speaker is well known…make sure their topic and speaking style is going to be something that you will be able to absorb and implement in your own business.  If the speakers are some of your favorite bloggers or online business owners that you have been wanting to meet, don’t pass up the chance to have your questions answered and gain some insight.

Choosing a live event to attend doesn’t have to be a hard decision. Gather as much information as you can about upcoming events, their location and fees so you can map out your networking strategy. Be prepared with which sessions you want to attend, who you want to meet with, and what you will say when you do meet your mentors in person. (Perfect that elevator speech!)

What events are you planning on attending this year? Why did you choose those?  Have you found any other sites that list upcoming events that you can share? Please leave your questions or tips below in the comment section.  I love hearing from you!

To Your Success,

P.S. –> When you attend events your goal is to network and collect as many contacts as possible to follow up with later.  Show your digital style, save precious time, and stay organized with a sweet little gadget called Poken.  You can collect social network info with one touch of a button and it’s saved forever.  Check out the post I wrote on How To Exchange Social Media Contact Info Instantly at Events for more info on Poken.

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2. Live Tweets at Events – Tool or Distraction?
3. How To Exchange Social Media Contact Info Instantly at Events
4. Promote Your Event Using LinkedIn Events Application
5. Live Social Media Marketing Events: Are You Attending or Intending?

Tagged as:  Live Events · Marketing With Social Media · Social Media Events