The Art of Pre-Networking: Building Conference Connections

By David Henzel, co-founder of TaskDrive—we support sales and marketing teams with personalized lead research and outbound campaigns.

Attending conferences can be a highlight of anyone's professional career, especially since they are opportunities to get together with hundreds, if not thousands, of people of all the horizons of your sector. After all, how often do we get the chance to fully immerse ourselves in the latest innovations and philosophies of what we are committed to in the space of just a few days? But, arguably the most important value of attending a conference is the opportunity to network in your field and make meaningful connections when you do.

But I ask, why wait? If you know there's a conference you'll be attending in the near future, why not prepare early for success by taking the following steps to anticipate new connections and start networking even before the event?

Do your research.

The best way to get started networking like a pro is to simply study the program. Write down the names of the speakers who will present the conferences you wish to attend. Start reading about their body of work. In other words, dive into their content, which can include anything published and any podcasts or interviews available online that they feature in. Check out their websites and become a follower of their social media accounts. Also note any companies and organizations that may have representatives at the booths and really any potential attendees you would like to meet.

It is also extremely beneficial to know more about the general location of the conference. Chances are you'll find some cool features, such as new openings and top restaurants in the area. Look for outdoor activities, cultural sites or museums available in the area. All of these can be potential talking points and, even better, could serve as possible joint field trips to offer on the sidelines of the main event.

Plan it.

Start by scheduling in your calendar all the conferences and events that will take place during the conference that you may want to attend. You can color-code each event based on topic or priority and use an organizing tool such as your Google Calendar, Calendly, or Zapier to integrate all contact information. Social CRMs like Getdex.com are great tools for organizing information and alerts, such as when to call or contact someone. However you choose to categorize your information, you'll want to have a system ready to be able to capture contacts and track them as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Contact speakers and attendees in advance.

If there's someone you'd like to meet, there's no better introduction than letting them know ahead of time. Don't leave a networking opportunity to chance, as it can be difficult to connect with others onsite and especially difficult before and after their presentation. Reaching out to a speaker or fellow attendee early via email or social media post is a great way to start the networking process and give you a better chance of getting noticed among the audience. Tell them why you're looking forward to their conference and praise them for their work that inspired the connection.

The same goes for potential participants you would like to meet. Why wait and see if they will actually attend? If you want to meet them, get the ball rolling and let them know. Ask if they will be attending and see if you are interested in conferences or similar activities in the program to create the opportunity to meet in person. If they're not attending that particular event, see if they plan on going to others. This way, you can take the opportunity to contact them again in the same way, before the future event.

Schedule a meeting.

This is where the calendar you have prepared of all the conferences and events scheduled in the conference program comes in handy. Because the next best step you can take to secure any networking opportunity is to schedule one. If there's someone you know you want to meet, then why not just bite the bullet and ask them to meet you? Most people would appreciate an invite for coffee, lunch, or even dinner, especially if you say you heard it was the best of...