Some of the biggest benefits of attending the 2018 SRAI Annual Meeting come once you are back home. Here's how to maximize this time.
Planning for and attending the SRAI Annual Meeting can sometimes feel a lot like running a marathon. There is a ton of a pre-event preparation and once you are finally there, you barely stop what you are doing (shaking hands, taking notes, networking with your peers, meeting speakers) until you get back to my hotel room each night.
Because it requires a lot of mental focus before and during a conference, it is tempting to take a huge mental break right afterward - or more realistically, throw yourself into catching up on all the work that has piled up in your absence.
Don't give in!
So much of the benefit you will get out of attending the SRAI Annual Meeting comes right after the conference ends. We advise that you give yourself at least two full workdays to sort through everything that you learned and reach out to the incredible people you met.
Here are a few things you can do to make those conference hours incredibly productive.
1. Block time to follow up
Once people know you are back in the office, they will definitely try to take control of your time. We suggest to make sure to schedule your out of office greeting for one extra day (or at least a half day) longer than the conference, so you can give yourself ample time to execute on all of the to-dos and follows up that come out of each conference.
If you do nothing else after a conference – do this! Follow up! It can make a huge difference between a successful event and a big waste of time if you omit this step.
And on a related note, don't wait more than 2 to 3 business days to do those follow ups. You will run the risk that your "memorable" meeting will become all but forgotten.
2. Make your notes actionable
Directly after meetings, take shorthand notes so you don't forget important details that would help you write follow-up emails or pitch ideas post-event.
On the flight home, while things are still fresh, flesh out meeting notes, pulling out the action items and putting them into your to-do list.
3. Keep networking
There's never enough time to meet with everyone you find fascinating. Keep reaching out to speakers, other attendees and see if you can network in another way (at the next event, on a call, via LinkedIn, etc.). Try to add every great contact that you met at the conference to your LinkedIn network so that you can follow what these thought leaders and industry colleagues are doing and sharing. It often feels a lot more natural for you to engage through social channels (commenting, sharing) then to send an email.
4. Search the conference hashtag
You can always search for the official SRAI Annual Meeting #hashtag during the event (#SRA2018AM). It's a great way to find other attendees you didn't meet, read interesting tidbits Tweeted from speakers you missed. If you do the same, you might be surprised to find that others in your network were at the conference – and you can use it as a reason to reach out.
5. Spotlight your insights
For obvious reasons, it doesn't make sense for everyone at your organization to attend the same events – but those conferences can still benefit your entire group. Put together a few bullets that summarize the chief learnings from the event and put them on the agenda for your next team call.
6. Schedule a future check-in
Put a reminder on your calendar for one month and three months out from the conference to see if there are notes you could refer back to in order to improve your day-to-day. Follow up with someone you reached out to and see how they are doing.
#2018AnnualMeeting