This week on #bufferchat our community chatted all about making the most of your conference experiences. Read on to discover all of the awesome insights shared during the chat!
Catch our weekly Twitter chat, #bufferchat, at TWO times every Wednesday for valuable industry insights and to meet hundreds of other smart marketers and social media enthusiasts. Same topic, same place, just at different times – feel free to join whichever chat time works best for you!
4 pm AEDT (Sydney time)
9 am PT (San Francisco time)
This week’s stats:
Bufferchat #1 (4 pm AEDT): 20 participants; reach of 981,454
Bufferchat #2 (9 am PT): 55 participants; reach of 1,088,985
Q1: How do you choose conferences to attend?
From the community:
A1: Thinking about what I can actually learn, the speakers / topics, networking opportunities and ticket cost. #BufferChat
— Cree Jones (@jones_cree) February 7, 2018
A1
I choose conferences with a quality provider putting it all together, experienced speakers, and a relevant agenda. It helps if they summarise who it’s for and what I can expect to get out of it, too. Helps if it’s quality content, not a glorified sales pitch…#bufferchat
— comfortwriter ??? (@ComfortWriter) February 7, 2018
A1. Places I’ll enjoy the location and learn the most actionable tips at the top of the list. I like smaller and newer conferences since I’m still pretty young and have a limited budget. Price of course but I usually don’t lead with that. #bufferchat
— D Johnson Lindsay (@djohnsonlindsay) February 7, 2018
A1:
1. cost (who is paying?!)
2. distance (how far and does it impact my family?)
3. relevance (will I learn anything?)
4. food (full meals or a granola bar in a swag bag?)#bufferchat
— Julie Lichtenberg (@jalichtenberg) February 7, 2018
See all the great answers to question 1 here!
Q2: What makes a conference worthwhile or makes you want to return?
From the community:
A2: 1. Practical evergreen insight. I don’t just want something that I can only use tomorrow. I want information and strategies that I can use to edify myself or my work. 2. Fun. Conferences that don’t allow you to let down your hair + socialize w/ other attendees??#bufferchat
— Bria Charlei Baylor (@Impact_Write) February 7, 2018
A2: Feeling motivated and having a new energy. I love the sense of community that builds at a conferences and the relationships you can make #bufferchat
— Suze Cooper ✨ (@minicoopersmum) February 7, 2018
A2: One with lots of interactive elements (workshops & breakout sessions) rather than just an old-fashioned “sit and listen to us talk” event. It’s how I learn best.
Oh, and plenty of extra-curricular activities too!#bufferchat
— Felicity Wild (@flickwild) February 7, 2018
A2. Real interactions past the point of hellos and intros. Plus the availability of food and water. In the last conference I had attended, it was so difficult to get a bottle of water!! #bufferchat
— Ankitaa G Dalmia (@Anki_Live) February 7, 2018
See all the great answers to question 2 here!
Q3: Do you have any tips for breaking the ice with fellow attendees?
From the community:
A3: Find them on the socials first! Get your name in their brain. Talk to whomever your are sitting next to about to find out commonalities you share professionally. Ask someone to take your photo. #bufferchat pic.twitter.com/vjZPA3VOBF
— Mike Bryant (@MichaelRo22ss) February 7, 2018
A3 Working on an article on this! Top 3: (1) carry a “prop” (I usually have a fun bag or my pink sparkly mug) – something people can comment on. (2) force yourself to sit with a group you don’t know for lunch. (3) open with a compliment or question of someone else #bufferchat
— WTF ? Katie (@WeirdTrvlFriend) February 7, 2018
A3. It’s all about finding common ground & setting up rapport from the onset. A casual compliment on one’s suit or getting a brief sense of one’s company/pro credentials can go some way in putting folks at ease. Good humour & a pleasant visage always help! #bufferchat
— Pradyut V. Hande (@HandesUp) February 7, 2018
A3 if you can, connect w/ attendees going to the conference online; people usually share that they’re attending the event and use the event specific hashtag.Reach out, set up time to meet at the conference. Be a social? but have a script handy #bufferchat
— Musolé Kambinda ? (@Musolek) February 7, 2018
See all the great answers to question 3 here!
Q4: What are the best ways to select sessions to attend?
From the community:
A4: I always go for sessions that will give me a new perspective so I don’t start getting comfortable! Plus, a completely different angle can be damn inspiring #bufferchat
— Simona Pop (@Sim_Pop) February 7, 2018
A4: Think of it like dating… be selective. ❤ Pick sessions that align with your goals, will stretch you and add value to your business. #bufferchat
— KitchenTableFinances (@KitTabFin) February 7, 2018
A4. Target sessions where you don’t know entry level information. It rarely goes past that. That will get you the most value for the time spend. Netowrking wise, target where people you’re interested in are going. Gives you something to talk about. #bufferchat
— Ben Sailors (@SailorsBen) February 7, 2018
A4: I select the ones based on what I want to learn. But I also like to keep myself open to take something that I may not know I’m interested in… Yet. #bufferchat https://t.co/WP12wUx5V0
— Kelly Noble Mirabella ☄ #SMMW18 (@Stellar247) February 7, 2018
See all the great answers to question 4 here!
Q5: How do you synthesize the information you learned and apply it to your day to day?
From the community:
A5: I’m a huge notetaker. Once I can digest what I’ve taken notes on I take it to testing! Scary at first but if we don’t try we’ll never know what works. #bufferchat
— ?Codi? (@Codishaa) February 7, 2018
A5: One of the coolest ways is to have a Social Media Ambassador program where there are dedicated live-tweeters and streamers. @NationalCouncil has done this for a few years and it’s been very successful. #bufferchat https://t.co/RgjmVFeU2J
— Natasha West (@NatashaWest_) February 7, 2018
A5: Take notes and blog about the sessions you attended afterwards, when the information is most clear in your mind. #bufferchat pic.twitter.com/y8FdsAyg9s
— MyCorporation (@MyCorporation) February 7, 2018
A5: I call it the “Post-Conference Renaissance,” where you get back and are ready to destroy mountains and want to enact immediate change.
My advice? Take a deep breath, make time to reflect, and build an actionable timeline to move forward with what you’ve learned. #bufferchat
— Meghan Hakey❄ (@MegAHakey) February 7, 2018
See all the great answers to question 5 here!
Q6: What conferences are you looking forward to this year?
From the community:
A6: Onward (Seattle, WA – I’m speaking!), World Domination Summit (Portland, OR), and I really want to attend a @DrJoeDispenza workshop! #bufferchat
— Jenna Britton (@jennanicole) February 7, 2018
A6: Life at Work is by far the most intriguing conference that has caught my attention. https://t.co/2WYuf6XsBt Looks like all about culture and people – the driver of growth. #BufferChat
— Tejaswi Raghurama (@Tejazz89) February 7, 2018
A6 I love to write so I will try to attend the ACFW conference in the fall again. Last year was the first one I went to and it was great. #bufferchat
— Linda Buice (@BuiceLinda) February 7, 2018
A6 I’m definitely going to @witsummit in Quebec in May. May do the Women’s Travel Fest in NYC next month. Wanted to go to SMMW, but waaay outside the budget. Open to more ideas, thought! #bufferchat
— WTF ? Katie (@WeirdTrvlFriend) February 7, 2018
A6: My two favorite conferences: #CMXSummit (by @CMX), a fun and wonderful conference for community builders, and @elaconf, an incredibly empowering and supportive conference for women and genderqueer folks in tech. ?#bufferchat
— Arielle Tannenbaum (@ariellemargot) February 7, 2018
A6: I’m dreaming of attending @SMWLA conference this summer! I’ve heard nothing but great things. Also…the next @girlboss conference. #bufferchat pic.twitter.com/UkZZ1t0gaV
— Bria Charlei Baylor (@Impact_Write) February 7, 2018
See all the great answers to question 6 here!
Thank you so much to our awesome community for sharing such great insights in this chat!
Do you have any comments or answers to these questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!
Image sources: UnSplash
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