After the conference: Getting the most value

You go to a conference, learn about a lot of things, talk to some interesting people, and hopefully get some good conference toys.  Now you’re back in your office.  What can you do to make your conference more worthwhile?

• Teach what you learned to your colleagues or in your network.  You are likely to forget 90% of what you heard at the conference within the next three months.  Sharing what you learned can help you remember up to 90%.
  
• Either make plans to read through the materials you got at the conference, or throw them away.  If you’re not that interested in learning more in the next week,  you will probably be less interested in the next month.  Next time, take only what you expect to use.
  
• On the backs of all those business cards you got at the conference, write down the name and year of the conference where you met those people, and if possible, a word or two about what you talked about.  Plan to follow up with everyone you want to in the next six months, and remind those people of how you connected with them.
  
• If you have an email mailing list, it is more courteous to ask the people you met if you can add them, rather than just downloading their information.  Because so many of us get enough (really too much) spam, they will probably appreciate your asking.  And if they say no, that’s a good sign they might not be interested in continuing the business relationship further.
  
• Think about what you wish you had learned at the conference, but didn’t.  Plan out how you’re going to fill those knowledge gaps over the next year or two.
  
• Think you can do better than some of the speakers you heard?  You probably can.  Offer to do a conference session on a topic that you know well.  It's a great way to increase your visibility and prestige among your colleagues.

Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP