TIN #016 - How to network at conferences - part 2
Use this little-known secret weapon for conference networking
Good Morning 👋 - Greg here.
Happy Saturday morning to everyone who made new connections this week.
This morning’s issue is the second in a series I’m writing about networking at conferences.
In TIN015, we talked about how to approach pre-conference networking. We were laying the foundation for a successful networking experience. Today, we're going to build on that foundation.
Conferences are set up for networking.
Most have dedicated time for people to meet and connect. However, there are a few things you can do to make yourself stand out.
These tips will help you start conversations with the other attendees and will make you a more memorable connection after the conference.
This issue takes about 4 minutes to read.
Connect IRL
You’ve finally made it to the conference.
You visited the registration table and grabbed all your conference materials.
Now what?
I know this sounds obvious but don't forget to talk to the people you connected with before the conference.
If you connected with the conference organizers, walk up to them to introduce yourself. Ask if there are other people you should meet?
After each session, talk to the speakers you connected with. Remind them you connected with them before the conference. Let them know you enjoyed their presentation. Ask them if they are going to the conference networking sessions?
At the last conference I went to, I connected with a few people through the conference app. One of these connections saw me when I walked into the conference and invited me to sit at her table during the opening session.
I didn't have to approach any strangers and ask to join them. I got invited to sit with these people because I had already connected with them before the conference.
You did a lot of work before the conference to make networking easier. Don't forget to leverage that work to have conversations with people IRL (in real life).
Nametags
Every conference has nametags.
Some are more elaborate than others.
But the nametag is the secret weapon in conference networking.
You can use yours to stand out, start conversation, and guide you to your next connection.
Vanessa Van Edwards runs a site called Science of People and has a great post on conference networking.
In it, she talks about the use of your nametag or badge to stand out at the conference:
"You also might consider bringing your own badge, lanyard or pins to add. It’s easy to strike up a conversation with someone who has added something interesting to the boring traditional badge.
Insider Tip: If you have an opportunity to add a conversation starter to your badge, do it! For example, you can write your favorite quote on the back of your badge so if it flips over, there is still something interesting there. You can add a conversation starter below your name. Sometimes badges allow you to add an interesting fact–never pass up an opportunity to add an additional element to your badge. It will make YOU easier to approach.”
Another option to customize your nametag is to add a statement that tells people who you want to meet at the conference:
I want to meet people who are in (insert job title or function)
I want to meet someone who works at (company name)
I'm hiring (insert job title).
This statement on your nametag catches other peoples’ eyes. They’ll likely make a comment on your statement, which gets the conversation started.
It also makes you more memorable. After the conversation, your statement will stay in their heads.
As the conference goes on, people who have seen the conversation starter on your nametag will remember it and mention you to other people.
They may even introduce you to someone who fits the type of person you are looking for.
I used the last statement, "I'm hiring for compensation consultants," at an event a few months ago.
As I talked to people, they saw something added to my nametag and looked at it.
When they read it, they started thinking about who they might know that I could talk to about my open position.
I walked away with a couple of names of people to contact to see if they might be interested in joining my team. More importantly, I made the new connections who talked to me about these potential candidates.
You do need to make the modification stand out. It needs to be something people can read and be memorable. Use a sharpie or colored pen to make the modification highly visible. You want to draw attention to it.
I learned this the hard way at another conference I went to recently.
I modified my nametag with the same statement as before, but my writing was too small. It was too hard to read and people couldn't see it to ask me about it. As a result, it didn’t work as a conversation starter. No one asked me about it because I didn’t take the time to make my modification grab their attention.
If really want to step up your nametag game, create your own before you go to the conference.
Go to an office supply store and buy a nametag holder. You usually have to buy these in bulk, so if you don’t want to do that, you could also use one from a previous conference.
Take a piece of cardstock or other heavier paper create your own nametag at home. This way, you can go crazy and really focus on making it stand out.
QR Codes
I have an aversion to business cards.
There was a time when I used to collect these.
I would take them when people would give them to me.
Then, I threw them in a drawer and never looked at them again.
I also used to have my own business cards, and I would give them to other people. I'm sure they threw it in their desks and never looked at it again.
Now, when people ask for my card, I say, "They don't have those where I work."
When they ask, "Where do you work?" I say, "The 21st century."
Almost everyone has some form of digital presence today.
Instead of handing someone a paper card, why aren't we sending them to our online profiles?
Your LinkedIn profile has a QR code.
When someone you’re talking to scans it, it takes them to your LinkedIn profile.
They can connect with you right there. Now they have your info and you have theirs.
No need to remember to take your business cards with you or to remember to reorder them when you run out or collect them in a drawer.
Your LinkedIn QR code is accessible from the LinkedIn app.
To find your QR code, per LinkedIn’s own help page:
Open the LinkedIn app on your mobile device.
Tap the QR code in the Search bar at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.
Tap the My code tab to find your QR code.
You can tap:
Share my code to share your QR code via message, email or other third-party apps.
Save to photos to save a copy of your QR code to your mobile device’s photo gallery.
Tap an option from the dropdown that appears, and follow the prompts.
Here's mine:
I keep a screen shot of my QR code on my phone.
That way, I can grab it from my photos instead of logging into the app to get it.
Consider combining two of these tips: your nametag and QR code.
What if you customized your nametag with who you want to meet and included your QR code on it.
Whenever you talk to someone, they will see who you want to meet and they can connect with you immediately by scanning your QR code.
Give it a try
Give these tips a shot at the next conference you attend. When you make connections in advance, connecting in person becomes easier.
When you make yourself stand out from the other attendees, you’re easier to approach.
Your conversation starter makes you memorable and helps people connect you with other attendees. Connecting via LinkedIn on the spot makes it simpler to follow up with your new connections after the conference.
After you try these tips at your next conference, shoot me a message and let me know how it went.