3 networking tips from me to you

Find Your Superpower newsletter 075

Read time: 5 minutes

Topics covered: Networking, conference, Find Your Superpower Summit 2024

I’ve attended many World Economic Forum summits and conferences over the years.

And at their annual meeting at Davos, every single person attending is someone incredible. 

I still remember telling my husband: “Hey, that guy’s jacket is so cool! It has a Britto (painting) on it.” And he turned around and it was Romero Britto himself! 😲

So where do we even start?

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the real-life equivalent of LinkedIn.

Q4 is conference season, are you ready?

Now that we’re heading into the fourth quarter of the year, it is also time for conference season to begin.

I’m already feeling the surge, attending and/or speaking at 2-3 seminars, conferences and events a week on average.

During conference season, it can even turn into a daily occurrence.

But fear not, I have three tips for all of us to not only survive the conference season unscathed, but also thrive with new connections and friends!

TIP #1: The value of a conference is 50% programming and 50% networking

When deciding on which conference to attend, most of us review the speaker line-up and official programming. Who’s speaking? Who’s talking? And I do the same.

But the fact is, the official programming only represents 50% of the value of any conference. The hidden and much greater value of a conference is really who is in the audience, who you can network with.

And yes, we could always network with the speakers, but most of the time they are preparing for their panel or keynote, and after that they’re swamped by attendees. As a speaker, it often means I don’t get to spend very much time with any individual attendee.

The best opportunities for a long-term professional connection will be with another attendee, often someone you are sitting or standing next to.

KEY STRATEGY: Don’t only arrive on time and leave on time during the official programming. Come early for breakfast, and leave after the networking drinks. Hang out in the networking zone. That’s where the magic happens.

TIP #2: Scan the attendee list and make plans to connect prior to the conference 

I must admit that I have done less of this for the conferences I have attended recently, but it is mostly because I am working at these conferences and trying to stay focused on my job.

But for the conferences that I am not speaking at, I would scan the attendee list (or the chat community list) to see who I am interested in meeting, and drop them a DM or an email to schedule a short introduction during a networking break.

Conference networking breaks are a valuable opportunity to exchange business cards or deliver a short elevator pitch if you’re in a seeker role.

KEY STRATEGY: Even a five-minute “hello” at a conference makes a huge difference. I find that once I’ve met someone in person, it is much easier to arrange for a follow-up coffee or lunch meeting, than it would be if I just sent out a cold DM on LinkedIn.

TIP #3: When introducing yourself, focus only on one thing

Now this is the most underrated advice I’m going to give you, that will hopefully change your batting success when introducing yourself at a networking event: focus on one thing you want to be known for.

I’ve been to networking events where someone tells me what they are doing, hands me a business card, then says with a big smile, “Hang on... that’s not all!” and continues on to the next few things they’re working on.

I don’t know if you agree, but it is really hard to remember names and job titles at an event, especially if you are experiencing networking fatigue and nerves, and drinking a glass of wine at the same time.

More is NOT merrier at a first introduction. It ends up confusing the person whom you’ve just met, who cannot file you in a category in their head, e.g. “He’s the guy who does ____.”

What will most likely happen is that they’ll forget you and the three or four things you do.

KEY STRATEGY: Ask your new friend to introduce themselves first. Listen to their introduction, figure out where the best collaborative access point is, and focus on the one project you’re working on that will provide the most value to them. 

In closing, stay hydrated, drink in moderation, and may you complete conference season with a whole set of new connections and business opportunities.

Ganbatte! 

UPDATE: Find Your Superpower Summit 2024

We finally launched the public sales of my inaugural summit on Thursday!

I am pleased to say that ~100 tickets have already been answered for. Why not secure your early-bird ticket with our 25% OFF coupon code SUPERPOWER25?

If you are reading this and unsure of whether to join us, I believe that at least one person in my Find Your Superpower community could be a potential collaborator, client or cheerleader... or a lifelong friend.

PS: I would love to finally meet you too!

Some wins to date:

✅ We finally launched our public ticket sales 72h ago!
✅ 3 participants are flying in to Singapore especially for the Summit
✅ We received our first bulk-ticket order of 6 tickets!
✅ All our VIP dinner tickets have sold out, and we have a waitlist of 8 pax
✅ Wine Connection and Ferrero have joined the Summit as our wine and snack sponsors!


Work in progress:

🛠️ We are launching a community chat group for our participants to mingle!
🛠️ We are in talks with 2-3 really cool speakers
🛠️ We are still selling tickets (Join us!🥹)
🛠️ We are curating and planning the Summit agenda
🛠️ We are looking for more sponsors (let us know if your company would like to join Wine Connection and Ferrero and support the Summit)
  

Network and find one big idea on 21 November 2024! ⭐

Network and find one big idea on 21 November 2024! ⭐

Network and find one big idea on 21 November 2024! ⭐

Thanks for reading issue 075 of my weekly Find Your Superpower newsletter.

For those of you who are new to my newsletter, Find Your Superpower is subscribed to by 41,000+ people, and discusses the following three goals: (1) Making a career transition, (2) Professional branding on LinkedIn, and (3) Reinventing ourselves for the future of work.

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