Conference Champion, or One-and-Done?

If your organization’s policy to support conference-going is to "try and give everyone a turn", they must not value you that much. That is, not if you’re a high performer. Spreading conference money around "fairly" is like distributing "emergency response team" vests to everyone on your floor – just to be fair. Distinguish Yourself As with sports, just getting to the big game doesn’t make you the champion – as painfully evident in this year’s Super Bowl. This write-up suggests how you can attend industry conferences and come home a winner. Our careers are not static. We’re constantly turning, spiraling – either up or down. Heraclitus famously stated: "You could not step twice into the same river". Since we can’t circle back to the same place, it’s smart to use industry conferences to get to a better place. It’s up to you to see that place in your mind before you take your first steps onto the conference floor. Here are some ideas. Plan Clearly Your conference is approaching; you have approval and you’re on your way. Why you are going can only be answered by your objectives. Recently a conference promotion came my way. Seems they’d thought it out for me, telling me the "top five" reasons I needed to be there, which included: Expand my professional knowledge Become more efficient at my job Learn from industry leaders Network with my peers Have fun However, despite the brochures, organizations that pay for their employees to attend conferences do so for three simple reasons: To build skills in an employee – both in their current position as well as for future responsibilities To gain and apply industry awareness – techniques, technologies, and the success of others, and To award top performers – including support of professional certifications Realizing that your company is converting cash reserves to expense for you to attend, suggests that your forethought to this "paid absence" should extend to the expected employer benefits. Attend Effectively While there are no "five steps to fame," you can raise your corporate stock by applying the right approach to each day in conference, starting with – Before the Conference Begins ... Consider what you want most from your conference attendance; write it down and refine your priorities. Discuss your approach with your manager and ask for input to get on the same page. Study the conference schedule, speakers, topics, and events – determine which are most interesting (and most applicable) to your priorities for the conference. Map-out your own schedule, realizing that with so many concurrent sessions you’ll have to make some hard decisions. Realize that your priorities will shift from year to year – so focus on this year and this opportunity. Apply Emerson’s insight: It’s not length of life, but depth of life. Pay within the discount period, including securing your hotel reservation. I have always found that if I can stay at the conference property, I have much less distraction and can better engage in the conference experience. During the Conference ... If two or more of you are going from your same organization – spread out. Quiz: If you all sit together, talk together, eat together, and attend the same sessions together, how much money could your company have saved by sending just one of you? Years ago I worked for Intel Corporation and I remember hearing Andy Grove say: If three people always agree in a meeting, I only need one of them. There is strength in varied experiences and varied perspectives. Take care of yourself; keep on your sleep and exercise schedule as much as possible. Know your daily schedule in advance and arrive early enough to get oriented, have breakfast, and get situated. Talk with people; if you discover they have expertise in your target areas, talk more. It’s amazing how much beneficial information you can gain through informal discussions. The same goes for lunch and dinner breaks – be aware of the conversation and even direct some of the discussion to your interests as appropriate. People love to share both their successes and the things they’d do differently. With propriety, share your own journey. In sessions, sit near the front where you can see and hear without distractions. Follow the discussion; consider your particular needs and note your questions to discuss at the appropriate time. When opened to Q&A (even in the plenary sessions) be one of the first to raise your hand and get an answer that improves your understanding. Take notes in whatever format that is most helpful to you. Since the slides are available, what is noteworthy will have everything to do with your new insights and questions to resolve. If valuable, exchange cards with the presenter. Write key words on the card for any follow-up. Commit to reviewing the presentations of interest you cannot attend. Manage your vendor time effectively. Vendors pay a large amount of the overall conference expense – making it more affordable for attendees. Vendors will happily talk with you, but they are especially attuned to those who are focused in their technology space. Ask questions, make notes, and don’t be afraid to return to a booth and dig deeper once you’ve talked with several providers. Perhaps most importantly, keep a running list of issues: topics you want to better understand and opportunities worth reviewing on-the-job for applicability at the right time. Bring Back Some Novelty Start while you are still at the event: At the right times while away, correspond with your supervisor and select co-workers about what you are learning and are anxious to share. You may have a close-knit group, but a better place to discuss the conference "fun-factor" would be during a private lunch conversation – after your co-workers begin to appreciate the energy and business ideas that came home with you. Commit to yourself to implement three ideas you pick up at the event – either in sessions or something picked up over dinner or dessert – within a reasonable time frame. Hold yourself accountable for the time spent away, and if you enjoyed it and gained value for the organization, communicate this through the proper channels. In my next posting, we’ll conclude our discussion on being a conference champion with the most impactful lesson of all: the difference between pure R&D and applied technology. Mark Seethaler, CPA, APM, Global Payments Manager, LDS Church| Treasury Services Note: Mark Seethaler recently "walked the conference talk" at SSON's North American Shared Services & Outsourcing Week 2014 (which took place in Orlando) and – we hope – did some valuable networking of his own. Follow his lead: Join us at our European flagship event in Dublin (May) later this year. [inlinead]

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