9 Tips To Get The Most Out of Industry Events

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🤔 Do you attend industry events?

👍 Would you like to ensure you make the most out of every industry event you attend?

👇 In this article I’ll share 9 tactical tips + real life examples you can easily execute to improve the ROI of attending any event.

TIP #1 Tweet before the event

This tactic isn’t revolutionary, but I bet you’re not doing it enough. Tweeting before the event is a great way to start forming relationships with other delegates and the event organisers.

The most important thing about tweeting before an event is to be creative and stand out from the crowd (see example below which Lloyd created with Instashot).

BONUS TIPS

☑ Always use the event #hashtag.

☑ Tag the event @TwitterHandle.

☑ Tweet several times before the event.

☑ Be positive

☑ Engage with other Twitter users who are talking about the event via the event #hashtag.

TIP #2  Bring the right equipment

Bringing the right equipment will ensure you have all the tools you need to make the most out of the event.

If you’re planning on creating video content (which you should be), then check out the ultimate live stream setup for £100. I’ve outlined a list of additional event equipment essentials below.

EQUIPMENT

☑ Power bank

☑ Phone charger (that you can plug into the wall).

☑ Smartphone filming rig (see video below).

☑ Notepad & pens

☑ Business cards

TIP #3 Sit at the front

This sounds weird, but there’s logic behind it. Sitting at the front not only helps you get noticed by speakers, it also gives you the best view to create videos and images to share on social media.

Check out the view I had at Social Day London.

TIP #4 Be creative on Twitter at the event

Twitter is the platform most people jump on when at events, so what are you going to do to stand out?

Absorb came up with a really creative and engaging idea to get noticed at Social Day London. He created a Snapchat filter and filmed event speakers and delegates answering a simple question: what drives them mad when using social media?

He then downloaded the snap and shared it on Twitter with the event hashtag and asked the person in the video to do the same (see video below).

BONUS TIPS

☑ Plan creative ideas before the event.

☑ Look at other event hashtags for creative idea inspiration.

☑ Involve speakers to increase reach.

☑ Integrate video somehow.

TIP #5 Create videos on your smartphone

Videos consistently outperform any other type of content on social media, so you need to take advantage of this.

You also need to think about how your videos are going to stand out in an oversaturated crowd. Below are some ideas for you. You should also check out how to create epic social media videos on your smartphone.

SMARTPHONE VIDEO IDEAS

☑ Speaker’s ‘best bits’.

☑ Fun and entertaining videos (see Lloyd’s examples below).

☑ Event ‘round up’ video (see example from Social Media Summit Ireland below).

☑ Interviews with speakers (Carlos Gil does this really well in his #RealTalk show on YouTube)

☑ Timelapse videos of delegates and speakers.

TIP #6 Engage with other delegates using the event #hashtag

The best place to find and engage with other delegates is to search the event hashtag on Twitter.

BONUS TIPS

☑ Comment, like and retweet other delegates Tweets before, during and after the event.

☑ Follow all delegates.

☑ Add delegates to a Twitter List and continue to engage with them after the event.

TIP #7 Build relationships

One of the easiest (and most effective) ways to get the most out of the event is to build relationships with other delegates, speakers and event organisers.

Here’s some tips to help you build strong, meaningful relationships at events;

BONUS TIPS

☑ Work out what the person wants and then help them get that thing. You can quite easily find out what people want by looking at their social media accounts. What call to action are they asking their audience to take?

For example;

✅ Event organisers may be asking their audience to book tickets. You could help them achieve this by booking tickets yourself and encouraging others to do the same.

✅ Speakers may be asking their audience to sign up to their online courses. You could help them by signing up to their courses and encouraging others to do the same.

✅ Other Delegates may be asking their audience to share their content to increase brand awareness. You could help them achieve this by sharing their content and encouraging others to do the same.

☑ Speak to as many people as possible.

☑ Ask the event organisers for a delegate list and plan who you would like to speak to before the event.

☑ Don’t make any of these networking mistakes shown in the video below.

TIP #8 Create an event video

Creating a professional event video after the event is a sure-fire way to get noticed. In addition, if you’re looking to build relationships with event organisers, this is a great way to go about It!

Be as creative as you like. You don’t have to do a standard event video, why not add a personal twist? You could film interviews at the event asking questions related to your industry, or film every delegate saying one word they’d use to describe the event and then edit this together and add some funky music.

EVENT VIDEO IDEAS

☑ Film interviews with speakers and string them together.

☑ Film every delegate saying one word to describe the event, edit this together and add some funky music.

☑ Create a video of you asking speakers uncommon, even controversial questions.

☑ Try to capture ‘funny moments’ from the event (see Paul Andrews example below).

TIP #9 Write a blog about the event

Writing an event roundup blog is another great way to make the most out of your event attendance.

EVENT BLOG IDEAS

☑ Event round up (examples: Social Media Summit Ireland, Get Social Kent, Snaphappen).

☑ Event review (Simon Social Media does this really well).

☑ Key takeaways from event.

☑ Collated write up of speaker quotes e.g. 10 Ways To [achieve something] from 10 [enter speakers expertise]

Over To You

Now it’s over to you. Book onto your next industry event and execute these strategies to up your event delegate game.