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Make CLE and Industry Conferences Work for You!

You probably have your eye on a big conference or multi-day CLE program coming up in the new year.

The event is still months away, yet you're concerned about how long it will keep you away from the office....AND you may be wondering how you can squeeze some business development benefit out of the deal.

YOU CAN MAKE CONFERENCES WORK FOR YOU!

Sara Holtz, author of Bringin' in the Rain, offers this step-by-step approach for professionals who want to leverage conferences for networking and marketing pay-off .

Before the event:

Find out who will be there.

Try to get a list of attendees in advance to determine if potential clients or referral sources will be there.

Organize a get-together.

Invite a number of people you know or would like to know. They'll enjoy getting to meet each other and you, and you'll receive kudos as the organizer.

Reconnect.

If the conference is out-of-town, use it as an opportunity to reconnect with clients and colleagues. Invite them to have a meal or drink with you.

During the event:

Be prepared to NETWORK!

Have a game plan for effective networking. Go to the conference with the goal of having one or two meaningful conversations.

Be sure to have some good "sure fire" networking questions in your back pocket at all times.

Organize a mixer.

Get a group together to have dinner or drinks with during the event.

Make the most out of your breaks.

Use time in-between sessions to connect with prospects, colleagues and clients.

After the event:

Load your new contact information into your database.

Be sure to includes notes about how you met, and their interests.

Follow up with contacts.

Ping your network to stay in touch, focusing on those who seem like high-potential opportunities.

Remember, attending a conference is one thing -  working it is another.

Networking should begin the moment the event is booked and carry on indefinitely with every new contact you make.

Follow these steps and you'll watch your list of contacts grow and your book of business get even BIGGER!