Conference Strategy

Conferences provide education as well as networking opportunities. Also, going to a conference can be overwhelming and you can get caught up in all different directions.

Here are some of the reasons why to attend conferences and some helpful tips and tricks to help you navigate these educational and networking events.

• Conferences offer educational content.
  • Lectures
  • Speakers
  • Strategies
  • Round table discussions
  • Q and A
• Conferences offer great networking opportunities.
  • Meeting industry leaders
  • Potential partners
  • Syndicators to invest with
  • Vendors
  • Colleagues and likeminded individuals
• Two tips for attending conferences
  • Know what your reasoning is for going. Have a strategy in place.
  • Are you going to listen to all the lectures and speeches to learn?
  • Are you looking to meet syndicators to investor with?
  • Looking to find a partner to start your own syndication business?
  • Have a plan
• Making meaningful connections:
  • Meeting several individuals can be exhausting. Don’t put yourself in this position by trying to collect/give out as many business cards as possible.
  • Learn about the people you are genuinely interested to learn about. Trick I use is have a meaningful pocket and business cards pocket.
  • Meaningful pocket is going to store those cards that I really enjoyed the conversation and connected with the investors. Those are the investors I’m excited to build a relationship with. Put their business cards in that pocket. Take notes on them when you get a chance.
  • Business card pocket is for those quickly introducing themselves, sharing their business card and moving onto the next investor.

This is how I navigate conferences. Personally, I don’t like the feeling of hopping from one group to an another and collecting as many business cards as possible just to invite them to my monthly newsletter. I prefer to make meaningful connections and build upon that relationship. Plus, a long weekend of jumping around only sets an investor up for a tired week ahead as most investors at conferences are traveling back to go to their W2 the following week. How exhausting, right?

Please consider this strategy as it’s helped me in my career to meet and partner with investors. Happy investing!