Pay Attention at Influence: First Time NSA Influence Attendee Tips

Every summer National Speakers Association hosts their annual convention called Influence, and for many attendees, it will be their first time at an event like this. Seriously there are no words to describe when thousands of speakers get together … can you imagine!

If you are a first-time attendee at this year’s convention these strategies will assist you to have a fun, fabulous, and also productive time:

Attend the First Timers reception and session – designed specifically for you, you will meet great people, you will hear from great industry leaders and it is a perfect way to launch the conference for you and set objectives for what you want to get from this conference.

Determine your ROI – decide what this means for you to get a return on your investment (of time, money, and attention).

Walk into a room assuming everyone wants to play with you (most people know that’s my personal motto) – walk up to people, introduce yourself, assume they want to connect with you, and strike up a conversation – voila easy! Everyone wants to meet you.

Support NSA Foundation fundraiser – an important cause that helps speakers in need – do yourself a favor and join in all the fun and grow your skills and your network.

Stay the entire time – don’t sneak out too early, make the most of each day by seeing as much as you can (while managing your energy) and meeting all the fabulous people. Enter the rooms early, grab your seat, meet new people and stay until the end if you can. Make the most of every session.

Review the program in advance – determine your focus for attending the event and then choose the sessions you’d like to attend and make a note before you arrive, use the app,  add them to your calendar so you make the most of your decisions before You get to the conference.

Be open-minded – Leave a session if it’s not working for you – if you are listening to a speaker and it doesn’t work for you, leave. Simple. But also make sure you are being truly open-minded and you are open to alternative ways of thinking and alternative business models, there is no one way to do this business.

Don’t be a critic – it is easy to complain, provide unsolicited feedback or criticize another performer. Stop it. Don’t do it. Save your comments. Keep them to yourself.

Thank the team – when you see an NSA team member, a volunteer, please stop and say thank you. Thousands of hours go into planning this event for you – please pay attention to those who helped create it.

Pack comfortable – be yourself. Pack clothes that you enjoy wearing. You will see all kinds of outfits at this event. The CPAE Awards dinner is black-tie (like a speaker prom) for the rest of the event you can wear business casual or whatever you please. You will see it all. You will be walking … a lot, so consider what shoes work for you. Hotel rooms can sometimes be freezing, pack layers.

Drink lots of water – you are going to be talking to everyone and enjoying long days, good fun, and much laughter (and in my case, champagne) – hydrate!

Work out – the gym is always packed the first day (people have good intentions) but keep working out and protecting your energy. The long days, combined with lack of sleep and extra adult beverages can make you really tired by the end of the convention.

Get involved in the social media conversations – check out the NSA Facebook page and app – get involved early and hear all the conversations, meet others online.

Schedule recovery time – protect your energy, sneak back to your room for a nap, go to bed early one night, do whatever you need to do to protect your energy. This is a long conference with long days.

Make appointments with people you want to see – make time to reach out to people in advance of the event and schedule time to share a coffee or a meal.

Find a group and create a gathering for the CPAE Awards Dinner – this important black-tie evening honors five speakers who are inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame. The Council Peers Award for Excellence (CPAE) is our greatest honor. Find your fanciest outfit and your party shoes and have a great time.

Ask great questions – when you meet people don’t ask ‘so what do you speak on?’… everyone asks that question, and some attendees are still discovering their topic and expertise, a better question that Marilyn Sherman suggests “What’s been your biggest takeaway so far?”.

Have fun – you will have the time of your life and remember your first NSA convention for the rest of your life – make the most of it. Some say your first NSA convention is like drinking from a fire hose, they’d be right!

What are your ideas on how you can make the most of your first NSA event?