We attend so many conferences, industry meetings, retreats, strategic off-site meetings and we plan so many! These events are all called different names but the idea is the same – you need to be away from your home or office for a period of time. To ensure this is a productive activity and you can achieve greater impact, here is a list of strategies you can use before you travel to your event.
Phone or Tweet Ahead – a concierge is the greatest source of information for any new city or hotel so are your twitter peeps. When you contact the hotel or connect on Twitter ask several questions including:
- Is there a gym? Is there an additional fee for use?
- Is there wifi in your room? Additional charge?
- Is there a hotel shuttle?
- Does the hotel provide a pick up service from the airport?
- Are there shops close by i.e. grocery store, coffee shop and pharmacy?
- Is there a pool or spa facility available?
- Is there a business centre?
- What restaurants are close by? I love Yelp and FourSquare for this.
Book Transportation – if the hotel provides complimentary shuttle service – fabulous! You might need to book in advance. Enquire about the limousine service (often not much more expensive than a local cab).
Choose Sessions – check online, make notes of sessions you will attend and where you want to netowork. Have a goal for your attendance to choose where to invest time. This avoids wasting time when you arrive.
Make appointments before you arrive – use services like TripIt, Twitter, LinkedIn to see who is travelling to the event, schedule time to connect for drinks/meals before the event. Leverage every opportunity while you are at the conference.
Create ‘Out of Office’– determine how to handle communication. You could ask a Virtual Assistant, leave an ‘out of office’ auto responder and an extended out of office voicemail. Make arrangements to educate those around you that you are not available during this time.
Change Voicemail – your message (office and cell) will advise callers when you are available, when you are returning and an alternative contact.
Pack stationery – pack a few blank envelopes to store new business cards collected, your business cards and ‘thank you’ notes you can use at the event.
Install apps – you might like to try applications like Bump that allows you to avoid carrying business cards and swap contacts with other with an iPhone.
Pack Walking Shoes -you can always create time to leave the hotel and get fresh air or use the gym.
Don’t over pack – we often pack more clothes than required. Have a combination of professional and casual clothing and footwear. Review the agenda to make note of any special or formal dress events during the conference.
Schedule One full day of follow up activities – before you leave for conference, schedule an appointment to action requests, follow up, write correspondence and investigate any products or services you were interested in.
So try these productivity strategies out before you head to your next event – I promise it will increase your ImpactivityTM!
