Magnificent Monday - Don't Sweat at an Industry Conference

Magnificent Monday - it is magnificent to not let them see you sweat at an industry conference.

Each Monday throughout the month of October, will be dealing with the topic - "Never let them see you sweat." I will be writing about a variety to situations that  tend to make one nervous and how and why you need to keep your "sweat" aka fear and nervousness under control. Over the course of the next five weeks, I will take you through

• industry conferences
• job interviews
• parent/teacher conferences
• doctor's visits
• making a major purchase

Ok, let's begin with industry conferences. This month I am privileged to be attending the Power Up Weekend 2012 Conference in Washington, D.C. as a social media ambassador. The last few months have been full of a great number of blogging conferences. I have watched several of my friends and fellow bloggers go to conferences and return, sometimes feeling dissatisfied and disappointed with the experience.  I have attended  blogging conference as well and have come away from them all feeling good.  

Not letting them see you sweat at industry conferences, like with most endeavors starts with preparation. In this case, the first piece of research you should do is check out the conference brochure. It will be chock full of useful information. The brochure will tell you the events, speakers and goal of the conference. After you read the brochure  you will know what to expect and be able to prepare for the conference. Be sure to add the conference date to your calendar with reminders in advance so you will have an opportunity to pack in advance and not have to rush.

Make a list of the various session you would like to attend. Taking care of this in advance makes it easier for you to plan your day. Are there any places you would like to visit in your conference city? If so make a list of the places you want to visit and add them to your calendar as well. You know the old saying, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. So plan out and schedule what you want to do for the conference so you will be able to get it all done.

Use your social networks to see if you have any friends who are going to attend the conference. It may be nice to have a friendly face to sit with or share some meals with while you are away. In addition, Tweet or blog about your upcoming event, including any questions you may have. Someone in your network may have answers you need or insight that may be useful.

Next, go on line and do a simple Google search of your conference topic. This will get you some up to date information and give you some talking points to use during your conference. Finally, go prepared with a good attitude and a spirit of adventure.  Attending an industry conference can be a wonderful and exciting experience. So, the question for you this Magnificent Monday is how do you prepare for industry conferences?

Add a link to your favorite post about an industry conference.