The Jeff Pulver Blog: Things to do BEFORE a VON Conference:

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March 05, 2007

Things to do BEFORE a VON Conference:

Chris Brogan recently provided some sage advice on the things we should all do after we attend a conference. With Spring 2007 Video on the Net and VON just two weeks away, now is a GREAT time to plan your on-site attendance at our upcoming events.

The following is not intended to be a comprehensive list of EVERYTHING to do before an event, but these are things on my mind today as I think about attending VON.

- Set your goals. This is my number one “thing to do.” Why are you attending? Who are you looking to meet? What competitors do I want to check out? Who did I promise I would get together with? What technology do I want to learn more about? Am I spending enough time on the show floor to discover new companies and new products? What sessions at the conference do I want to attend? What time am I scheduled to speak? Who from the Media do I want to have a casual, ad-hoc meeting with? Who do I want to get to know better? Do I want to do any breakfast, lunch or dinner meetings? Which hotel(s) are the host hotels? (Chances are much better you will meet people in the lobby of the on-site host hotels than any of the recommended off-site venues.)

Whether I’m speaking a conference or attending as a delegate, when I’m on-site at the event, I am there for a reason. Most likely it is to meet one or more of the people speaking at the conference. A major advantage a conference delegate has at our VON and Video on the Net events is that they can get to the session room early and be in the room before their designated “target” is in the room and position themselves to be first in line at the end of the session to be part of an ad-hoc meeting. Over the years, I’ve sent myself and others to events all around the world just for the opportunity of the ad-hoc 1-3 minute meeting / business card exchange. Not that I’m advocating any form of “stalking” here – but your ad-hoc meetings are a lot more efficient if you know what your target looks like. Visit this link to see what many of the VON speakers look like. Google Images is also a good way to do some quick research -- at least for people who have spoken at other events in the past.

- Say HELLO - DO NOT WAIT. How often is it that you see someone at the start of an event with the intention of catching up with that person later in the day/week and that additional meeting just never happens? For me – all the time. This is why I say hi as soon as I can. My meetings are usually brief so that I can spend more time networking with a variety of people rather than let my time be dominated by just one person. This is not a suggestion to be shallow. Just an opportunity to be time efficient.

STUDY the Map of the Convention Center - You are able to spend the next 3 to 4 days at this location. Familiarize yourself with the venue and you will have an edge up on everyone else who is also attending.

- Be AWARE of the Event Schedule - Write down the times for the conference breakfast, scheduled breaks and conference lunch. These are some of the best times to engage on on-site ad-hoc networking. If you also plan on visiting the show floor, best to know the exhibit hours as well. And know the times and room locations of the people who you want to hear speak and the people you want to meet.

- Be in CONTROL of your Schedule. Allocate your time wisely. How often is it that you look back after an event, wishing you had more time to network, more time to walk the show floor, more time to meet with the people who you wanted to meet with? When you recognize that “time waits for no one” after a while you make want to start to work on your on-site time management plan…today and take responsibility for at least 12 hours a day of your time – the 7am to 7pm time grid. Don’t become a victim of poor time allocation. Take control and follow your schedule.

- Don’t be SHY. If you have a hard time meeting new people, now is a chance to break out of your shell and give the rebooted version of YOU a try.

- Be SEEN - It is real hard for you to enjoy ad-hoc meetings if you are spending your time in a hotel room on conference calls or all of your time at convenient off-site meetings. You have budgeted the time to be in San Jose for a reason. So take advantage of it. Make an effort to be visible.

- Be SOCIAL - As a conference delegate for Video on the Net and/or VON, you are invited to attend my “All Conference Party.” Over the years we have learned what it takes to create a great social atmosphere for an evening of what we like to call “fun.” – make an effort to attend our social events and you will be with hundreds of others who are attending for the first time and people who are also there to meet and network with others from the conference as well as many of the companies from our expo floor.

This year there are a number of social events being planned on Tuesday night by the vendors on the show floor. If you would like to attend one or more of these events, just ask about them as you walk the show floor on Tuesday.

- BRING Business Cards - Bring cards with you and keep a stack with you all the time. Exchanging business cards is still a social experience and something you should be prepared to do just when you least expect it. It could be that you are about to run into the person you are there to meet on a cab line at the airport, while checking into the hotel, while in the elevator, while on the conference registration line or maybe sitting right next to you at a conference session.

- Understand that some meetings will not HAPPEN - Apply the 15 minute rule and move on. “Things happen” and not everyone is as efficient with their on-site schedule as you are. It helps to keep the cell phone numbers of the people you are meeting handy. (And it is ok to blow off a meeting or two in favor of something that just came up, so better to SMS the person and tell them you are running late and need to reschedule.)

- VON Blur Happens - There is a moment of time when I fall behind in my outbound electronic social communication and the hours and the days start to blend together. Rather than fight the blur, I just accept it now. While it takes me up to a week to recover from VON Blur, knowing it is going to happen has helped me better prepare for the time I spent on-site. This year I’m going to be giving twitter a try as a means to “stay connected” on-site.

ENJOY yourself - Give “having fun” a try.

These are just some of the random thoughts in my mind as I think about how to advise others how to get the most out of one of our VON events.

Tags: voip, von, Video on the Net, Internet TV, Media 2.0, Jeff Pulver

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Posted by jeff on March 5, 2007 07:36 AM | Permalink

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Posted by: caribou coffee at June 6, 2007 06:51 AM

Also, call your bank and credit card companies BEFORE you leave. Alert them of your travel plans so that they don't flag your account for suspicious activity and lock you out when you need money the most.

Posted by: Christopher Penn, Financial Aid Podcast at March 5, 2007 10:12 AM

- Watch Mitch Joel's PodCamp Toronto presentation on Building Your Personal Brand. KNOW this stuff before you go so that you can talk intelligently to CxOs and other folks you will run elbows with.

http://podcamptoronto.pbwiki.com/MediaArchive

You cannot know, beyond a general idea, who will be at a conference, and who you will have 15 seconds of fame with. If you're not prepared for it, the opportunity will pass you by.

- Hitting the expo floor? A backpack or cloth bag is handy for schwag. Just don't be greedy.

- Rumor has it - and someone from VON can confirm - that on the last day of an Expo floor, some vendors are so happy not to haul stuff home that they'll put out a fire sale on stuff like displays, etc. If this is true, can someone confirm the level of deals?

- You will likely be issued a name badge. Find a way to adhere your business card (assuming it's well branded) to it so that people can associate your card with your face. The badge is not enough. If you have corporate clothing that's appropriate (branded polo shirt, etc.) wear that, too.

- Secure your devices. A lot of people have Bluetooth enabled phones and PDAs. Set a password on them, because otherwise an enterprising person with a laptop can snag all the data off your device while sitting in a chair appearing to be working.

- Booth babes are eye candy. If you want to really understand a product or service, ask to speak to an engineer.

- Listen carefully. At a tech savvy conference session, if you are sitting in a roomful of people with laptops and blackberries, and you suddenly hear them all typing furiously after the speaker says something, they all probably thought it was important, and it's worth noting.

Posted by: Christopher Penn, Financial Aid Podcast at March 5, 2007 09:16 AM

Great list. I especially like the one about "blur" which does happen and you do have to prepare for it. Just embrace that it is happening and deal with it as necessary. You WILL be ok.

I always keep stashes of business cards in multiple locations. That way whenever I think I'm out I suddenly remember another one.

Carry some cash. You'll be amazed that there are still places you need it from time to time.

Keep hydrated! It's a small thing, but running round, talking, interacting, creating. It's very easy to forget this and it'll catch up to you very quickly. Especially for those LATE night conversations and media creating. *grin*

Posted by: C.C. Chapman at March 5, 2007 09:03 AM

Chris - keep the dialog going. These are great items to add to our checklist.

Posted by: Jeff Pulver at March 5, 2007 08:35 AM

I'd offer:

- Get business cards printed if you don't have them. VistaPrint offers 250 for free, which should be enough to get you started. (you still pay S&H)

http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com/cards

- Buy and bring a digital camera. If someone gives you a card, have them hold it up and take a photo with them - chances are you'll remember a face better than just the piece of paper alone.

- Bring media tools if they're permitted. If a conference allows you to blog, podcast, or vlog from the conference, be sure to do so, if for no other reason than to use as a digital scratchpad. Some of the best ideas I've had were while sitting in a session.

- Go analog, too. Spend $5 on a decent pen and small notepad or pack of index cards. You'll need it.

- Got batteries? Most convention centers frown on you just plopping down in a hallway and recharging everything you own, if for no other reason than fire safety.

- Locate and use the on-site lockers for gear. I tend to haul a lot of gear around, and having that onsite locker can be a godsend.

Posted by: Christopher Penn, Financial Aid Podcast at March 5, 2007 08:14 AM

March 05, 2007

Things to do BEFORE a VON Conference:

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