The Importance of Attending Conventions
Most professionals strive to learn and grow in their career. Blogs, webinars, podcasts and online courses are available with the click of a button, but what about physical, in-person learning experiences? Attending a professional conference can be a great way to experience hands-on learning and connect with peers. A convention allows many opportunities like gaining expert connections and insights, learning new tips and tricks, finding out about the newest trends, and maybe even finding potential partnership opportunities. Here are some reasons why any professional from any industry should attend a convention.
Connections and Networking
A convention is one of the best places to grow your professional network. These events are vital in creating, building and retaining meaningful relationships. Meeting with people and vendors from all over who are experienced in your industry may give you and your team the insights they need to accelerate your business. Attending a conference also allows you to establish yourself and your brand. While you are there, take time to develop long-term, meaningful relationships with potential employers or business partners. You might be meeting them at the conference today, but they could be a potential business partner tomorrow.
Personal Growth
Attending a convention is not only a great way to growth your business and brand, but also a way for you to grow as a professional. According to a study by Top Growth Marketing, 87% of marketers believe that conferences are crucial to their success. Although many professionals who attend these conventions are well-seasoned, there will inevitably be things to discover and use to grow in your profession. Make sure to prepare a 30 second elevator speech to have on hand that we can use when meeting other attendees.
Receive Critical Feedback
Sometimes it can be easy to find yourself in a creative stalemate with your growth strategy and brand positioning. Attending a convention allows you to get direct feedback by asking questions and getting the opinion of your fellow attendees. They might be able to give you better feedback and quicker than your audience would.
Attending also allows you to learn from some of the best in the business. Meeting these professionals in person is much more memorable than via email and allows you to ask them crucial questions that will help your company grow.
ROI
One of the main reasons why marketing professionals struggle with attending conventions is justifying their Return on Investment (ROI). Paying for you and your team to attend these conferences can be pricey, and it is sometimes hard to rationalize the expense if you aren’t walking about with something physical to show for it. Remember that simply connecting with other attendees, vendors, speakers and professionals boosts your brand’s presence, which alone is an excellent return on your investment.
If you are planning on attending a conference such as IAAPA Expo in Orlando, make sure you keep these tips in mind.
Have your elevator pitch ready. Keep it short, simple and interesting.
Keep business cards on hand, just in case!
If you are looking for feedback from speakers and other attendees, make sure to have your specific questions prepared.
Conversing with strangers can be scary, but don’t be afraid to network and talk with people.
Have fun! Make sure to interact and network outside of the conference at the after-hour events.
Dion Marketing Company will be ON the ball this November at IAAPA Expo in Orlando! For us, a convention like IAAPA has educational marketing seminars and breakout sessions which help us to better serve our clients who are in attractions industry. Immersing ourselves in this multi-day adventure also provides the marketing team to meet our clients in person. By attending the IAAPA Expo, we also gain a competitive edge over other advertising and marketing firms who have less or no experience in amusement park marketing, theme park marketing, waterpark marketing nor family entertainment center marketing, making us the best choice for a full-service marketing, advertising, graphic design and PR partner and consultant.
We are a full-service, results-driven Florida marketing firm dedicated to achieving our clients’ goals through smart marketing tactics, impactful, no-waste advertising campaigns, strong communication methods and graphic design. Dion Marketing is thrilled to be attending this year’s expo and looks forward to meeting new people and reconnecting with familiar faces at IAAPA! See you there!