Conference Tips for the In-house SEO

1. Bring a Camera – not just for snapping pics of your new friends, but it’s great for taking pictures of the slides you want to remember later.  Or, the napkin someone wrote on in a bar – yes, I’ve done this when the napkin went to someone else.
2. Take the time to identify who you want to talk to (or at least what type of person you want to talk to) and what questions you have.
3. Bring plenty of cards, print more if you need to – it’s easy to run out, and if you do, visit the business center at the hotel or conference center to print more.  I know it’s the digital age, but few people actually take the time to send out their information after the event.  It’s easy to get swept away with the backlog when you return to the office.
4. Arrive the day before in time to hit the Pre-Event Networking and attend as many social activities as possible – the best advice comes from intimate discussions.
5. Attend the in-house events – sessions, drinks and the In-house SEM Exchange.
6. After the show, go download all of the presentations that were of interest. You’ll forget to do it unless you do it right away.  (NOTE: they may not all be there and it can often take several days after the show to get them loaded)
7. Email the people you met, each day after you meet them.  This way people are more likely to remember you later.
8. Set a goal of really getting to know 3 new people at any conference.  (This advice actually came from Elisabeth Osmeloski).
9. Never eat alone - big advice from Keith Ferrazi.  It’s easy to get intimidated and find yourself eating alone, but don’t. Approach a group of people and introduce yourself. Not only can you get amazing advice, you can establish strong friendships and networking contacts. The search marketing industry is very communal, and when you attend conferences it can often feel like a family reunion if you make a good attempt to meet people.  One good way is to show up at the main conference hotel bar, it is usually hopping right after the event and again around 10pm.  Note, a lot of impromptu meetings happen at conferences, so don’t get discouraged if it feels like you interrupted a conversation, just move on to the next group.
10. Upon arrival, buy Gatorade and aspirin, etc. for the morning after. This advice came from an unnamed source who rebounds well every morning of a conference! The nights can be late at search marketing conferences, and drinks are plenty. It’s easy to lose track of time, stay out late and feel sluggish in the morning, so plan ahead.
11. Take advantage of the ten minutes before a session starts to chat to the people sitting next to you. Forgo working on your laptop; instead, take this time as a networking opportunity.
12. MY TOP ADVICE:  Tell people at the office you aren’t going to be available. This one isn’t always easy, but when I was in-house I set expectations that search marketing conferences go from 9am – 2am, non-stop. You wake up, go to sessions, walk with someone for drinks, meet someone new at drinks and go to dinner, then the dinner group goes to the conference party, and the night ends at the hotel bar with the conference regulars when it closes. You paid a lot of money to attend a

What are your tips?