I think conferences are very worthwhile and valuable. If you schedule your time right, you get the insight you crave (you do want to learn right?) plus a great opportunity to meet and network with folks – some you’ve met online, some you don’t know from Adam.
I’m pretty pumped about my first real estate related conference, so what’s going to go down at this year’s ReTechSouth? Well, first let’s talk about how to get the most out of any conference. Here’s how I do it.
Knowledge
Of course, you attend conferences expecting to come away with some valuable insight. You attend the keynotes and listen to speakers expecting them to drop knowledge. That’s exactly what you should expect. But, regarding knowledge and learning, you’ve got to go a little further than that. Here’s a few tips.
• Most speakers will hang around for a few minutes after their presentation. If you have a question, approach them. Don’t talk them to sleep, but get a quick response on an issue you’re curious about.
• Take notes, but ask the speaker if they have their presentation available to you. Some will give you a link while others will email the file. Either way, it’s nice to have the presentation itself. You may even want to ask the speaker if it’s available to you before hand, which helps you decide whether to type like a mad man or save your energy.
• Feel out the speakers and the gurus at the event. If you have time to get them one on one, go for it. Again, don’t wear out your welcome, but be brave enough to approach people and spark up a conversation. Sometimes the tidbits of information you learn by talking to them one-on-one or in a small group can be just as valuable as hearing them speak.
• If you don’t feel like you’re learning much more than you already knew, consider it motivation or a refresher and go back to work with a new sense of urgency – a new energy to get things done.
Networking
Networking is perhaps equal in value to actually hearing speakers. For one, it’s just fun. It’s nice to meet new people, hang out, and shake hands with people you’ve tweeted or facebooked in the past. So, get to know each other, take pictures, and make the conference an experience you’ll remember.
Now, What Should We Expect at ReTechSouth?
Being a marketing and social media professional, I expect that I’ll fit right in at a real estate technology conference. I don’t think I’ll be overwhelmed with information concerning social media and marketing, but I do hope to see some examples and possible case studies of real estate companies using these mediums to their advantage. I’m also interested to see what apps and gadgets are bringing new technology to the real estate world and hopefully real world insights concerning their use.
I’m also hoping to network with people I’ve met online and those I’ll be meeting for the first time. It’d be especially cool if anyone recognized me from AgentGenius and made it a point to say hello.
So, I’m taking my flip, my camera, and if I meet you, you might be on video! I’ll be reporting back after RETechSouth with an update about the goings on in Atlanta.
How do you prepare for a conference? If you’re going to RETechSouth, what are you expecting to find? If you’re already there, what’s your first impression?
