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How To Make The Most of A Convention - Advice for Newbies

By
Education & Training with Sparta Success Systems

This morning I'm hitting the floor at the NAR MId-Year Convention in Washington, D.C.  If you've never been to one of the big conventions, you will be stunned the first time you go.  I love conventions.  Why?  I'm glad you asked.  Here are my top reasons for loving to attend the big cenferences:

 

  1. The BEST people show up there.  These are the top agents and brokers from around the country and those who want to be the top.  They are addicted to learning, networking, and being friendly and supportive of each other.  The cream of the crop comes out to play.  You will find virtually no whiners in this bunch.  After all - it takes a sense of optimism to spend over $1,000 to attend an event to learn more about your business.  Whiners are never optimistic enough to do that.
  2. All the vendors are there.  I love new technology and I love to outsource.  Every year there are bright new ideas that are brought to the convention.  Some of them are awesome - sign me up!  Others, not so much.  But I get a chance to hear, from the people who designed them what is so amazing about their product and how I can put it to use in my business.  No wandering a website and hoping I can figure it out.  In one day, I can find out about 50 technologies.
  3. Fabulous Speakers.  Every year, many speakers compete for the chance to speak at the conventions.  I doubt you know this, but those speakers are speaking for free.  They pay their own way to the event and their own expenses while they are there just to get the exposure.  That's someone who is either passionate about what they have to say, or really good at marketing and either way, I want to know what they know.
  4. After-Hours Meetings - One of the best things about the convention is what you do after it closes for the day.  That's when you go out to dinner with the person you "clicked" with on the expo floor or in a breakout session.  You learn more about each other and you form friendships that can last a lifetime.  Oh, and you might get business out of it too,

 

So, if you want to get the most out of your experience, here's what I suggest you do for planning.  Before you ever leave your room, plan what you're going to do for the day.  If you let yourself float through, you'll miss out on a lot and you'll be sorry you did. Here is the order of operations for a successful day at the convention.

  1. Pick the speakers you want to see and the events you want to attend.  They are only doing their talks once or twice in the course of the convention, make sure you get to see them when they are running.  Be sure to plan the entire convention out because sometimes you'll have  two speakers you want to see in the same time slot and if you plan ahead, you can see one of the speakers on another day instead. 
  2. Wear a watch.  I don't care if you normally don't wear a watch, wear one.  You'll be checking it a lot to make sure you're on track. 
  3. Bring an ENTIRE BOX OF CARDS.  It never fails, people tell me that they have run out of cards by the end of day one and now they have no way to get in touch with them.  The expo floor has many opportunities for you to hand out your cards to win free prizes, speakers collect cards for their mailing lists, you'll hand out cards like candy to other participants.  Bring a TON of cards - and you MIGHT have enough.
  4. Schedue evening meetings in advance - but leave space open as well.  If there are people you absolutely know you'll want to spend time with, schedule an evening meeting with them BEFORE you ever get to the convention.  Otherwise, you may find yourself without a slot in the other person's agenda.  But don't schedule yourself solid because there will be people you meet at the event that you'll want to spend time with too. 
  5. Don't spend time with people you traveled with.  You will see them when you get home and likely, you'll have a long plane ride to debrief from the day.  Get in there and meet new people - that's the point.
  6. Schedule time on the expo floor.  Yes, schedule it.  The expo is HUGE and you will miss out on something if you don't give it a big chunk of your time.  I like to spend the early part of the convention working the expo floor hard.  Why?  Because the vendors are fresh and so am I.  I don't like to buy things when I'm tired - I don't give them enough time.  By the end of the second day, your legs will be sore, your back will hurt and you'll want to lie down for a while if you're not careful (see next point).  PLan the expo end early and the speaking at the end (where you can sit) if at a ll possible.
  7. Stay in a hotel with a jacuzzi.  This is my saving grace each time.  If I can get in the hot tub before i got to bed and when I get up in the morning, I can move during the day - even when it's been a hard day.  There's no substitute for this.  Even Advil has its limitations.
  8. Are you Gellin'?  Those wh work the expo as vendors will tell you that having the right shoes can mean the difference between a good show and the show from hell.  Put some good gel insoles in those shoes and bring a few different pairs so that your feet have a change of pace.  This is one time to put comfort over fashion.
  9. Bring comfortable but nice clothes.  You will be making a first impression on the people you meet, dress with that in mind, but also realize that you need to be comfortable.  A pencil skirt and stiletto heels are as impractical here as they are on a construction site. 
  10. Bring a rolling bag.  If you are going to work the expo floor, you'll need a bag (and a big one) to keep all of the papers in that you gather from the vendors.  You'll want something that rolls because that stuff gets heavy after a while.
  11. Bring a notebook.  You're going to get overwhelmed.  Plan for success by bringing a notebook where you can keep your most important notes to follow-up on after the event.  I also like to put these notes into my schedule for the coming weeks so that I set aside time to deal with them.

 

Whew! That's a lot more than I had thought I was going to say, but it seems there is a lot to know.  I'm off to get ready for my first day on the expo floor.  Now where did I put those insoles...?

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If you enjoy my posts, you'll love my products at www.SpartaSuccess.com.  Thanks for reading!

Kelle Sparta
Thought Alchemist

Comments (4)

Silvia Dukes PA, Broker Associate, CRS, CIPS, SRES
Tropic Shores Realty - Ich spreche Deutsch! - Spring Hill, FL
Florida Waterfront and Country Club Living

Kelle, the tip with the rolling bag is priceless!  It is amazing how much material accumulates in a very short time... I remember my shoulder ache I took away from the last NAR convention. Thank you for sharing your insights!

May 13, 2009 12:41 AM
Chad Janusa, MBA - New Orleans Real Estate
Metairie, LA

Thanks for the tips! I have yet to be to a convention. But, afer this post I think I will definitely be ready to go! Good luck and thanks again!

May 13, 2009 12:44 AM
Connie Case
Platinum Realty Group - Fountain City, TN
Realtor, Knoxville Tn.

Kelle,

You have some great tips here! Hope you do some Blogging on what you learned.

May 13, 2009 12:45 AM
Fernando Herboso - Associate Broker MD, & VA
Maxus Realty Group of Samson Properties - Clarksburg, MD
301-246-0001 Serving Maryland, DC and Northern VA

Great tips. . .I'm like a sponge when it comes to this. I  know the best of the best are there and I want to take part of it.

May 13, 2009 01:23 AM