Welcu

The excitement of the day has subsided after a long trip home, viewing over 200 emails that need replies in your inbox, and with the knowledge that you’ve got to get back to work tomorrow. Those great intentions to follow-up with the people you met at the event have suddenly been put on the back burner. By the time you remember where you put all those business cards and contact information a month down the track, you’ve forgotten why you were given them in the first place. As quickly as your event lanyard is stuffed away and forgotten about, so are your high pre-event hopes for building that professional and social network of yours. Lucky you enjoyed the shrimp and the free give-aways at the event, because without proper event follow-up routines, you probably will not get much more from the experience.

Most of us agree that no matter what the content of an event, one primary motivator for attending in the first place is simply to meet great people – but are you getting the most out of your networking efforts by following-up on your commitments after the event? Like most things in life, with a little bit of thought and the establishment of a simple routine, things become a lot easier. In the moments when we are overwhelmed and overtired, we can put ourselves into “autopilot mode” if we put in the time to commit to a post-event networking routine.

Here are six post-event networking activities we recommend you adopt next time you have finished with an event.

Connect digitally

Get all of those business cards together and email your new friends/contacts! With the joys of a tool like Rapportive (see our post on applications that will make your life easier) when you’re emailing you can also add contacts to your online profiles at the same time, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter – whatever your flavour! This step alone will open you up to a huge number of possibilities for future opportunities.

Honour those promises

The most successful networkers I know are givers, not just takers. They have good contacts because they create value for the person they are connecting with. You saw the opportunities, “I should introduce you to Sebastian, he has some great ideas on this topic that would be incredibly useful to you”. “I will send you Pedro’s report”. “I’ll call Alvaro for you”. Do it, really – and do it as soon as possible while it’s fresh in your mind and the need is present.

Share material

If you have photos, a blog entry or a follow-up thought from the event, share it! Photos always work wonderfully as an additional networking tool. It strengthens those relationships you created and helps put the familiar faces of the event in everyone’s mind. It increases the connections you have, as people are more likely to visit and discuss and comment on the photos of the event. Young and old, everyone likes photos, or at the very least everyone is curious enough to check whether they are in one of your photos!

Make partners

If you’re a business owner, utlise the opportunities you have to refer work to your new contacts. Academics – start discussions for collaboration. Executives – join forces. Students – share! The potential impact that collaboration can have on you and your projects in the longer term is huge. Sharing knowledge and opportunities opens you up to new knowledge, new networks, and so many more opportunities.

Update your profile

Is your website working? Is your online profile up-to-date? Are your various online profiles linked? Is your contact information correct? Chances are that at least some of the hundred people you gave your business card, or introduced yourself, to will visit your online pages later in the hopes of remembering why they scribbled “email Rod” on their notebook. Make sure your profile represents you the way you want it to.

P.S Get a professional photo for your professional profile pages and update it at least every four years!

Connect with organisers

Make yourself known to the organisers by saying thanks or by sharing with them the constructive suggestions you have burning in your mind. Not only will it be good for the next event, but you will also be known to the people who have connections with the majority of people from the event.

Do you have any other strategies that help with post-event networking?

If you need any other ideas on how to get the most out events don’t hesitate to contact us!