Welcome to our post-CES edition of The Solopreneur Hour! Fresh back from CES (the Consumer Electronics Show) in fabulous Las Vegas, I spend today’s show talking about how to prepare and crush events, what’s going on in 2015, and share some killer gear every solopreneur needs.

Tune in to hear all of that and more on the 214th episode of The Solopreneur Hour.

More About This Show

Before we get into how to get the most out of attending events I’ve got a quick rundown of events I’ll be speaking at and attending in 2015. If you’re going to be at any of them (and I hope you will) let me know so we can connect.

This coming weekend, Jan 17-19 I’ll be at New Year’s Kick-Off (NYKO) which is the annual Isagenix event to start each new year. If you’re interested in network marketing and want to know more about Isagenix and NYKO reach out to me here.

Later in January I’ll be at NAMM which is the National Association of Music Merchants and will be in Anaheim, California.

And in March I have the honor of doing live, in-depth interviews with some of the key speakers at Social Media Marketing World right here in San Diego. Michael Stelzner of Social Media Examiner puts on this incredible event every year and this year I have the honor of being on stage.

If you’re going to be in town for this event – and you should – let me know. I’m organizing a meetup for all listeners who will be in attendance and I’d love for you to join us.

There are a few other events I’ve got on my calendar, you’ll have to download the show to hear what they are and where they are!

Now if you’re attending any of these or any other events, I’m going to tell you what you need to know before you go on this episode. These lessons are based on my belief that events are where it’s at for all solopreneurs and wannabe solopreneurs everywhere. Events are so critical they are one of the 8 steps to becoming a successful solopreneur (the other 7 are here).

The first step of preparation for me was to know my outcome. I went in with the intention of creating relationships with certain companies I’d like to have as sponsors of the show.  You should create a goal like that for every event you attend. Whether it’s a local meet up or a week-long conference, determine an outcome you will achieve as a result of being there.

Secondly I had a pitch. I knew who I was talking to and I knew why I wanted to talk to them, all before I went to the show. Do your research before your event and find out who will be in attendance, then know why you want to connect with them and that will help you develop your pitch.

And you’ll refine that pitch as the event goes on and after it is over. You’ll learn new things as you meet new people, all of which will help you refine what you’re saying and who you’re saying it to.

Finally there’s the follow up. Whoever said the fortune is in the follow up was certainly talking about events. Come home with a stack of info whether it’s business cards, phone numbers or names of people in companies you met with and then contact them. Remind them who you are, where you met and something about your conversation so they remember you.

Part of my pitch and follow up steps was to get samples of what everyone was showcasing at CES. Some I’ll need to give back but many things I’m able to keep and will be giving away to all of you!

I did all of those things during my time at CES and brought home some phenomenal contacts,