You just spent thousands on a conference ticket, flights, hotel, and meals. Four days away from your business. And when you get home, you've got a notebook full of notes you'll never implement and zero measurable ROI.

If this sounds familiar, you're doing conferences wrong—and you're not alone.

In this powerhouse panel discussion, Katie DeWitt, Brandon Snyder, and Carly Peterson break down exactly how to extract maximum value from conference attendance. With hundreds of conferences between them, they've made every mistake, learned every lesson, and cracked the code on turning conferences from expensive vacations into strategic business investments.

This isn't theory. This is the exact playbook our team uses to ensure every dollar and every minute spent at conferences generates real returns. You'll learn why most agents waste money, how to avoid the biggest traps, and what to do instead to actually move your business forward.

If you're planning to attend any conference in 2026, listen to this episode first. It could save you thousands and transform how you approach professional development.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

- Why you must pick ONE focus area for each conference (and how the firehose of information drowns unfocused agents)

- The one-page rule that eliminates useless note-taking and maximizes implementation

- How to use technology to stay present while capturing information (recording, transcription, AI summaries)

- The strategic networking approach that builds referral partnerships instead of just collecting business cards

- Why buying anything at a conference is almost always a mistake (and how to avoid shiny object syndrome)

- The hidden ROI of staying at the main hotel (and why cheap hotels kill networking opportunities)

- What to actually pack and what to leave behind (plus the critical items that save you when bags get lost)

- How to leverage social media for real relationship building instead of business card exchanges

- The brutal truth about conference economics: if you can't afford to go, don't go

- Why implementation at the event beats taking notes for later (and how to close the gap between learning and doing)

Whether you're a conference veteran or planning your first major industry event, this episode gives you the complete blueprint for maximizing ROI, avoiding costly mistakes, and coming home with partnerships and systems that actually transform your business.

Stop treating conferences like reunions. Start treating them like strategic investments.

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