What should be your first consideration(s) when planning to attend a professional event?  Here’s a hint: it’s not your outfit.

You reserved your spot to be in the room where it happens, paid the nominal cover charge, and gave up a couple potential quality billable hours.  You better be sure to meet as many attendees as possible . . . or should you?!  How many new connections should you be making in order to “get your money’s worth” out of a professional event – even one designed for the power shmooze? The answer might startle you!

Not being able to hold your alcohol is a certain deal killer.  Not knowing how to hold your drink may have the same chilling effect and kill the deal before it ever had a chance.  Learn how to hold yours and avoid having to make apologies as your first impression.

It’s the little things that matter, right? This one, little party favor, should always be worn on THIS side of your body. Doing this could make all the difference when meeting new people at professional events, dinners, and seminars.

What do you hope to achieve? Ask yourself this before you do anything: before you attend an event, before you enter a sponsorship, and so forth. Asking yourself this can get you one step closer to the essence of your goals without wasting precious resources and time. 

Has someone ever given you an honest compliment that just turned your day around and then somewhere down the line your paths cross again and THIS happens? Our parents always said to be kind, but is this what they really meant?

Are you maximizing your existing memberships; resources? You are probably already sitting on a potential jackpot of referral sources and future business.

Your contact list: your worst nightmare or greatest weapon … or both. How are you organizing the list? Prioritizing?

To get the ball moving with your marketing plan, ask yourself a few questions. Start with who, what, when, where, and why. Then dive deeper and ask, “how much?”, “how often?”, “with whom?”, “what organizations?”. These questions will help you with tracking, budgeting, prioritizing, and more.

Marketing plans are imperative to knowing and keeping track of initiatives, next steps, and specific numerical figures. Your plan must be made with intent and can be adjusted with the times as you navigate through successes and failures. Pro tip: actually write it down.