Phew! You’ve just returned home from a fantastic industry conference, and now it’s time to get to work. You probably have a lot to do — everything from unpacking and sending emails to recovering from sleep deprivation. Whatever you do, it’s absolutely critical to do these 5 things within a week of returning home from a really great conference:
1. Go over your notes
You probably took a million notes during the conference, both in session and in the hall. Things to do, things to learn, changes to be made, new strategies to be adopted, all of it. Go through all your notes and start making lists. Some possible lists you may need are:
- A to-do list for your website or blog
- New services to offer your business
- To start implementing the marketing strategy
- People to communicate with
- Must stop working
- You’re still not going to make great ideas
That last list is something you need to think about. If you go to an industry conference and learn about 20 new things you “should” do for your business, you have to accept the fact that some of those things don’t even need to go on your to-do list. If there’s a new social media platform that’s getting a lot of buzz, learn about it and then decide it’s not for you. The same goes for blog themes, affiliate products, or anything else. Focus on the things that will be best for your business, and while they’re humming, you can think about new frontiers.
2. Send your feedback
One of the most valuable things you can do for any conference is to send your feedback to the organizers. If there is a follow-up survey, be sure to answer it. Or you can go the extra mile and send an email to the organizers or even write a review on your blog And whenever you communicate, be sure to include your thanks. Organizing a conference is a huge undertaking, and it’s important to thank those who make it happen.
Think about your overall experience before and during. How was the flow of information before? Was check-in easy? What do you think about key notes? Were there enough sessions on topics of interest to you? Has something disappointed you or failed to meet your expectations? What could make the conference better?
3. Follow up
This is one of the most important things you can do after a conference. Contact all new contacts you make. Write an email to each person to strengthen your new relationship. Connect with them on social media. Send any materials and information you promised. Create the role you want to create. Try to finish following up with your contacts within two weeks, but hold off on sending anything the day after the conference because everyone will be condemned.
Another thing you should consider is sending an email to each key note. Let them know what resonated with you in their talk and ask any follow-up questions you may have. It’s a great way to build relationships with influencers and thank the headliners who are such a big part of the event.
4. Document your expenses
Do your future self a favor and collect all your receipts and expenses as you unpack from the conference. Clip them together with a paper clip, attach a note saying what they’re for, update your business expense log with all the different amounts, and file the paper copies with the rest of your tax documents. These will be important when it’s time to do your taxes, so go ahead and take care of them now, while your memory is fresh and they’re in the same place (more or less).
5. Get ready to go again!
Whether you’re ready to buy tickets for next year’s conference, or you’re racing to get to your next industry event, plan to buy tickets for next year now. The sooner you buy a ticket, the better the “early bird” discount, and you don’t want to miss it!
If you’re not sure what your plans will be next year, contact the organizers and check out a ticket “exchange” where you can sell your conference tickets to someone else who is looking. Some conferences have this, and it’s a great safeguard if you’re not sure you can commit to next year’s dates. But no matter what, doing a good job of following up on your contacts and maintaining those connections means you’ll have a whole network of people interested in that ticket if you decide you can’t go!
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