I learned a great deal about blogging and social media when I attended IzeaFest 2009 this past weekend. I also learned about networking and I did much better than when I attended Affiliate Summit East. Although I wasn’t able to attend the parties at IceBar and Howl At The Moon, I took advantage of the breaks and lunch to meet new people.

Introducing myself became commonplace and turned out to be fun. I didn’t go there with a plan in mind, but after reviewing my actions these are the top ten tips I would suggest on networking at conferences:

1. Greet people you know from prior events. This will set your mind (and stomach) at ease. It’s always easier to find a friendly face and get a big hello. In turn, you will be introduced by them to new people.
2. Reach out to people that you planned on meeting from online. Tweet them, look for their name tags, ask around. Make that effort and it will create an quick bond.
3. When you see someone that looks lost or feeling out of place, be friendly and help them out.
4. Accept invitations to dinner and other events when possible.
5. Don’t be afraid of speaking to the speakers or “big name people”. Most welcome the interaction and are very personable. When you attend another event, it will be even easier to say hello and begin a conversation.
6. Be a connector. Introduce people that haven’t met, especially those that have something in common. I learned this from Murray Newlands -@MurrayNewlands.
7. Don’t push your business cards. Ask questions, listen, learn.
8. Be yourself. If you’re not authentic, everyone will figure it out.
9. If you can’t make it to an event, apologize to those who attended. Ask questions about it and share photos, tweets, etc.
10. Have fun but don’t overdo the drinking or acting foolish. You’ll get a name for yourself that you won’t want.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 at 11:52 pm and is filed under Social media, conferences. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.