the Portal

I’ve always dreaded networking events for the same reason I was a lousy blind dater in college. Polite chit chat with strangers comes hard for me. Most of my best dates were with people I already knew. I married my best friend . . .if we’d met at a conference, we might both still be single.

In getting ready for the Houston Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), I began to think about my last big event, South by Southwest (SXSW) and the tremendous logistical challenges such gatherings present. Here’s what I’ve learned about working rooms of various sizes and the particular challenges of BIG ones.

My starting point for OTC was to dig out an old XPLANATION diagram by XPLANE, The Visual Thinking Company.  Their 2002 flow-chart, How to Work a Room, was designed to illustrate — emphasis on illustrate — the thoughts and research of Diane Darling, owner of Effective Networking Inc, and author of The Networking Survival Guide.

Diane’s 14-point game plan can work, even in 500,000 sq ft space, surrounded by 20,000 people. Begin with the premise you’ll invest as much time in preparation and planning as you’ll likely spend in registration or travel fees. Here’s how to make the most of the time you have to cover a lot of ground.

1. Do your research in advance. Be sure to visit the event’s Web site, also sponsoring companies’ or trade associations’ Web sites. Look for a list of exhibitors (and a map) and think through where you’re mostlikely to run into people you know. Look also for emerging technologies and new areas to explore. Choose a mix of topics: some you know something about already (and might contribute to), some to further your professional development. 
   

   by XPLANE for effectivenetworking.com

2. Don’t overlook the people. For smaller gatherings, try to find the attendee list in advance and research them on LinkedIn, or simply Google. Try to identify the stars you’d most like to meet and those who might introduce you to them. For mega-sized events, try to do a few searches on people in some of the sponsoring or exhibiting companies.
3. Equip yourself, but travel light. All those giveaways get heavy. If you have a backpack or other tote you find comfortable to carry, bring it — empty. If you have one, or have the money, think Baggalini. Something that’ll stand out, look “classy” but still be light as air. Toss the cheap canvass tote they give you and keep just the things you’ll really use. Dress comfortably but professionally. For women, choose something colorful to distinguish you in a sea of blue suits or polo shirts.
4. Ditch the laptop, if you’ll be there all day or if it weighs more than 6 or 7 pounds. I took a netbook to SXSW, a Lenovo IdeaPad, and was so glad I did. An iPhone or a MacBook Air are other good choices. Anything over 10 or 12 pounds, with battery & power cord, you’re going to come to hate by the end of the day.
5. Bring plenty of business cards and, for a large gathering with some potential, think about customizing your cards just for that event. A digital printing company, such as imagesetDigital, can do special-order cards for you in no time for not much money. Or look at the great line of mini and double-sided graphics cards by MOO. These snappy cards really help you stand out from the crowd.
6. If you’re on Twitter, get a TwitPin. These handy badges (with your Twitter photo and @name) provide further help set YOU apart from the tens or hundreds of others they may encounter.

Enough prepping and equipping. Next post we’ll dig into real nuts and bolts of “being there.”

Postscript: I just remembered one more mnemonic assist for parking in large convention centers or airport garages.  Snap a photo, using your iPhone or BlackBerry, of the elevator signage or directional pillars. The photo will capture the color coding for that level or stretch of space and you won’t have to write anything down to remember it.