the Portal

This week I’m attending the Houston Offshore Technology Conference (OTC). And a few readers yesterday queried: why was I going there? As a tech writer, I want to hear the conversations. I want to pick up a feel for what emerging technologies or topics my clients may soon expect me to know about. In a perfect world, I’ll meet a few new prospects, run into a few clients and maybe even have a good time.

So let’s cut to the chase. We’re there to meet them and they’re there to meet us. How hard can it be? With these seven tips, I hope not hard at all.

1. Optimize for the venue you’re walking into. Dress comfy, but with a sense of the dress code. Bring plenty of business cards AND a Sharpie to customize your pre-fab nametag with something personal to set you apart. In my case, for OTC, I might write something like “contract tech writer.” If you’re on Twitter and have a TwitPin, wear both.
2. Go early, get your bearings. You’ve done your homework regarding exhibitors, keynoters, etc. If you have a map of the venue, plot a circuit whereby you orient yourself and also “drop in” on any easily-approachable friends along the way. Think of your first tour as a “walk-about.” Don’t let too much moss grow under you on your tour. If you meet people you know, greet them enthusiastically but keep moving. Make note of any prospects or potential synergies and go back to them on your second pass.
3. Are you hungry yet? Some of your best connections may be with the captive audience in lines for food or special exhibits. Rehearse in advance some ice-breakers and then look for opportunities to practice them. A friend of mine uses this:  “I haven’t been in a line this long since . . . .” [And make the inserted phrase a catchy one.] In my case it would be something like: “. . . [since] waiting to buy vodka in Communist East Germany.” Other good suggestions, after introducing yourself, are follow-ups to “How’s business?” Such as: what are you doing to meet that challenge? Or, where do you want to take your business from here?
4. Approach keynoters first and then orphans. Keynoters can often be found in loosely-patrolled “green room” areas. Swing through and (quickly) introduce yourself. DON’T go in with an agenda, just say hello and say why you’re a fan. Look also for those who are standing alone and adopt them. Make an effort to further their cause before your own. In introducing someone and helping them connect, you’ll show yourself as both generous and a team player. That’s never a bad thing.
5. Don’t get “wrapped around the axle.” We don’t get a grade for this and our future success in business is not at stake. Every good thing that happens is gravy — tune out the “static” and enjoy the connections. Don’t overlook the “staff” who are working the conference. Why are they there? Perhaps for many of the same reasons as you. Always ask for a business card and make notes to help you remember them later. If nothing clicks with someone, wish them well and move on.
6. Enjoy it. These are not the enemy. Introvert or not, newbie to the gathering or not, your permanent legacy is not at stake here. Drift, enjoy, pause when you’re tired. Keep your listening ears on and let the conversations come to you. If you get a chance to come back a second day, do it! You’ll be smarter, more relaxed, and you can plot a strategy to build on what you learned or who you met from day one.
7. Accept the disappointments. Did you bomb on that clever opening? Shake it off, move on. Did you hope they’d ask for a business card and they didn’t? Ditto. This aspect of business development is an evolving science. Go home and make notes of what you’ve learned. Preserve them for next time. Then treat yourself to a single malt or a milkshake and let it go.

One more point: Tony Stubblebine with CrowdVine has suggested his and other networking tools would be of great assistance in situations like this — helping attendees meet and greet in advance, so that none of us walks in cold. Tools are good, as is good advance work (as I attempted to do for SXSW). An energy-specific tool in this case might be a new energy networking group: Energy People Connect.

For those with your own large gathering on the calendar, here are a handful of expert resources to supplement my own stellar advice:

• Job Search Networking for Introverts PDF by Wendy Gelberg at Gentle Job Search
• How to Work a Room — One-page handout prepared for Diane Darling, of EffectiveNetworking.com by graphic arts wizards XPLANE
• Networking: the Introvert’s Survival Guide by Jennifer Warwick on the New Charm School Blog for Recovering Type A Types
• Networking Tip: How to Work a Room, from University of California Berkeley Career Center

Like this one? Stumble This Post