The holidays have come to an end, and we’ve got our sights set on the spring. Why? Because during this time, another season starts to ramp up: Conference Season. One of the big ones on the horizon is SXSW, and whether you’re a SXSW conference veteran or rookie, it’s important to plan ahead and develop an effective strategy that can help make the most of your experience. Without proper planning, you could end up missing out on some key panels and networking events. But most importantly, you might miss out on valuable connections that can maximize your conference Return on Investment (ROI).
Aerospace and Defense Leaders: Here are Six Ways to Elevate Your SXSW Experience
SXSW is a very large event and requires both logistical and strategic planning to ensure you are able to maximize your time there. At any given time, there may be over 40 events running concurrently, so planning is no easy feat! Here are five ways you can maximize your ROI.
When planning conference strategy and attendance for our clients at Distinctive Edge, we always start with the end in mind.
When building executives’ schedules and booking prospecting meetings, we suggest approaching things holistically – looking beyond specific marketing tactics, and focusing on larger organizational goals. The way our firm does this is to have an event kick-off where we bring in key executives and gather information about their business goals. We then use this information to build their conference strategy.
Attending events can be expensive and time-consuming, and not every event at a conference will be equally useful for you. Reviewing the conference schedule and events with your organization’s goals in mind will help you narrow down your options and zero in on the panels and events that best achieve your desired outcomes. It’s helpful to think of attending conferences and events as one communication tactic in your arsenal, much like developing a brochure or writing a thought leadership piece to share with your network. You can add or subtract your investment of time and resources in a conference relative to how it helps you meet your priorities.
Do you consider yourself an expert in your industry, or does your company offer an innovative product that others would be interested in learning about? Then consider taking part in one of the many panel discussions or speaking opportunities offered at conferences. The conference setting is the perfect place to garner attention and demonstrate your credibility as a subject matter expert. As soon as you see a “Call for Speakers” announcement for a conference you plan to attend, start developing a compelling proposal to submit for consideration. Be sure to keep your audience in mind and create objectives that attendees will achieve by attending your presentation. Remember to be creative – for example, a concise and catchy presentation title will be more likely to stand out and grab attention than one that is wordy and straightforward. (While it is too late to submit a panel for SXSW at this time, a number of private events take place during the conference in which executives can sponsor panels. Distinctive Edge has insights into these opportunities – please connect with us to learn more!)
The conference website is a valuable place to find events you may want to attend; however, to find all of the aerospace and defense events, you may need to look outside of the normal channels. Consider doing a search for aerospace and defense round-ups of parties, panels and events. Distinctive Edge plans to put one of these out in early February, so be on the lookout!
Once you have targeted all of your events:
Most companies send more than one person to an industry conference. If this is the case for your organization, find out who else will be attending so you can meet ahead of time to get your plans in sync. One effective strategy is to implement a “divide and conquer” approach to the conference. Review your lists of seminars, presentations and after-hour events, then determine which team members will attend so you can maximize your company’s presence. By collaborating with your coworkers, you will be able to share more information and potential contacts with one another once the show ends. This also ensures you are able to attend as many events as possible and cover maximum ground.
Specializing in aerospace and defense, the team at Distinctive Edge Partners brings significant industry connections and expertise to help our clients make the right connections. At SXSW, for example, we help our clients navigate the vast amount of programming and build customized event schedules most likely to make the biggest impact. We additionally help clients by identifying the most meaningful connections, pre-booking meetings, and building briefing books to ensure executives maximize their time on the ground with a full schedule of targeted meetings. Want to learn more about this service? Book a meeting with us here for a free consultation to learn how we can help.
A conference strategy is a must in order to take advantage of all the available opportunities an event has to offer. The more planning you do ahead of time, the better your overall experience will be. Don’t wait until the last minute to create your plan – or worse, try to play it by ear. A well-designed conference plan before the event starts is a smart and effective approach that will result in a positive ROI for your company long after the event ends.
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The Distinctive Edge team is composed of business-builders with unique communications expertise and industry specialization. We help leaders solve business problems, thrive through transition, and achieve growth and engagement goals. The tools of our trade are strategic storytelling, investor and public relations, communications, and marketing. To learn more about our services, visit https://distinctiveedge.partners or book a free 30-minute consultation here.