Networking at conferences
“I’m going to the conference. How to make the most out of it?”
Our PR-specialist shared the experience from dozens of conferences she visited. Read the interview to get recommendations for new and skilled affiliates, set goals for conferences, and discuss funny stories 😉
— Why do affiliates go to conferences?
— There’re 3 main reasons:
- Insights about all the trends
Affiliate marketing is rapidly evolving. Every month new features are coming. Speakers with their presentations and people you meet at conferences help to highlight the main points. - Live chat with presenters from different companies
Of course, there’s always an option to text desired partners. However, the experience shows that when you see each other in person, you have fewer chances to avoid discussion, and dialogue gets more productive. As an example, Galaksion reveals some of its secrets, answers questions, and hands out cool merch at conferences. - Networking
Sitting at the bar and sipping your drink, you can find a useful contact for future incredible collaborations or get advice about the question you are thinking about. Communication rules. There’s no other place where you can find so many like-minded people.
— What would you recommend to a person who’s at the conference for the first time?
— My recommendations:
- Get yourself ready
A conference is a hectic place. There’re bunches of stands, often two stages with different speakers, and networking zones. So it’s easy to get confused and overwhelmed. That’s why you need to prepare. First, check the topics and companies you’re interested in. Secondly, set the goals for the conference and follow them. They can be different: someone wants to get to know as many people as possible, the other person, on the contrary, is willing to hear the speakers and visit only target stands, and the third one wishes to distribute business cards. - Be careful with alcohol
There’re so many meet-ups that it’s easy to get hooked on parties. Don’t forget about your aims. Business first. Find balance: use the first day for main tasks to spend the next days on communication in an informal atmosphere. - Forget about shyness
The more active, curious, and outgoing you are, the more perks you get from the conference.
— What are your pieces of advice to experienced networkers?
— They know how to act by themselves. All affiliates have their own style. One loves to catch contacts from an official event, another prefers parties and meet-ups.
But the most important things about behavior are:
- to book the appointments and plan meetings with people and companies you deffo want to collaborate with;
- to arrive at the city of the conference in advance to have time for all the parties and communication with colleagues;
- again to watch out for the amount of alcohol you drink :)
— Tell us the funniest or most remarkable story from the conference
— Most crazy things take place in afterparties. But what happens there, stays there. However, I have a story from the official event.
At the conference, one of the companies gave black T-shirts with the title Amsterdam on them as merch. It looked good and didn’t have any branding names. I wore this T-shirt to the party and got lots people asking: “Are you from Amsterdam?”. I’m not but this T-shirt was like CTA, it encouraged communication. One word led to another, and we already were discussing new projects. It was an interesting twist!
— Where can I talk to you in person and discuss collaborations with Galaksion?
— I’m looking forward to the conference Affiliate World Dubai that takes place on 1–2 March 2023! Come to booth A25.
We’ll tell you all the insights, find solutions for your cases, and come up with game-changer projects. Book a meeting. Let’s make this conference super productive!