The start of the new year brings lots of things to our attention, but at the top of our list is the opportunity to attend a globally recognized event with keynotes from some of the best minds in the tech industry. We're talking about Silicon Slopes Tech Summit 2019 of course. Here are some of our tips for getting the most out of your two-day conference.
Tip #1: Plan Ahead
This may seem like a no-brainer, but there would be nothing worse than heading to SSTS19 only to find out you were supposed to schedule your breakout sessions. I've been receiving many emails over the past few weeks reminding attendees to do just that, which indicates there's some scheduling to be done. Titles for each breakout session have been added, so take a few minutes (at max it would take 10) and register for the breakouts you want to attend.
Tip #2: Record Learning To Make It Actionable
Being a globally recognized conference with renowned speakers, SSTS19 is bound to be a firehose of wonderful information and insight. If you don't have a plan to record what you learn, you probably won't remember most of it. And if you don't plan to implement what you learn, you'll wonder why you wonder if you got anything out of the keynotes and panels 6 months down the road. So come armed to take notes, using a special indicator of actions you could take to do what you're learning in your day job. There are even apps that you can use to record and take notes at the same time like Notability that would make reviewing what you learned a breeze
Tip #3: Schedule Networking Appointments Beforehand
So far there are over 20,000 attendees signed up for SSTS19. That's a lot of people to talk to in too little time. So try to set up some meetings before the event. It's as easy as reaching out to contacts you'd like to meet with and seeing if they're attending and would like to meet. Remember to give them an idea about what you would like to talk about and emphasize why it would benefit them.
Tip #4: Get the Most Out of the Vendor Hall
Walking into a sea of booths can be overwhelming and exciting all at once. If you sail into the vendor area and start stopping at each booth, there's the chance you'll easily run out of time and end up feeling like you missed an opportunity. So instead plan on walking around the entire hall to take in all the booths at once. After seeing them all, you can decide which you'd like to visit and which you could probably pass. While you're at it, come visit the SolutionStream booth and get entered to win a Google Home just for swinging by.
Tip #5: Check the Stress at Check-in
Once you arrive, remember to enjoy the conference. You've already purchased your tickets, scheduled your breakout sessions, made plans to network, and developed a plan of attack for going to booths that will lead to productive conversations. After you check-in, soak up the experience and enjoy the event. It only comes one time a year.
Conference experiences can be great or mediocre. But the key to success is attending the conference with preparation and purpose. Silicon Slopes Tech Summit is slated to be a fantastic event this year. I'm confident that following the easy tips mentioned above will help you get the most out of it.
If you try any of these out, let me know at the event. I'll be at the SolutionStream booth and would love to know how they worked for you.