Getting your money’s worth from conferences

Riding through the pasture at Claythorne Ranch
Going to conferences and events can have huge benefits. You get face-to-face interaction, opportunities to learn, and chance encounters that can change everything. But here’s the limitation:

What you get out of a conference depends on what you put into it.

So we put together a series of posts on conferences and events.

First, you have to get the funding to get there.

Finding local conference sponsors. How to work with local businesses to sponsor you to that big event, and what is in it for them.
Not finding conference sponsors? Then sponsor yourself. How to budget and prepare to get yourself to the big event.

Then there is the event itself. Here are the guides to make the most of it before, during and after.

Getting the most out of conferences before you go. The five W’s of getting ready long before you arrive at the venue.
Make the most of being at a conference. What I’ve learned from many smart conference-goers.
After the conference. Making time to follow up, even as you get back in the rush of the day-to-day, is crucial.
Follow the 2-to-1 rule in scheduling your follow up.

Nothing else can replace getting together in person with interesting and inspiring people. So get out there and have a great time at an event!

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About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband own a retail liquor store in Alva, Oklahoma, and a small cattle ranch nearby. Becky is an international speaker on small business.