Whether or not a conference is useful for you will depend on (1) the benefits you seek in the first place, (2) the focus of the conference and the quality of the participants, and (3) how well you prepare for and take advantage of the actual event. Potential Benefits These can include: Meeting valuable contacts and extending your network
- Budget. Decide how much you can spend. …
- Set goals. What do you most want to learn? …
- Evaluate speakers. If you are going to learn something from a conference (big or small) you want to make sure the speakers are in line with your industry. …
- Find out who is attending. …
- Assess the logistics.
Why is it important to evaluate a conference from the user’s point?
There are three reasons why it is important to evaluate a conference from the users’ point of view. The knowledge is useful for planning other meetings. As an example, organizers may think the reason for a meeting is to make people aware of how to use social networking with customers. intentions vis a vis customers.
What do people do at conferences?
Attendees Knowledge transfer and networking People attend conferences to acquire technical and business information, and to find out about useful products and services. They also go to network. With respect to the first two objectives it is important to make a distinction between two types of knowledge.
What is the true value of a meeting?
Unless evaluation assesses both kinds of knowledge acquisition, the true value of the meeting cannot be known. Its hard to quantify the value of conceptual knowledge, but it is possible to get a general sense of how much such knowledge transfer took place during a meeting.
Why is feedback from attendees important to conference organizers?
This information is important to conference organizers because it provides feedback about how the conference was advertised, and about any disjunction between the meeting as planned and the meeting as delivered. An overview of data collection from the attendees’ point of view appears as Table 1.
How do you evaluate a conference?
Evaluating conferencesindexing of conference papers in Web of Science or Scopus.citations received.Publication Forum level of publisher and/or series and/or journal that publishes a conference paper.attention and visibility in social media and social networking tools.
How do you know if an event is worth your time?
Photos courtesy of the individual members.Ask About Participant Demographics. … Be Clear On Your Goals. … Decide How Much Your Time Is Worth. … Ask What The Point Is. … Follow The Language. … Look For The Lesson. … Match The Proven Outcome With Your Need. … Ask Who Will Be There.More items…•
How do you take advantage of a conference?
Below, we offer you 5 benefits of attending conferences:Discover the latest trends in your sector. … Meet the best influencers. … Gain irreplaceable knowledge and apply it to your business. … Know what your competitors are doing and how to set your company apart. … Take networking opportunities to gain new customers.
Are professional conferences worth it?
You Get to Know About New Tools No matter your years of experience as a businessperson or entrepreneur, there is always something new to learn. Conferences offer you an opportunity to learn new tips, tricks, and ways of doing business. These insights can push your operations to the next level.
Should I go to a networking event?
Bring Awareness To Your Business When attending the events within your field, you increase the chances of mingling with your ideal prospects or influencers who should know your business and brand. You want them to know who you are, what you do, how you work, and where you are going.
How do you create a networking opportunity?
Here are some of the most popular networking opportunities available to you.Conferences. … After-hours events. … Industry and trade associations. … Trade shows. … Job club meetings. … Online networking. … Diversity groups. … Speed networking.More items…•
How effective are conferences?
attendance dramatically enhances both your professional and personal development, as well as providing you with tools and skills which you cannot be taught in-house or online. The focused nature of learning at a conference allows you to dig deeper with the understanding of your topic of interest.
What do you achieve in a conference?
10 Ways to Make the Most Out of a ConferenceGain Visibility. … Build Stronger Relationships. … Get Briefed. … Choose the Right Sessions. … Remember What You Learn. … Connect With the Speakers. … Schmooze at the Social Events. … Put Away the Smartphone.More items…•
Why do conferences matter?
A conference is not just an avenue for a scientist to present their research to the wider community, but it can be an important venue for brainstorming, networking and making vital connections that can lead to new initiatives, papers, and funding, in a way that virtual, online meetings cannot.
How do you justify attending a conference?
You should be upfront in your introduction and state your top three reasons for attending. You should articulate how the event will benefit you, your organization, and any current relevant initiatives. Consider including a few sessions you’d like to attend and a list of 5 speakers you’d like to network with.
Why should you attend industry conferences?
Attending an industry conference is a great idea on a number of levels. More than the takeaways you get from the speaking sessions themselves, you also get invaluable networking time, opening up the door for new business, new partnerships and new perspectives.
What do you think are the motives for attending a business event?
Networking is the number one reason people attend events. We’re social creatures, and events are a great chance to get some face time with established connections, and to forge some new ones. Events are a way of creating and building bonds – and a strong network is essential for business success.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of conference?
CONFERENCE: ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGESExchange of Ideas: Conference encourages exchange of ideas and opinions. … Solves Problems: In a conference, participants provide all the angles in analysing problems and various solutions are suggested from which a comprehensive one can be accepted.More items…•
What motivates you to attend a conference?
Attending a conference in your field can broaden your network, promote deeper understanding, uncover new learnings and reinforce existing best practices. Done well they can also be a lot of fun.
What are the advantages of attending conferences and seminar?
Attending conferences and seminars is a very good way to learn new things in your profession. Where many industry specialists will share their experiences to help you gain knowledge about them. This is also one of the best ways to network with other professionals in your field.
What do you hope to gain from attending an international conference?
Attending international conferences allows you the opportunity to listen to different points of view and to learn new ideas and trends in your field. They also provide you with new techniques, new types of equipment, data to publish, and certain facts that you may not have heard of.
Sure, I’d love to do business with all the Fortune 500
I’m pretty sure every B2B company would. Look at all those fancy logos! We’ll have the best presentation slides with lighthouse customers ever.
Rubbish
Yes, those are lots of logos. But the titles and logos are generic.
Will You Earn Enough To Cover The Cost Of Attendance?
Attending a conference is an investment in your business. Like any other investment, you need to earn more from attending the conference than you paid to go. Otherwise, you’re just taking a fun trip on your business’s dime.
What Are Other People Saying?
Unless the conference you’re looking at is in the inaugural year, there will certainly be opinions and feedback to be found somewhere on the internet. But don’t depend on the site’s advertising page to give you the real scoop. Slick marketing is hard to resist, but don’t get caught up! Ask around in the industry Facebook groups you belong to.
Are There Travel Grants Or Discounts?
Many associations and industries offer travel grants or discounts for people that might make the conference a better deal. If you don’t see any discounts or travel grants advertised, contact the conference coordinators.
Can You Sign Up Early For Reduced Fees?
If the conference offers early-bird pricing on conference tickets, the math might work to make the event worth it. But to get the special pricing, you do have to buy your ticket early.
How To Decide Which Conference Is Worth Attending
I attend a lot of conferences during any given year, mostly because I’m a public speaker and a certified trainer, but also because it’s a strategic move for my business, a life-giving experience to me personally, and a wonderful way to find like-minded and like-hearted individuals to call friends and business partners.
Who are the conference organizers, vendors, and sponsors?
It’s essential to find out whether the conference organizer is someone you admire and respect. If you don’t know them well, tweet at them, make a quick phone call, or interact in any other way available so you can gage the chemistry and inquire about the conference’s vision straight out of the visionary’s mouth.
Who are the conference speakers?
Naturally, the content is important, because you want it to be relevant to your industry of expertise, however, it is even more essential to be intentional in knowing who is delivering it – and how. Don’t just skim the bio; really get to know the speakers, follow, and make a connection well before you get to the conference.
Who will be attending the conference?
One of the byproducts of operating from your God-given gift and standing in your purpose, is that you become surrounded by people who are walking along the same path. And going to conferences in your industry is one sure way to find those people – but you can do your research in advance.
Why do organizations do evaluations?
Because producing a conference is difficult, time consuming and expensive, organizations do it only when they believe that useful purposes will be served. Evaluation from the sponsors’ point of view should proceed based on a logic outlined in Figure 1. Data should be collected by means of either individual or group interviews with a few key people in each sponsoring organization. Questions to those people should include expectations and opinions about the following.
What is the difference between conceptual and instrumental knowledge?
With respect to the first two objectives it is important to make a distinction between two types of knowledge. Instrumental knowledge is knowledge that is put to use in some reasonably well defined and specific manner. Conceptual knowledge is knowledge that has an impact on how people think about issues, but does not have a direct obvious impact on a specific action.
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