Five Panda Pointers: How to make the most of your next industry event

Have you ever registered to attend an industry event without thinking about why you want to go along? An event might look interesting but it would be good to know what you want to gain from it.

We pandas love an ecommerce industry event so we want to offer our tips for making the most of your next event, and a little mission to try out for each if you choose to accept it! 

1) Networking isn’t scary

We understand that not everyone is a fan of networking, but you haven’t been thrown into a room full of strangers and locked in by force…you signed up for this event remember!? There are probably a few things you’re unsure about when it comes to networking…

• How do I start conversations?
• Will I be able to maintain a conversation?
• Can I avoid awkward silences? Please NO, not awkward silences!

Stop right there! There are other people there because you all share an interest so you will find something to talk about. For some more information on networking questions, guest panda Ghilaine Chan shares her tips.

Most industry events will have time set aside for networking, usually before and after the main presentations. So there’s no need to worry about starting conversations…either talk about what you’re hoping to gain from the event or what you enjoyed about the speakers if you’re chatting afterwards. Conversation starters are literally being handed to you on a plate (along with some tasty canapés we hope!)

Mission: With your business cards in hand, we challenge you to hand out at least 3 business cards at your next event! 

2) Listen and learn

Perhaps you’re at the event for one speaker in particular, or you’re looking to learn from everything on offer. All of this is great, but keep focussed on all of the presentations even if you feel some parts are not completely relevant to what you do.

Never zone out because you might miss something incredibly useful to you. There’s no harm in taking a few notes and learning from the topics being discussed.

Mission: Make it your aim to come away with 2 to 3 key takeaways you hadn’t thought about before at your next event and all events going forward. 

3) Share your experience

Many events will make the most of social media, creating their very own hashtag for people to follow and get involved. Is this something you usually refrain from?

Live tweeting at an event is a great way to show you care about your industry and career, with some great benefits. Perhaps someone already at the event will see your activity and approach you for a chat? Maybe people will reach out to you with invites to more events as they see you enjoy them. You can connect with the right people if you shout about your involvement in the industry, so what are you waiting for?

Mission: Post 3 tweets/LinkedIn updates/Facebook posts (whatever you prefer) at your next event…be sure to use any hashtag that is associated with the event too! 

4) Spread the word

Once an event is finished, it’s easy to keep the key takeaways to yourself. When you return to the office, share the experience with your colleagues who will probably benefit from the insights too.

Whenever you receive an email invite or see an exciting industry event advertised, share the link with your colleagues too so that everyone can reap the rewards.

Mission: Get one colleague signed up to attend the next event with you (and challenge them to take on all of our panda missions themselves!)

5) Building your personal brand

Did you know 57% of ecommerce professionals attend industry events to build their personal brand? (As seen in our 2016 Ecommerce Salary Survey & Insights report)

You’ll soon come to see familiar faces at these events if you become a regular attendee and it will really help build your personal brand!

Mission: Following your next industry event, sign up to another one the following day!

Do you choose to accept our missions for your next industry event? It will be a great way to throw yourself into an event and know exactly what you want to gain from it. Good luck!