5 tips to make the most of your next conference

I experienced conference envy this past week as I followed the terrific tweets filling my timeline from both Med.20 in London and Standford’s MedX. It would have been wonderful to have been there in person, but I still managed to learn lots of new things and connect with some great new people from my virtual attendance.

Next time you attend a conference here are 5 things you can do to make the most of your time.

1. Take Notes.

It’s fun to tweet, but don’t neglect the old-fashioned art of writing down key points you wish to remember.  Research shows that the act of writing helps you assimilate and remember information better.

2. Interview Speakers

If you have an established blog, website or other social media platform, reach out to speakers before the event and ask if they will allow you to interview them during the event.   Do your preparation in advance and keep the interview short. (An iphone app like Vine (6 second video platform) is useful for this). Here’s an excellent example of an interview with Dr Larry Chu of Stanford Medicine X at the Doctors 2.0 & You Conference.

3. Test out new products

Be one of the first to report back on a new product or service you discover at the conference in the form of photographs, reviews or an interview with the company exhibitors.

4. Curate and blog conference content

Using a tool like Storify, curate the best conference tweets and images.  If you have a blog, share your impressions, tips and summarize key points after the event.

5. Make and build on connections

Don’t just make connections on the day, follow-up with those people you’ve met and want to stay in touch with via email, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Some of the best connections I have made at conferences have turned into mutually collaborative relationships after the event.

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