Speak to the best – presenters: The presenters usually welcome it when people ask questions as it gives them an opportunity to interact more with their audience, and maybe cover something that they simply didn’t have time to include, so indulge them with a thought provoking question – not to catch them out but to give them an opportunity to provide context, examples or exceptions for example.

• Participate in discussions. If you are there on your own, then be brave enough to join other people for a conversation around the topic that was just discussed or perhaps something else that is affecting them in their industry for example. Broader perspectives like this enable you to be a lot more creative and innovative back in the office.
• Networking Strategies: When I was working at PriceWaterhourseCoopers, we used to help the rather socially awkward but brilliant forensic accountants to prepare for our own conferences with a ‘Working The Room’ workshop. This gave them an opportunity to learn how to initiate small talk in a way that felt welcoming and genuine. Not all of the partners and senior managers were native speakers so this would give them an opportunity to practice things like
  introducing people,
  offering someone a drink
  changing the topic,
  or politely getting out of the conversation.
• Working The Room Workshop. This hands on workshop (and I have one of these too actually) gave them the confidence to work the room with intention and less inhibitions, even though many of them were smart introverts.
  Mini communication skills like approaching new people, asking open-ended questions, and following up after the conference, might seem obvious in theory but in practice they can be quite intimidating. So practicing them in a safe space replaces apprehension with calm and curiosity.
• Take Notes: It might feel a bit old school but do take notes on key insights, action items, and contacts made during the conference. There are usually too many to remember and it is nice to capture some useful statistics, quotes and nuggets of knowledge for future conversations at work, when you are selling an idea or giving industry insights. Feel free to make photos if it is allowed and I prefer actually writing rather than typing and somehow it feels more respectful towards the speakers or presenters.

• Selecting Sessions: If like me you promise yourself to be organised and know exactly where you want to be where but never get around to it, then at the very latest in the hotel room on the night before the first day of the conference makes a plan. Knowing how to prioritize can be tricky so think about your company and personal goals and select sessions that align closely with those objectives and professional interests. Think not only about what you need to know (and who you want to get to know now) but also about the future.
• Networking Strategies: If you find it awkward initiating conversations then the top three that work well for me are compliments, questions and observations. So you might compliment someone on a shirt, bag or scarf – it would be nicer to give them a compliment based on their performance but of course you won’t know a stranger well enough to do that – so a compliment is a nice easy opener. Asking a question is an easy one to get into conversation, it can be anything as simple as, “Did you hear which room the … was?” or something like “Oh I see you work for … where are you based?”. Then there are observations like – “Gosh that was quite a long session wasn’t it?” or even a mix, like “I loved her presenting style, have you heard her speak before?”
• Remember names by casually dropping them into the conversation (I need to do this three times before it sticks), sometimes there isn’t enough time to exchange contact information at a conference, so if you meet someone interesting and approachable, jot their name down.
• Female Leader Tip. Those of you that have met me will know that I am an avid notes taker. I deliberately choose a jacket for conferences which is big enough for my phone and a small notepad and pen. For women it can be tricky to find a smart jacket that has big enough pockets so don’t leave this until the week before the conference if I were you.
• Connection. Remember – the main goal here is building meaningful connections with other attendees. Be yourself, be interested in other people and it will all fall into place. If you’re listening to this and think yeah, Corinne, easy for you to say – then let’s jump on a Virtual Tea Break to see if I can help – either through coaching or one of the Working the Room Workshops that I mentioned.
• Engagement and Participation: It’s easy to take your seat and get ready to be entertained and informed, but the more you engage in sessions, ask questions, and contribute to discussions, the more you will get out of the conference. Identify where you are on the say nothing – say everything spectrum and start speaking up more or less to get to that golden middle.
• Be Approachable. Make yourself easy to talk to by smiling and inviting people into the conversation. If you see someone looking and feeling like Billy No Mates, then invite them to join you. People really appreciate that.