5 Tech-Savvy Networking Tips for Business Conferences

Conferences can either be a boon for business and a fountain of knowledge, or an uncomfortable situation full of people you've never met. If you want to avoid getting caught off guard, step away from the wall and loosen up with some of these handy tips for conference goers.

Business Cards With QR Codes

Your business card is more than just a point of contact and a job title. Today’s business cards can say a lot about what you do, especially if they have a digital component to them. Try encoding a QR code to the face of your business card that leads to an About.me page, or your personal website. Grab a free Google voice number beforehand and use it as a catch-all for business contacts. With the Voice application, you can send text messages and pickup voice mail. Voice also transcribes messages you receive, so you can use it in situations where it is hard to hear the audio or you need record of something someone said as a reminder.

Check-In Apps

Apps that let you check-in to a conference are useful for networking purposes. These conference apps help you organize your activities, keep track of other attendees, and they even help you measure ROI. If you want to branch out and meet new people, try messaging other users and arranging for a lunch meeting. Watch for places with high check-ins and swing by to see if you’re missing an after party or luncheon event.

Messaging and Contacts

It’s helpful to utilize a service like Google contacts or your phone’s address book. You will want something that will let you assign a photo to someone, and something that can record phone number and email address. Google’s contact system is ideal because it creates a copy on your device and a copy in the cloud. You can make alterations to contacts and erase unwanted contacts later from a laptop.

Programs like Skype can host short video conferences between people, in addition to audio and text. Apple’s messaging app is great for group SMS, but Android has yet to catch up. For now, Android users should create a contact list, or a group of favorites to message back and forth. Ditto for Google +.

Elevator Pitch

When you approach someone, usually the first question that pops up is some form of what do you do, and this is a chance for your elevator pitch. Think of an elevator pitch like some kind of ice breaker, a chance to communicate your passions to the average Joe or Jane. Rather than talking about your job title, find an example of what you do. Lead with I help people to accomplish… and see where you go. Practice ahead of time so you don’t trip up on the spot. It’s ok to be nervous, everyone goes through that meeting new people, but you don’t want to forget your words and look unprofessional.

Be the type of person that asks questions. If you feel like you never know what to ask, try to spend the weeks leading up to your conference interviewing people. Challenge yourself to find one interesting fact about someone you meet each day. Then bring that hard questioning to conferences where people are actually motivated to talk about themselves.

Talking About the Event

WordPress has an application for iPhone and Android that you can use to record a text, video, or photo post. YouTube will let you upload video from your phone as well, so if you have a blogging audience tuning in remotely you can post a video for them. However you choose to communicate your ideas, look for ways to repackage that content and use it to reach a wider audience, like a slideshow presentation or a podcast interview.