Going to events? Here’s how to actually make them count.

Picture the scene. You’re scrolling LinkedIn with a coffee. An event pops up. Big names, nice venue, the lot. You hit “register” and feel rather pleased with yourself. Then the day comes. You turn up. You wander about. You collect three pens and a tote bag. You go home. And… nothing happens.

Sound familiar? It happens to the best of us. The problem isn’t the event. It’s that there was no plan behind going.

So let’s fix that. Here’s how I think about events — before, during and after — so they earn their place in your diary.

One quick thing before we start. This is for when you’re going as an attendee. If you’re speaking or exhibiting, your game plan shifts — you’ve got a stand to staff or a stage to own — but a lot of what follows still applies. Today, though, we’re in the audience.

Start with why (no, really)

Before you book a single thing, ask yourself one question. What do I actually want to happen here? Because “networking” isn’t a goal. It’s a vibe.

Get specific. Are you there to generate leads? To raise your brand’s visibility? To attract new talent? Each of those sends you to a completely different room.

Once you know the why, you can work out the who. If it’s leads, who’s your ideal customer? If it’s visibility, which sector are you trying to reach? If it’s talent, what kind of people do you want, and what would make them want you?

Then, and only then, the where. Where do these people actually spend their time? Which events do they turn up to? That’s where you go.

Skip this bit, and you’ll do what most people do — sign up for the shiny thing and wonder later why it led nowhere. Get it right, and every event is already working for you before you’ve walked through the door.

The bit everyone gets wrong: the work happens in three parts

Here’s the thing nobody tells you. The event itself is the easy bit. The value is in the work around it. Three parts: before, during and after.

Before.

Do your homework. Can you get hold of an attendee list? Have a look at who’s talking about the event online — there’s your hit list of people worth finding. No list to be found? Look at the line-up. The speakers, the panellists, the session hosts — they tell you which companies are in the room and who’s representing them. That’s your guest list by the back door. If it’s a conference, pick your talks in advance. Don’t wing it. Then think about how you’ll show up. Do you need business cards? (Yes, probably.) What’s your personal brand saying about you before you’ve even opened your mouth? Sort that out beforehand, not on the morning.

During.

Have your elevator pitch ready — but please, don’t make it sound like a script. Too polished is forgettable. Human sticks. And know your one thing: the single idea you want people to walk away with. Maybe it’s a proper understanding of what you do. Maybe it’s that you’re open to the right opportunities. Maybe it’s that you’re hiring and your culture is brilliant.

Pick one.

Now, a word on pace. There’s huge pressure at conferences to fill every minute with talks. Resist it. You need downtime to think, to chat, to breathe. Some of the best conversations I’ve ever had happened when I wasn’t “supposed” to be doing anything. If a session doesn’t grab you, go and get a coffee. You’ll be amazed who you end up talking to in the queue.

After.

This is where it all falls apart for most people. They go home and stop. Don’t stop. This is where the magic is.

Got that attendee list? Start emailing. Add people on LinkedIn while they still remember your face. Go back to the ones you didn’t quite reach on the day. Found a company you’d love to work with? Research them, reach out, ask for an introduction.

And talk about it. Share what you learned. If you’re a one-person band, that might be a blog or a social post. If you’re a bigger team, share the insights internally — a Slack message, a slot in the town hall, whatever works.

Whatever you do, don’t let the event just evaporate. The follow-up is where your return on investment actually shows up. Sometimes that’s a month later. Sometimes six. Sometimes a year. But it only happens if you do the work.

My three hard-won lessons

I’ve been to a lot of events. Here’s what I wish someone had told me sooner.

1. Prepare like you mean it. Know who you want to talk to and what you’ll say. Plan your day. Think about what you’ll wear and whether you’ll actually be comfortable in it. Turn up as the best version of you.

   
   

2. Don’t fill every minute. Pick your talks, then deliberately block out time to decompress and just sit with a coffee. That’s exactly when the serendipitous stuff happens.

   
   

3. The follow-up is everything. Block out time afterwards to reflect, then follow up with every lead and connection. That’s where the real impact lives — a month, six months, a year down the line.

A bit of help, if you’d like it

If your event strategy feels more like a diary full of dates than an actual plan, that’s exactly the sort of thing I help with at KLW. Whether it’s a one-off plan for a big conference or ongoing support to make your whole events calendar pull its weight, drop me a line and let’s have a chat.