Was I a Conference Commando?

In Keith Ferazzi’s book, Never Eat Alone (which, ironically, I read a few years back, almost entirely while I was eating lunch, uh, alone), he advises readers to “Be A Conference Commando.” He posits that conferences are not for gaining information and insight, but instead are opportunities to develop relationships. You must be pro-active, not passive.
In March I made the decision to attend the annual BRITE conference—Branding Innovation and Technology—sponsored by Columbia Business School’s Center on Global Brand Leadership for two main reasons:
- Because in 2007 I moved out of NYC to rural central New York state so I needed some mental stimulation, exposure to new ideas, and a good write-off-able excuse to hang out in the city for a few days (not to mention a good, urban, soul-satisfying bagel and lox breakfast).
- I’m following the 2009 Grow Your Business Marketing Plan + Calendar (veteran’s version) and felt attending this conference would be an excellent networking component to my marketing checklist—along with all the other strategies we’ve been reading about on this blog: research calls, crafting your online bio, blog creation/posting, etc.
At the conference, through various addresses, breakout sessions, and a fantastic keynote given by Seth Godin, I gained a better understanding of such current catchphrases as ‘crowdsourcing’ and ‘tribes’; was able to hone my Twitter skills on my iPod Touch (in fact, unlike most other public gatherings, this audience was actually encouraged to dialogue with their devices while the talks were taking place, and after each speaker, the MC would field “tweeted” questions); and was exposed to compelling new technologies—my favorite of which is prezi.com, zooming presentation software.
However, according to Keith’s standards, as a conference attendee, I failed. (Well, maybe a D+).
Did I sign up to volunteer at the conference in order to gain access to its inner workings? No.
Did I research the VIPs beforehand and set up opportunities to hobnob with the ones I wanted most to meet in person? Uh, no.
I did not even really set goals for myself, other than that I would go, meet people, and learn a few things.
However, upon returning home to the farm, I did follow up with each of the people I met, with an email that read:


This is Week 11 of a 52-week project/experiment in DIY marketing. Armed with nothing but a copy of
A couple of weeks ago I started a new blog post series titled “The Keep In Touch Toolbox” where I’ll be suggesting tools and strategies to keeping in touch with your clients and prospects. If you missed it you can read it
Colleen's note: Today's guest poster, L.A. designer
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