Attending Conferences

With so much information available online are live events really necessary?

Online advantages

Itís not only the quantity of online information that has some professionals questioning the necessity of logging off to partake of live events. Quality is a factor as well.

Todayís rich online experience allows for knowledge sharing, relationship development, business referrals, and more--and via a variety of venues. From webcasts to podcasts and social networks to Second Life, opportunities for online interaction abound.

Obviously, there are fewer concerns when meeting in the online world as opposed to the live one. ìConnectionî means Internet connectivity, as opposed to an airplane that may or may not be waiting at the gate.

Travel can be challenging for professionals with busy work schedules. Although technology facilitates conducting business while on the road, multitasking has its limits. It can be nearly impossible to participate at a conference while managing the day-to-day. As a result, attending live events requires planning, and often involves playing catch-up upon return.

In addition, thereís the absence factor, and what it might mean as far as business results. Professionals sometimes perceive that being unavailable for a day or two will result in missed opportunities. Turn off the cell phone? Step away from the computer? Say what?

Meeting and marketing

All are legitimate concerns that appear to make a case for taking advantage of technology. But the reality is that online and live experiences differ dramatically.

For everything that online interaction offers--and it offers a lot--it does not allow for the kind of spontaneous exchange that occurs when people connect live. The opportunity to meet others is also significantly limited online. And as far as viewing products and services, well, a picture may be worth a thousand words but a live presentation is the real thing.

From a business development standpoint, conferences can prove especially pivotal.

Steven Rothberg, President and Founder of CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading job board for college students and recent graduates, attends about half a dozen recruitment conferences per year, frequently as one of the speakers and occasionally as the keynote. For Rothberg, participation has paid off.

ìMost of our largest clients have come from these speaking engagements,î he says.

Although Rothberg doesnít sell from the podium, the person who introduces him will usually tell attendees who he is and a little about CollegeRecruiter.com. The topic on which Rothberg speaks typically has something to do with college recruiting, even indirectly, so thereís a logical fit for attendees.

The fit leads to business leads. ìI invariably walk away from the podium with a stack of business cards and five to 10 new clients,î Rothberg says.

What does live interaction mean to CollegeRecruiter.com?

ìSpeaking at recruitment conferences is our most efficient and effective means of marketing our job board,î says Rothberg.

Making contacts

Jeremy Eskenazi, Managing Principal of Riviera Advisors, a global human resources consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations develop stronger internal recruiting and staffing capabilities, also attends a number of industry events each year.

ìI go for several reasons,î Eskenazi says. ìOne primary reason is to see whatís new in the industry; specifically, to meet with vendors to check out the new and improved products and services available. Also, I get a lot of benefit from listening to the sessions to see whatís on the minds of the recruiting and HR professionals. And finally, most importantly, I attend these sessions to network with recruiting professionals.î

Like Rothberg, Eskenazi is a frequent speaker at recruitment and HR conferences. Itís a role he finds valuable because it allows him to share information with other recruiting and HR professionals as well as gain visibility for his consulting practice.

At events, Eskenazi meets people who later become close connections and often become firm clients. He also meets people he connects with job opportunities.

ìI remember one time many years ago, I sat on a panel discussion at the HR Technology Conference in Chicago. Several of the panelists were really interesting and fun people who I later got to know well. One of the panelists became a good friend of mine, and later when a job became available, I referred him to that position and he got the job. We continue to work together on projects today and remain friends,î Eskenazi says.

Sometimes conference contacts even become firm associates. Eskenazi originally met two members of the Riviera Advisors team at conferences.

ìItís easy to connect and interact with smart people at these events,î he says.

Choosing conferences

Still, going to conferences requires taking time away from other business responsibilities. Eskenazi usually foregoes attending conferences in the fall when heís busy, opting instead for spring events.

He also finds that, in general, there are too many HR and recruiting conferences and, as result, shows are not unique. Eskenazi points out that many have the same speakers, same program content, same exhibitors, and some of the same attendees. Also, events are often scheduled close together.

ìThere is a lot of duplication in the HR and recruiting events space, and fewer but more special events would be better,î Eskenazi says. ìThere is a bit of conference ëburnoutí after a few weeks of going to conferences one after another.î

Lisa Tromba, Vice President of Battalia Winston, a leading executive search firm, doesnít go to as many events as Eskenazi or Rothberg; she generally attends two conferences each year.

ìBoth of these conferences attract global participants and offer terrific networking opportunities,î she says.

ìOne of the conferences is attended by representatives from the ëGlobal 500í and, in addition to the value of staying apprised of current industry issues, the conference provides multiple, well-planned opportunities to interact, dine, and socialize with participants.

ìThe other conference is more technically oriented and keeps me current on one of my areas of specialization. In addition, the residual value of attending the conference is the portfolio of ëbest practicesí I am able to develop through information shared at the conference by attendees as well as presenters, which inevitably improves my game.

ìBoth conferences provide focused networking opportunities which enable me to target new relationship-building efforts, identify new business leads, broaden my industry and technical expertise, nurture existing relationships, and gain greater industry exposure.î

Initiating opportunities

Tromba finds the conference atmosphere lends itself to a variety of opportunities.

ìA conference setting is a ëmeeting of the mindsí and I have found it be an effective venue which fosters collaboration on efforts ranging from forming valuable ëlike mindedí networking groups to business development initiatives to collaborative publishing opportunities,î she says.

However, success requires effort.

ìFollowing up with the contacts youíve made after attending conferences is critical and where you will see the greatest return,î Tromba says.

Although she acknowledges there are downsides to attending conferences, Tromba doesnít cite travel or time away from the office as the primary obstacle people face.
ìThe biggest downside to attending conferences is attending without engaging,î she says. ìIf you are not prepared to leverage your investment and really engage in the event and with the attendees and speakers, then it is not a smart investment of your time, energy, and money.î

Accordingly, she offers some advice: ìMitigating the downside means planning ahead.î

The best opportunity for planning ahead is when the conference sponsor provides a list of attendees to registrants, according to Tromba. This allows participants to schedule time to meet with one another.

But even if a showís sponsor doesnít offer this information, she recommends working with whatever information is available. ìDonít just show up, and donít leave without developing a plan to leverage the experience and stay connected to those whom you have made an investment to meet,î Tromba says.

Itís also important to understand the objectives of conference hosting and participation.

ìConferences exist to bring people together who share a common interest,î Tromba says. ìWe attend conferences to gain new and better ideas and to expand our opportunities.î

Nevertheless, reaping the benefits of attending live events requires live participation.

ìThe only way any of that happens is by genuinely engaging with other people,î says Tromba. ìThis process begins at the conference but really becomes meaningful as the acquaintances blossom into relationships.î

Paula Santonocito is a business journalist specializing in employment issues. She is the author of nearly 1,000 articles on a wide range of topics, including online recruitment, which she has covered since the early days of Web-based employment advertising and candidate sourcing. In addition to serving as features editor of Online Recruitment Magazineís North American edition, she is AIRS News editor, overseeing news content for the global recruitment training and technology solutions company at www.airsdirectory.com. Articles by Paula Santonocito are featured in many global and domestic publications and information outlets, including HRWire, a publication to which she regularly contributes. She can be reached at psantonocito@yahoo.com