GETTING THE MOST OF YOUR WBENC CERTIFICATION______ Back To Main Page


How You Can Still Participate in The National Conference or Salute If You Can't Attend

by Kate Chrisman

There is no doubt that the best way to get the most out of a conference or event that you are attending is to a) arrive early and stay late, b) attend every possible session and c) network like crazy.

But what do you do when you can’t attend the conference or event? Forget just sitting at your desk and wondering what you are missing. You can still “participate” in the event without even being there! Here’s how . . .

1) Advertising:

Most conferences or events allow their participants to advertise in the program book. This can sometimes be a heftier price than a single ticket, however, program books usually stay on the desktops of participants for months after the event for reference purposes. When you are signing up to advertise, you don’t have to tell them you aren’t actually going to be attending the event. The person you will be speaking with is probably going to be a graphic designer or an ad sales representative.

To stretch your advertising dollar, you can ask the event organizers for additional copies of the program book (you might have to pay some shipping costs), and you can send a copy to some of your key prospective clients, with your ad flagged. This not only shows them your affiliation with the event and organization, but it showcases your company in a nice, glossy format.

2) Research:

Every conference or event publishes a program book that is handed out to their participants. Within the book, you can usually find information as to who is participating, who is being honored and what topics are being covered. If you can’t make the event, consider calling the organization that put on the event and asking them if they have any “leftover” programs. They might charge a small shipping fee.

Once you get that program, research it from cover to cover. If there is a workshop topic that interests you, follow up with whoever the Moderator was and ask them to email you their presentation, or send any handouts from the seminar.

Maybe the event you missed was a ritzy, black-tie networking event. By getting a copy of the illustrious program book, you can find out who the keynote speaker was, as well as who the top level sponsors were, and when you run into them at your next event (that you won’t miss!), you can mention their involvement with the black-tie affair. You don’t have to lie and say that you “enjoyed their speech” (when, of course, you weren’t even present to hear it). But you can say, “Oh, I was thrilled to see that you were the keynote speaker at (or that your company was the main sponsor of) ABC’s Black-Tie Gala last spring. Did you enjoy the evening?” As you engage them in conversation, they will continue to go on and on about their role at the event (and let’s face it, what do people enjoy talking about the most? Themselves!), and after two or three minutes of talking to them, you are well on your way to establishing a good rapport with them and hopefully, potential business opportunities.

For more information on WBENC’s upcoming black-tie event, Salute to the Stars and their national conference, Women In Business 2007, please visit www.wbenc.org. Information will soon be posted on each event.