Your Post-Conference Homework: What to Do After Catersource

On the heels of a hectic and unusual year, I know we were all thrilled to be coming back to Catersource with fresh ideas and new hope for the quickly approaching 2022. Most event professionals are seeing each other for the first time since we left Vegas last year. Needless to say, it’s exciting to be reconnecting. With that, it’s vital that you’re really making the most of your experience- and that includes the days following Catersource. 

Homework might be the last thing you want to do when you arrive home and have a pile of work to dive into (and possibly a hint of jetlag). However, the sooner you can get into the following post-conference tasks, the greater return you’ll see in the long run. 

Being prompt is everything

Consider that all of the other attendees are getting home to a similar situation. The conference experience is still fresh on their minds and they have to make a mental pivot to get back into the swing of business as usual. Now is the time to reach out to those connections you made and start the initial conversation or, as they say, “strike while the iron is hot.”

If you wait too long to sift through those business cards and send follow-up emails, you may find yourself getting lost in everyone’s inboxes — or, worse, you risk being forgotten. A quick hello and a social media follow are all it takes to establish a relationship that can be cultivated further down the line. 

Divide and conquer your follow-ups into levels of urgency, and you’ll feel much better without feeling like you need to compete with others who have a similar idea.

Implement fresh ideas

Now, let’s turn to the education side of the conference. It’s not just about the faces you meet, but the knowledge you stand to gain by sitting in sessions, workshops, and tradeshow presentations. One of the biggest stressors of the pandemic was the lack of content without events happening to generate organic content. Think about which ideas you can implement into your business, but also consider what that could potentially look like as a blog post, social media call-to-action, or what-have-you.

Set some time aside to review all of the notes you took at the conference and highlight the ones that you think could truly make a difference in your business. It could be an up-and-coming design trend that you’d love to jump on early or it could be a sales technique that will speed up your transaction times to book clients more efficiently. Boil it down to your key takeaways from the conference, then sit down with your team to discuss a plan for implementation.

Share your experience

One thing to bear in mind- providing fresh content on owned channels was just one of the many challenges in the last year. As you get back into the swing of things with events, consider sharing your top takeaways and favorite trends from the conference with your own audience. Take a peek at your upcoming content calendar for your blog and social media and consider filling any gaps with your newfound discoveries and knowledge. 

Keep up the momentum

Returning home and losing yourself in your work is often a barrier to post-conference implementation. This is especially the case right now with many areas facing an unprecedented “wedding boom.”

Before long, the conference feels like a distant memory and all that matters is the next event in the pipeline. However, don’t forget that your post-conference homework laid the groundwork for more effective networking and business planning.

You already established relationships with new additions to your network, so you’re in a good place to nurture those connections through simple touchpoints. A social media comment, a check-in email, or a congratulatory gift for a business achievement — there are many ways to do this, but make it a goal to not let those conference connections fizzle after the fact.

The same goes for the ideas you brought home. If you’ve found success after implementing one or two strategies, consult your notes again and consider what else could be helpful. Use your newfound knowledge to avoid becoming stagnant in your market. After all, conferences are churning out the freshest trends and ideas that can keep you contemporary and up-to-date with the industry’s latest and greatest.

Remember: You didn’t leave your work behind to invest in attending a conference and bring nothing home from it. Be smart about your strategy and plan ahead of time to ensure you’re maximizing your experience and getting as much from the few days as you can.