Making the most of in-person events: The #CMWorld 2017 edition

Making the most of in-person events: The #CMWorld 2017 edition. Haven’t you gotten all you need in the content marketing space already? Make that Connection! Make a list of people that you must see in person during your time, and write down some questions you’d like to pose to other attendees who you may sit next to in a session, or who you end up meeting at an evening networking event. You’re trying to find time to create a workflow for your creative team to provide assets for your content calendar. One of the best things about Content Marketing World speakers, in my opinion, is that they aren’t talking heads, they’re content marketing practitioners from leading brands – in the trenches, sharing their stories. From the behemoth larger companies in the content marketing world to the new, innovative startups, all have something to offer attendees. Visit the booths, talk to folks, explain your challenges, needs, and what hole you’re hoping to fix with a partner. Sit down with your team before an event (even if the team is just you), and look at your documented content marketing strategy. Bring that list with you to the event, scope out the list of sponsors before you arrive, and have a plan to visit those booths in the exhibit hall.

You’ve been on CMI webinars and twitter chats, you read the CMI articles every day and receive Chief Content Officer magazine. You engage with the content marketing community on a regular basis and catch our #CMWorld Twitter chats on Tuesdays. Now there’s an event coming up. Haven’t you gotten all you need in the content marketing space already? Why invest the time and money to attend?

We think that you’ve barely scratched the surface, and there are so many reasons that in-person events make a huge impact on your career, your productivity and your happiness. Here are a couple of our favorite reasons.

Make that Connection!

You’ve heard it before, but in-person events are a great place to connect offline with the people you spend time with online. It’s a time to talk to, and learn from, people that are dealing with the same challenges you are, and who may in fact have that awesome, yet viable idea you have been looking for that help grow your business. At CMWorld this year, we’ve built in more networking time and have more ways to connect with new (and old!) faces.

How can you maximize your networking time? Make a list of people that you must see in person during your time, and write down some questions you’d like to pose to other attendees who you may sit next to in a session, or who you end up meeting at an evening networking event. Trust me, they’ll love that you have a conversation starter, and that industry peer relationship can go far beyond the hors d’oeuvres table.