While at WISPAPALOOZA, leave the work at home so you can get the most from your investment.
You’ve been to industry conferences before. They’re a great place to learn about new tools and trends, expand your tech knowledge, get strategies to build your business and catch up with pals over a beer.
You go to a big conference with great intentions, but it’s easy to get caught up in the sponsored happy hours, seeing old friends and the many educational tracks. Plus, the freedom of being unchained from your radios, monitors, routers and towers can make the most serious WISP owner downright giddy. It’s not surprising that you don’t get as much done as you’d planned.
So, how do you get the most from your investment in WISPAPALOOZA 2018? The key is to balance education, networking and fun.
Tricky concept? Not really, it just takes an objective view, clear goals and a little pre-planning. Before you head to Las Vegas this October, review the concepts below to get the most from your networking, educational tracks, product research and the one thing you totally deserve — the fun.
Clear Your Schedule Before the Conference
If you’re thinking, “Impossible!” — then you must be a WISP owner. Sure, your schedule is packed because there’s a lot on your shoulders. But, if you’ve made the investment to spend the cash to attend this event, then do all you can to offload your duties for a few days so you can immerse yourself in the entire experience.
Start by preparing your staff for your absence. Reschedule appointments, make all the participants in the projects you’re involved in aware that you’ll be gone and slow to respond to emails.
In the weeks leading up to the event, give your team a clear outline of what to work on while you’re gone and tell them to be prepared with status updates on your return.
Most important of all — schedule all appointments and meetings for after the show, not during. A 10-minute check-in with a subscriber or team member can stretch into an hour or more, which takes you away from all of the business-building activity at the event.
It’s essential to take opportunities to work on your business instead of in it. WISPAPALOOZA is the perfect place to work on your business, you can work in your business when you get home.
Get Your “Hit List” Together
Review the program with your goals in mind and cherry-pick the events and social hours you want to attend. Sure, there might be a “fun” class or two that you want to attend, but, make sure you “hit” all of the opportunities that will advance your WISP and get you closer to your success goals.
While you’re putting your list of events together, peruse the classes, round tables for other owners, operators and industry experts that would be good collaborators, connections, mentees or mentors. Find a way to chat after an event session to see if you have common ground.
After the business is out of the way, head to a sponsored happy hour for some free drinks, fatty appetizers and a few laughs. You deserve it.
Next week, we’ll get into the nuts and bolts of elevating your networking time, so you can improve your ability to identify new business contacts. Don’t miss out — check out Visp’s next blog.
Special thanks to photographer "Hi I'm Nik" at Unsplash for the use photo.
