This week’s TechTuesday looks a little bit different than the usual format. I decided to change it up a bit and take a closer look at virtual conferences. I know, I know, enough with the virtual conferences. But really, after speaking at and attending a ton of virtual conferences these past few months from all over the world, I started to see some opportunities I thought worth addressing.
The first and biggest opportunity centers around virtual connections and networking. So often, when I speak with entrepreneurs or people looking to break into the space, it goes back to connections. 2020 and the pandemic has been challenging for all but why not use this time to grow your network as a competitive advantage in a way that is harder when everyone is in person. Virtual conferences are a great way to do that, the organizers list the attendees and oftentimes you can search based on role, common interest, etc. It has never been easier to connect with people.
The second similar but different opportunity centers around business development or even research. How many of us continue to read the headlines about the latest funding round or a new digital product introduced by an institution and have questions? I know for me it is essentially every time. Virtual conferences provide a platform for you to ask direct questions to often times very senior executives that are typically very hard to get in front of. I was on a conference last week and was able to get in 3-4 questions directly to the speaker about a new neobank that was being launched. This is crazy! I am still shocked to log on to these events live (of course we know most people who do end up watching the content end up watching post event) and see only a handful of other live attendees. What a great opportunity to not only get your key questions asked but also to network with the hard to reach founders and executives you have been following from afar?
Based on the few successes I have had so far connecting with people live, I know one of my goals for 2021 will center around prioritizing participating live at at least a handful of virtual conferences. Any other tips around virtual conferences I missed? Share your thoughts in the comment section!
#TechTuesday Highlight #80: How to Make the Most of Virtual Conferences in 2021 and Beyond
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#businessunusual #virtualconference #network #connect #neworld #digital
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Have thoughts on this week’s trends or questions for me? Post your thoughts in the comment section or share them on Twitter. Please include the hashtag #techtuesday and mention me @ScarlettSieber! Until next week. 🙂
