Conference season is upon us and thousands of treasury professionals, along with those who serve the treasury profession, will be attending multi-day live events across the globe. The costs of attending a conference entail thousands of dollars in registration fees and travel expenses and the opportunity costs of being away from work and family. That represents a high bar to realizing an ROI.
It is important to define and measure your ROI to attending a conference. It will help you justify attending to your boss and give you the personal ROI you deserve for your valuable time.
First, you should be clear about why you are attending a conference. Here are a few reasons to help you define your mission for attending a conference:
- Professional Certification Credits
- Gaining Advice and Insights for an Ongoing or Upcoming Project
- Getting Out of the Office
- Professional Networking
- Business Development
- Client Meetings
- I Go Every Year
Just going to get certification credits and/or to get out of the office and/or because you go every year should not be enough for anyone. Professional certification credits are available from many sources and often times free, most treasury professionals work at least one day a week remotely, and just going to socialize is fun, but you should expect more of yourself.
Specific metrics to use in quantifying your ROI to attend a conference include the following:
- CPE Credits Earned
- Number of Targeted Connections Made
- Business Cards Obtained
- LinkedIn Connections Made
- Number of Sessions Attended in Topic Areas
- Number of New Leads Acquired
- Number of Client Issues Resolved/Avoided
Specific tips for maximizing your ROI that have worked for me and/or have been shared with me by treasury professionals over the past several years:
- Plan ALL of Your Time Blocks for Each Day of the Conference
- Set up as Many Networking Meetings as Possible BEFORE the Conference
- Set Goals for Each Day
- Reprioritize Goals at the End of Each Day
- Own Your Time- Do Not Let People Waste Your Time
- Practice your Elevator Pitch when Meeting People
I want to close by sharing a few of my personal tips:
- Hang Out with People that are Outgoing
- Attend Every Meal and Sit with People you do not Know
- Attend Off-Site Vendor Events that Matter to You
- Not Invited to a Vendor Event, get Yourself Invited
- Hold Yourself Accountable for Your Daily Goals
- Share Your Goals with Fellow Attendees
- LEAVE YOUR EGO AT HOME
If you want to learn more about how to realize the ROI you deserve for attending a conference, check out my YouTube video on this very topic.
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- The Different Types of Treasury Support: Comparing Interim, Fractional, and Consultancy Roles
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