F E AT U R E
before you get to the meeting so
others can find you. Make sure to
include a picture to make it easier
for them to recognize you. Another
way to check who’s at the meeting is
to see the list of attendees at www.
clda.org/annualmeeting.
Once you know who will be at the
pick out the people you want to
meet and get some background on
them and their companies, before
you search for them at the confer-
ence. Use LinkedIn to check out their
profile or go to their company’s sites
and social media to get an overview
of both their company and their staff.
Also, look up the people who will
be presenting at the conference.
At the CLDA Annual Meeting, for
example, we’ve put heavy emphasis
on getting shippers on the panels. If
you’re interested in connecting with
them, be sure to attend those panels
and introduce yourself afterwards.
Many who will be attending the
meeting are anxious to meet them,
so use that post-panel introduction
to make quick contact and set up a
time afterwards to talk. Other panels
will include influencers and veter-
ans of our industry. These are the
people who can help you get better
connected, can be great sounding
boards for your ideas or are willing to
share some of their knowledge with
you. That means it’s worth your time
to check out their websites before
the conference and stay after their
presentation to talk with them.
3. EMAIL THE PARTICIPANTS
AND PRESENTERS YOU WANT TO
MEET BEFORE THE CONFERENCE -
Introduce yourself to shippers and
key people a few days before the
conference. Let them know that
you look forward to meeting them in
person and hearing what they have
to say at the conference. You might
even book a time between sessions
to meet up with them for a quick
drink or coffee. If you do this a few
days before they take off for the con-
ference, they will probably, email you
back and thank you. Now you’ll have
a bit of history to fall back on when
you see them at the conference.
5. CREATE A SCHEDULE - Figure out
which panels and presentations you
want to attend, and map out a sched-
ule accordingly so you don’t miss
anything important. Set appoint-
ments with people you know you
want to meet. Everyone will have a
busy schedule, but you could coor-
dinate a coffee break or breakfast
meeting with one or more people
you definitely want to have a con-
versation with. Never skip network-
ing receptions. If you’re a first-time
attendee, there’s even a special one
for you and a networking workshop
before that to help you dive in with
confidence.
It’s easy to rationalize skipping
these events after a long day of
sitting inside of a hotel that’s got an
outside that looks so darned invit-
ing. We know Mickey, Minnie and
Cinderella are beckoning but do not
yield to temptation! The parties and
27
cocktail hours are the best place to
connect with people in a relaxed
environment.
6. TALK TO PRESENTERS. Go to the
talks of those presenters you want
to meet (especially if you emailed
them expressing interest in doing
so). Arrive early and sit in the front
row so that you’re in a good position
to reach them after the talk. Listen
attentively so that you can raise par-
ticular points with them afterward
during your discussion. When the
presentation has concluded, intro-
duce yourself, compliment the pre-
senter on the presentation, and ask
relevant questions.
7. USE SOCIAL - If you’re active on
social media, tweet or post about
the conference while you’re still
there (but NOT during the presen-
tations, this is both distracting and
rude). Tag people you’ve met in the
app and on your social media and
ma