In today’s episode, I’m going to help you get your best return on investment from attending a virtual conference.
I do have a little ulterior motive for sharing this, in particular, this week, because we are just a few days out from the Heart-Centred Virtual Business Conference. Regardless of whether it’s the Heart-Centred Conference that you’re going to, or any virtual conference or summit, this episode of the podcast is going to help you to maximise the return on investment that you get from putting your time and money into going to a virtual conference.
If you’ve got some online events that you’re going to be attending this year, this is going to be a very helpful episode for you.
Let’s dive on in!
Before I jump into my four tips for you to maximise your return on investment from a virtual conference, I do want to remind you that the Heart-Centred Virtual Business Conference is happening from the 11th – 14th of March 2021, so if you’re reading this before then, make sure you go and GRAB YOUR TICKET.
This is an event that you do not want to miss.
We balance inspiration with education and implementation.
We have an all-female lineup of speakers on stage this year, and we have some amazing practical, tangible workshops that you are going to love and that will transform your experience of your business and life.
Go and check it all out if you’re reading this before the 11th of March.
Now let’s talk about how to get a MASSIVE return on investment from an event like this.
1. Make sure you block time
Woman blocking out time in calendar for Virtual Conference
I know that this might sound really straightforward and simple, BUT the amount of people who’ve already got tickets to the Heart-Centred Virtual Business Conference who have accidentally let clients book time in during that conference is actually astounding.
Make sure that you block out the time for that event and go to as much of it live as possible.
For some people who might be in different time zones to the event that they’re going to, that might mean:
- Adjusting the way that you run your day
- Allowing yourself to go to bed a little earlier so that you can get up a little earlier
- Staying up a little later and giving yourself a sleep-in the next day
The more that you can attend live, the better. It does actually make a difference, especially when it’s an engaged and interactive event.
Block out time during that event.
I also recommend you block out time afterwards.
I usually like to block out the two days after a conference (and that’s the same whether it’s a virtual conference or an in-person conference).
For at least two days, I’ve blocked out time to process, go for walks, rest, and also get clear on how I’m going to apply this in my business and make some plans as a result of going to that conference.
I also like to book in a weekly one hour review.
For the 10 weeks following that conference, I book a weekly one-hour conference implementation session or conference debrief session with myself.
I will be 100% honest, I don’t do all 10 of them. Sometimes I’ll skip them, but blocking 10 weeks in a row out in my calendar four an hour-long appointment with myself will maximise my opportunity to implement and therefore get that return on investment.
There’s active time and there’s passive time. There’s time to listen to recordings or listen to the conference, but then there’s time where you’re actively putting that in place in your business.
Make sure you block out that time accordingly.
2. Form a posse
You could form that posse before the event. For example, with the Heart-Centred Virtual Business Conference, we have a Facebook community of attendees. In that group, we’ve already had a few people saying that if anyone is in the same timezone as them and wants to do a little debrief after the event, they should let them know.
You can form a posse before the event if there’s an event members group or something along those lines.
You can also form a posse AT the event.
If you’re chatting in the chatbox or you go to a networking breakout session and you strike up a conversation with someone, don’t be afraid to say to them that you’re wanting to start a little posse to talk about conference with afterwards, and ask them if they want to join.
Don’t be afraid of rejection.
Some people might say no, and that’s okay. You never know if you never ask.
Then you’re looking out for them in the chatbox, you’re engaging after the event and making sure you’re implementing. That is where the ROI comes from for a lot of online events and conferences.
Form yourself a little posse.
I’ve got a little extra tip for you on forming a posse.
One of the things we do at the Heart-Centred Virtual Business Conference, is we have the VIP ticket option. In that VIP ticket option, you get a four-month mastermind after conference.
You don’t even need to strike up a conversation with a stranger or reach out to anyone in the conference. If you join with a VIP ticket, I help you form that posse because we have a small group mastermind that we do after conference, and that goes for four months. We have four live calls once a month for four months. It’s got its own Facebook group, and it’s a much more intimate group, so you’re going to have that posse formed for you and you can even form little sub-posse in there as well.
Buying a VIP ticket for the Heart-Centred Virtual Business Conference, in particular, does help with forming that posse.
3. Set goals
I have four goals that I want you to set before you go to any online event or conference.
1. What do you want to learn?
2. What decisions do you need to make that going to this conference will help you make?
3. How do you want to feel? How do you want to feel after this conference once you’ve implemented what you’ve learned?
4. What is your participation goal?
Set yourself a goal of how much you want to participate. Do you want to:
- Be active in the chatbox?
- Be one of the leaders of the networking breakout sessions?
- Find a small group and participate with them that way?
- Commit to sharing one aha from every session?
- Make sure you’re following all of the speakers and tag them on Instagram?
Those sorts of behaviours and that level of participation will maximise your return on investment, so think about what you want to do in terms of your participation.
Set those four goals – what do you want to learn? What do you need to decide? How do you want to feel? How are you going to participate?
4. Shine
Shining doesn’t necessarily mean you need to turn into a magical extrovert… but shining does mean give yourself the maximum opportunity to shine.
Go to as much of it live as you can.
Make sure that you’re sharing and participating in the members’ group or the attendees’ group.
Make sure that you’re clear on who you are, what you stand for and what your business is about so that when people ask you what your business you, you know how to answer that question confidently.
Do the preparation that you need to ensure that you show up and shine.
You are absolutely a shiny, amazing, vibrant human being… it’s just that often it’s a lack of preparation or lack of deciding that you’re going to show up and shine that stops you from actually showing up and shining.
The reason why I’m talking about showing up and shining as part of your ROI, especially for the Heart-Centred Virtual Business Conference, is:
1. I select speakers for the Virtual Conference from the attendees who have come to conference. If you’re particularly prolific in the chatbox, if you have something that I think would be really valuable for my audience, and you are really actively engaged in conference, then you’re more likely to be someone I select as a speaker for the next conference.
2. The people who show up and shine often get clients from this event. We are always seeing how many of the people at conference are each other’s ideal clients and could really benefit from their services.
3. When you show up and shine, it creates this confidence snowball. I want you to experience that confidence snowball, and I would love for the Heart-Centred Virtual Business Conference to be the space where you experience it.
I would love to see you at the Heart-Centred Virtual Business Conference, and with these four tips, hopefully you’ll get epic ROI.
To grab your ticket, head to heartcentredbusinessconference.com/virtual
Make sure you come on over to the Heart-Centred, Soul-Driven Entrepreneurs Facebook group and share your aha moments using #podcastaha and the episode number (262).
Until next time, I cannot WAIT to see you SHINE.
