Conferences can be stressful; whether you’re exhibiting, speaking or attending, there’s constant background pressure to be on the top of your networking game. For many, this means blindly collecting as many business cards as humanly possible. (This is an awful strategy, trust us.)
VanIMPACT 2015 is the cornerstone social innovation event during Vancouver Startup Week, and it takes place next Wednesday, September 23 at the VEC Startup Alley. The conference features a great mix of attendees and speakers, ranging from entrepreneurs, NPO leaders, and investors, orbiting both the social innovation and tech space.
A conference can be a great place to strike up a new business relationship…but even for the most seasoned pros, it’s tough walk into a room full of strangers and make meaningful connections. So while we can’t write your pitch or help you pack your suitcase, we can certainly give you advice on how to work the room.
Don’t worry about talking to just investors
When there’s 350 other amazing people in the room, don’t shoot yourself in the foot by writing everyone else off unless they’re an investor. At IMPACT, you’re going to be surrounded by the biggest changemakers in the city and beyond so take advantage of it! But if you really want to focus on investors…
be prepared
The value of your conference experience increases tenfold when you go in with goals and a plan to accomplish them. Do your homework: identify the top three people you want to talk to and how many cards you want in hand by the end of the day.
Better yet, start early with some pre-networking
By booking a time at the conference to connect (e.g. “Hi Jen, I’d love to give you an update on what I’ve been working on. Will I see you at IMPACT?”), you’ll have a great excuse to break the ice and ensure you get face time.
Pro Tip: In addition to name badges, investors at IMPACT will be wearing a coloured wristband, so be on the lookout!
Perfect your elevator pitch
Time is limited at conferences, so keep your pitch tight — definitely no longer than 90 seconds. Remember, you can always follow up afterwards to continue the conversation.
Cut the jargon
Especially at an event like IMPACT, you’ll have a mixed crowd of high tech, bricks and mortar, for-profit, and non-profit across several different industries and your industry buzzwords may confuse more than they impress. In this case, plain easy-to-understand language is your friend…which leads to our next tip:
Know your audience
Instead of having one canned pitch that you repeat verbatim to every person you meet, adjust your pitch to lead with the information you think they’ll care the most about, and use language you know they’ll get.
Don’t follow up for the sake of following up
No one (certainly not an investor) has time to respond to a vague “just thought I’d say hi,” email. Provide value by sharing an article (if it’s relevant to the conversation you had), an interesting update, or making an introduction.
We hope these tips have helped curb your networking anxiety. Now you’re all set to make the most of IMPACT and the myriad events at Vancouver Startup Week.
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About the author: Jen Chin is a born and bred Vancouverite who found her passion for startups and community management, and couldn’t imagine working in another field. These days, Jen is helping to develop and execute Spring’s marketing while building their community as their Marketing Coordinator. Her goal is to spread the gospel of purpose-driven companies in Vancouver and around the globe.
Win your way into VanIMPACT! Comment below with your networking tips, and you could win a ticket to join us at #VanIMPACT15 on September 23.