Get prepared and gain as much as possible from your industry event with advice from the Entrepreneur.com article “5 Essential Tips on How to Get the Most Out of Conferences.” Conferences and tradeshows are certainly about seeing products and equipment and learning from speakers and instructors of educational sessions, but just as important is making connections with suppliers, peers, and industry leaders. Check out these tips before you hit the road:

1. Most of the work is done before you go. First, you’ve got to know what you want to get out of the conference. Plan out who you want to talk to and what you want to talk about. Do you want to meet new suppliers? Do you want to get advice from peers? Do you want to get involved with an industry organization? Set up meetings in advance whenever possible.
2. Figure out who really needs to attend. Have a strategic reason for everyone that attends. Who can benefit from the various educational courses that are offered? Who needs to be there to make contacts? Who should be there to negotiate with suppliers and distributors?
3. Create a reason for people to come talk to you. This one is directed more toward exhibitors, but still applies to attendees as far as appearing approachable. Every person you talk to has the potential to have a positive impact on your business, so open up! Make it a goal to meet as many people as possible.
4. Have a system for recording and remembering people you met. Remember that every potential contact is worth having, so don’t forget to get everyone’s information. Jot down names and numbers as you meet people, then at the end of each day aggregate the info and make notes about when you met the person, who they are, and what you talked about.
5. Follow up after the event. Don’t let your work at the conference go to waste! Reach out to everyone you met and seek to develop the business relationship further. Phone calls may be necessary for some, but LinkedIn is also a great resource for relationship building.

Click here to read the article from Entrepreneur.com.