I don’t know about you, but I’m a professional development junkie. Give me all the podcasts, books, trainings, conferences, you name it–as long as they are interesting! I love to learn, which is a huge reason why I’ve always known I would be a teacher. However, we all know teacher salary does not pay all the bills if you love to travel, so I’ve been involved in network marketing since 2015. If you’re in network marketing, my guess is your company has an annual conference, summit, shindig, whatever they want to call it. Your teammate in your company probably tell you that attending the conference is non-negotiable. And I totally agree! I’ve gone to my fair share of conferences for my businesses (and with my teaching job–I never miss a year!). Read below to share some of my top reasons I never miss my company’s conferences.
Network, network, network
I never leave a conference without meeting some cool new people. These connections can happen just by saying hello to the people sitting next to you during sessions or by talking to the lady in front of you in line at Starbucks. Some sessions might even be interactive or the seating might be at tables instead of in rows, which will open the door for you to network even more. The ways to network at conferences is endless. If you’re outside your hometown, you are probably staying in a hotel. Don’t just stay holed up in your hotel room at night or during your downtime–wander down to the lobby and do your work or your social media scrolling down there. You can people watch, eavesdrop on conversations, and hop right in where appropriate! Take advantage of this time–you’re paying for it!
New ideas
This is basically the whole reason to go to a conference–new ideas you haven’t even thought of before. I love hearing from leaders in the industry on things they’re doing with their customers, fun new ways to introduce products/content, and how to serve people even better. I take a notebook and take constant notes while at a conference. Sometimes if it is something I can implement right away, I get my phone out and post on social media right away (why wait to start?). If you’re at an event for a MLM company, hearing from people who aren’t on your team will open completely new doors for you to brainstorm with your team members on how to bring these new ideas home and into your business. Pro-tip: If other people from your team are at the same conference as you, divide the sessions to conquer them and share your findings soon after the event.
Swag
I don’t think I’ve ever been to a conference where there isn’t some sort of swag. Whether it is included in your conference ticket or an additional store you can visit, you can’t go home without some sort of conference/company swag. This means you need to leave a little extra space in your bag to get all your new swag home and also remember to put that in your budget for your trip.
Depending on what it is, most of the merchandise will help you advertise your products/services with the company name and is a great way to bring up in conversation what you do when someone asks about that bag you have you that says “Color Street” on it.
Inspiration
Most the MLM conferences I’ve been to have a recognition night (and usually a recognition wall and other ways to recognize leaders). I love attending these and cheering on the people who have been working their buns off in their businesses. I love seeing what is possible to achieve in a company and hearing the stories of the people who have achieved it. There is nothing stopping you and me from being on those stages so I find this part of a conference very inspirational! Additionally, the speakers at the events and stories shared will also be inspirational and you are pretty much guaranteed to leave fired up to werkkk your business!
Mini-vacay
All the conferences I’ve been to have been in amazing destinations: New Orleans, Anaheim, Nashville, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, and Orlando. I’ve seen others advertised in Atlanta, New York, various places in Texas…you get the picture. Take advantage of the tax write-off of going to your conferences and enjoy the local area as well! Go to a theme park, pamper yourself, eat some good food, drink a drink or two, or just relax by the pool. Whatever you decide, take a little “you” time if you have the time to do it while you’re on your trip. You could arrive early or stay late too. The options are endless!
What fun conferences have you been to? Or should I ask, what fun places have you been to for a conference? Share below!
XO,
Lindsay
