Having just returned from Virtuoso Travel Week, I can say it has been so wonderful to reconnect with friends and colleagues from across the industry. Those few days in Las Vegas always leave me feeling inspired and re-energized.

Between COVID and our reliance on technology, in-person events have evolved and now networking must be more strategic.

How can you make the most of networking events at conventions and trade shows, so that this precious time is maximized?

Here are some ideas to get you networking with the best of them …

• It goes without saying that you’ll be dressed professionally! But also come prepared with a good supply of easily-accessible business cards (or better yet, an electronic card) and somewhere to store the cards you’ll be collecting. Also, I like to shorten my lanyard so that my name badge is not dangling somewhere near my waist and so is easier to read.
• Some pros recommend walking around the periphery of the room to check things out first rather than making a beeline for an industry pal you can hang out with any time.
• Speaking of friends, a good networker will always strive to meet several new faces. Don’t feel shy about approaching someone standing on their own or someone you’ve been wanting to meet, and always be prepared to introduce yourself.
• Have a short sentence ready to explain who you are and what you do – essentially your elevator pitch. (Find out more about elevator pitches here.)
• A great tip to help remembering someone’s name is to repeat it after they have introduced themselves. (“Nice to meet you, Bob.”)
• Be sure to focus on the person or people you are chatting with. It can appear disrespectful to be speaking to someone while continuously glancing around the room, appearing to look for someone more interesting or important than they are!
• When it’s time to move on and meet some new people, it’s OK to excuse yourself politely and step away.
• Breath mints. Just sayin’.

Finally, there is an added benefit to sharpening your professional networking skills: you’ll be able to hold a conversation anywhere / anytime / with anyone!