BAcon 2014 – Day 3 Follow-Up and Connect Post-Conference

Why am I writing about a conference that ended a few days ago? Because after most conferences we attend (and you may be in this group, too), it is way to common to get back to ‘normal’ life right after a conference ends. We get busy, especially catching up with things un-done while we were away, and rarely get time to work a follow-up plan for things learned and connect further with people we met. Sound familiar?

Here are my follow-up plans that may hopefully help you in your future conferences:

• Scan business cards into my contact software. There are many smartphone apps for scanning of biz cards and if you have a fav, list it in the comments below or let me know if you’d like some suggestions.
• Tag each business card I receive so I can remember in the future where I met the person. In this case, BAcon 2014.
• Keep a list going throughout the conference of follow-up items. I use Evernote for all my note-taking since I love how it syncs between all my devices. I also use Asana for tracking my tasks (free).
• Write note cards while on the plane home with thank you’s or other notes to people I’ve met, sponsors, etc. Written note cards are usually very appreciated and I write them while thoughts are still fresh in my mind. I keep several notecards and stamps in my laptop bag. Alternatively, postcards picked up at the airport work just as well.
• Upload my photos from my camera and mobile phone to either my laptop or Dropbox. Label them with the date, location and conference name.
• Re-review my notes a day or two after the conference; update my to-do list and add due-dates and calendar entries as appropriate. I find this post-conference review is so helpful to really apply the valuable information that might have gotten lost in the flood of information being received.
• Add new contacts to social media. LinkedIn and Twitter are my favs for post-conference connections to add; Facebook is for later once I’ve gotten to know a person more or learn about their Facebook page.

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Make sure to read my coverage on BAcon Day 1 and BAcon Day 2.

Thank you, Randy, for a great conference!