Attending an event or conference as a blogger can open many doors for you and help you to elevate your blog. Whether you’re new to the blogging scene or you’ve been blogging for years, being able to network with brands, businesses, and other bloggers is something that is going to improve your blogging experience and help you make your blog successful.
But what do you need to know about attending events as a blogger? All events are going to be different, depending on the reason the event is being held or who it is aimed at; for example, you might be attending the opening of a new store or venue as a blogger, meaning there will likely be others from different industries in attendance too. Or it might be a blogger-only dedicated event, meaning the majority of people you meet will be other bloggers or brands who work with bloggers. But these tips will come in handy regardless of the event.
UNDERSTAND THE EVENT
In the first instance, it pays to do your homework on the brand or the organiser of the event and see if they’ve held anything similar in the past. This can give you an idea of what to expect on the day so you can prepare yourself. Will it be a chance to mingle with others? Will you be watching a demonstration or listening to a presentation, for example? Understanding the event itself and what you are expected to do can ensure you are ready and prepared for what will happen.
ARRIVE IN PLENTY OF TIME
When making arrangements to travel to the event, ensure you leave plenty of time to get where you need to be. Aim to be early, not late. This way, you won’t miss anything and won’t be flustered when you arrive or have to sneak in the back or make an impression for the wrong reason, especially if there is a specific itinerary of events to keep the days moving forward. If it’s a drop-in event, this likely won’t be as important, but always be mindful of how long it will take you to arrive so you can be on time.
HAVE BUSINESS CARDS
Blogging is a mostly digital endeavour. However, when you attend in-person events, business cards can help you connect with others and give them a way to contact you should they want to build a relationship or use your services.
Designing quality business cards that reflect you and your blog ahead of time allows you to share your contact details; out-of-the-box designs for business cards can help you stand out, and make connections when networking with brands, promotors, PR agencies, and other bloggers.
SAY HELLO
Not everyone is naturally outgoing and sociable. However, when attending any type of event, you need to try and talk to as many people as possible, everyone if you can, depending on the size of the event.
Being social allows you to immerse yourself in what is going on and make a name for yourself. Sure, the easy option is to hang at the back watching from the sidelines, but the more involved you are and the more people you meet, the more you will raise your own status, the better coverage you will be able to offer, and you get to show everyone exactly what you’re capable of.
HAVE IDEAS & QUESTIONS
This is where the first point comes in handy. If you’ve done your prep work ahead of time and you know the type of people or brands involved in the events, the easier it will be to make an excellent first impression.
You can do this by having questions or ideas ready for when you meet different people or brands to show you have taken an interest and that it isn’t just a generic conversation. This can be especially important if you’re looking to build relationships with specific brands to cover on your blog in the future. The more you show an interest in and knowledge of the company, the more inclined they will be to work with you.
USE SOCIAL MEDIA/TAG BRANDS
How you’re invested in what is going on by knowing the different brands’ social media accounts as well as any event-specific hashtags or accounts to follow. This way, you can prepare yourself before you arrive to share any snippets of the day, products or anything else with your followers and not have to scramble around looking for the right accounts to follow and tag. Make a point of following everyone involved before arriving and get yourself acquainted with each person’s favourite platform, if there is one, so you can tailor your on-the-day content to accommodate this.
BE POLITE
Remember, there will always be someone watching or taking notes on how you behave, especially in smaller events. Act how you would like to see yourself represented and avoid making a scene or disparaging remarks, getting drunk, etc. Anything that might reflect poorly on you and impact your relationship should be left outside of the event so you can work on building better relationships within your industry.
FOLLOW UP
Finally, once the event is over, follow up with other bloggers, attendees, brands and the organiser to express your thanks for being invited and keep your name on the radar. As mentioned, there are various reasons why you might have been invited, and doing your utmost to impress and fulfil the brief will help you to secure future places and opportunities. You can do this via sending an email, sharing and tagging on social media or sending direct messages to those involved, as well as sharing images or videos taken at the event or of anything you received for your attendance, i.e. goody bags or samples.
Attending an event or conference as a blogger can open many doors for you. Being able to prepare well before the event, have everything you need to make a good impression and being the best version of yourself can help you to cement your status as the preferred blogger for those involved and show off your capabilities and talents before, during and afterwards, too.
Thank you so much for reading! – xo N
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this is a contributed post.
New Lune 