Selecting the right conference or trade show is crucial for any BDO. Not every conference will provide the same return on investment, and as the speakers repeatedly highlight, the key is knowing your audience and goals.

Aligning your conference participation with your business goals involves several considerations:

1. Attendee Profile: Identify who will be there. Are they your target audience? Is it saturated with competitors?
2. Peer and Competitor Presence: As Hackney notes, seeing competitors at a conference can be both a positive and negative indicator, depending on the concentration.
3. ROI Tracking: Monitor your success from these conferences. Hackney explains, “track it in our LOS. When you get a deal sourced from it, tag that conference.”

We want to know: what are your conference pet peeves?

E-mail us or give any other questions/suggestions at TheBDOShow@ArtofSBA.com

This episode is sponsored by: Rapid Business Plans

Rapid Business Plans is the go-to provider of business plans and feasibility studies for government guaranteed small business lenders.

For more information, or to set up a Get Acquainted call, email Bethany McClellan at Bethany@rapidbusinessplans.com or visit https://rapidbusinessplans.com/

0:00 | Introduction

3:09 | Rapid Business Plans: Empowering Borrowers to Bring Visions to Life

4:11 | Strategies for Choosing and Maximizing Trade Show Attendance

10:01 | From Local Trade Shows to National Conferences in SBA Lending

22:06 | Managing Energy and Building Relationships at Trade Shows

24:58 | Balancing Networking and Professionalism

29:11 | Maximizing ROI and Avoiding Pitfalls

33:12 | Conference Tales: Luggage Mishaps

36:50 | Conference Etiquette and Professionalism in Business Settings

41:34 | Conference Networking Strategies and Memorable Experiences