Getting social at MDCE (and any conference)

With the Marine Dealers Conference and Expo and the Top 100 awards just a few weeks away, we’re hip deep in planning all the logistics.

As we’re pondering all the behind the scenes stuff, we’ve been thinking a lot from the perspective of the dealers, vendors and everyone else who comes to the show. One thing that I always see at various conferences is people using social media in really awkward ways – myself included sometimes.

So I looked around and compiled a list of best practices for social media when attending a conference.

1. Be nice!

Conferences are typically positive places; keep that positivity going with interesting, insightful or educational posts. If a panelist or speaker sparks an idea, tweet it! If a keynote inspires you, post about it! And if someone has a great booth setup, give them a shout out on Facebook!

If you can’t say anything nice… well, you know the old adage. You don’t want to be the negative cloud over someone’s conference experience, do you? And you probably won’t have much of a conversation with them at a networking happy hour after you dumped on their booth setup on Instagram.

2. Be a social butterfly

Even if you’re not typically a tweeting fiend, open up a little bit at conferences. Your Internet insight could spark conversations, attract new clients or new partnerships. It might help to think of Twitter like a big networking mixer, you’re not going to get much done standing silently in the corner are you?

3. But don’t overdo it…

Definitely kick it up a notch, but be careful about spamming your fellow attendees with nonsense!

A good rule of thumb is one post per panel on most social media channels, unless something is really fascinating. As for Twitter, well, tweet away.

4. Get the hashtag right

Is it #MDCE or #MDCE2014? (Hint: It’s #MDCE14) Get the hashtag right or you’ll be tweeting to yourself!

With many programs, your hashtags will save and autocomplete, so get it right the first time so you don’t get stuck with a harshtag.

4. Make a strategy for your group

So it doesn’t have to be a top-to-bottom strategy to cover every tweet, post, like and retweet, but get everyone on the same page and hone those social media skills before you arrive.

If you’re on the marketing track hears a great tidbit, for instance, tag your fellow coworkers, the speaker and hashtag it. Brining everyone in on the conversation makes it easier to keep the conversation going online and back at the business.

5. Start early

Join the conversation before the conference. Getting a few pleasantries out there and making some connections before walking in the door is a great way to lay some networking groundwork and find something to talk about.

It’s also a great way to learn your chosen app and make sure you have all the credentials. You don’t want to be guessing at your password during the keynote address.

6. Make friends and follow-up

Follow those new contacts on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook – wherever you met. Then be sure to keep in touch. There’s a lot of energy at shows that tends to wane when you’re back on the home tarmac. Treat those new social media contacts as business cards, go through them and make sure to get in touch back in the real world.

7. Have fun with it!

Business conferences are great places to learn, but don’t forget to have a little fun too! If you see something funny or hear a great joke, share it with your fellow attendees.

Just careful with open bars and social media, they don’t always mix.

Related Articles

One Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button