Pre-covid, I went to a fair amount of industry conferences.
I got to meet clients, past clients, industry leaders, and a wide wide variety of potential contacts.
Almost unanimously, the ROI was positive. One person introduced me to another, who introduced me someone else—each needing what I offered.
I met the key people of influence and eventually collaborated on podcasts, webinars, products, and even conference talks.
Meeting people IRL is a completely different experience than online. It opens up and solidifies relationships in a way that online correspondence can’t fully do.
A combination of having two children under 3 plus the pandemic made it difficult to travel. But now that I’m coming up for air, it’s time for me to get back out into the real world again.
If you want to drum up new conversations and opportunities—try to get into physical proximity again with your target market.
It’s been a while for most of us. But it works.