Happy Monday! We just returned from yet another epic Engage! Summit and we’re buzzing with fresh inspiration and new connections. With this in mind, we thought it would be a great idea to share a couple of tips to help newcomers and veterans alike, get the most from their Engage! experience, even after the summit is done. For those who don’t know, Engage! is a luxury wedding summit that gathers hundreds of the world’s best event professionals around the world for 3 days of “impactful networking and creative event immersion.” Perfete is honored to be a longtime media partner for the summits and we want to make sure you get the best out of your experience.
SO you just got back from Engage! Now what? Well, quite simply, it’s time to ENGAGE! So, here are 5 ways you can engage even after Engage!
1. Take a breath
You just experienced 4 days of intense socializing and information so it is completely okay for you to take some time to breathe and reset. I know after my first Engage! I spent the entire weekend recuperating. Once you’ve done that, I think it’s really important to go back to your “Why”: You know, the reason you signed up for Engage! In the first place. Take a minute to remember what your objective was when you signed up for the summit. Did you want to get new leads? Meet major players in the industry? What was it? Once you’re able to reflect on your reasons, you’ll be able to align them with your next moves and ensure you’re getting your return on investment.
2. Share your experience
I know it sounds random but it will help you to pause and think through your experience. Look through your pics, notes, etc. See who you vibed with and what parts stood out to you then share, share, share! The easiest first stop is Instagram. Engage! does a great job of sharing recap videos, if you are like me and can’t take a decent video to save your life, use the Engage! recaps (tag accordingly) and also the pixieset site. Also use the official #becauseofEngage and the relevant hashtag for the conference you attended, it gets great visibility.
3. Look through the Attendee Guide.
Go back and make notes of the people you connected with. Take note of their names, circle their faces, etc and follow them on social while they are fresh on your mind. Engage! is a pretty large summit so it’s easy to forget people as the time goes on, so make the social connection sooner rather than later. Next, go the extra step to shoot them a note whether it’s via email, physical mail or even casually through instagram. Don’t be shy, after all the whole point of Engage! is to engage.
This is also a great time to connect with the speakers. If you captured any footage of the speakers in action, get their contact deets and send it over with a little note about your takeaways from their presentations. Who wouldn’t love that?
Did you miss connecting with someone? No problem. We recommend sending them a sweet message anyway and letting them know how you would have loved to connect with them, etc. Something like “ I’m sorry we didn’t get to connect much at Engage! but I would definitely reach out when next I am in _____________(insert city) or would love a virtual coffee date.” Not being able to connect at the conference does not mean you can’t still use engage to forge a connection.
4. Use the Email List.
After the summit, Engage! provides you with a contact list for all attendees and speakers. This is one I believe to be a big missed opportunity for a lot of folks. Emails are GOLD and should be treated as such. An email is direct access to a person, so for goodness sake, make use of it (but please don’t become spam). Share a blog post, an update, your services or hey maybe share tips like we are sharing right now. Share something of value that is relevant to the audience list – Event Professionals. Your next big connection could be waiting in that email list, so don’t miss out by ignoring it.
If you don’t want to send out anything to the list, you can still reach out to that one person you wanted to connect with at the summit.
If you’re on the receiving end of an email? Be sure to REPLY and engage with the sender. Who knows maybe that could be your next big business connection or even just a lifelong friend.
5. Grow and maintain relationships.
This is the biggest thing for me. After you’ve made your move and connected with a fellow ”Engagee”, make sure you do the work to nurture the relationship you’ve started. That means virtual dates, quick meetups if location permits, dms, comments and likes on social media, thank you/thinking of you/nice to meet you letter in the mail. These relationships lead to genuine friendships, #becauseofengage moments, referrals, collaborations, partnerships and $$$. Remember, anything you water and pay attention to will grow 🙂 Nothing happens overnight, true connections can be instant and they can also take time. Be intentional and true with your post-engage interactions. For me , I have met future clients, future referrers, future business partners and the best of friends. And it’s all because I chose to Engage AFTER Engage.
Remember you invested in this experience, you want to make sure you’re getting your moneys worth from it. So take a deep breath, grab that Attendee Guide and get to engaging. See you at the next one!
Venue: @ritzcarltonneworleans @fshotelneworleans
Planning: @sapphireevents
Art Direction, Event Branding, Agendas, Signage, & Stage Design: @Tpddesignhouse
Linens: @Nuagedesigninc
Speakers Hair & Makeup: @facetimebeauty
Photos: @benfinch @ashleyludaescherphoto @charlastorey@kelbertmcfarland @allentsaiphoto
Planning: @sapphireevents
Art Direction, Event Branding, Agendas, Signage, & Stage Design: @Tpddesignhouse
Linens: @Nuagedesigninc
Speakers Hair & Makeup: @facetimebeauty
Photos: @benfinch @ashleyludaescherphoto @charlastorey@kelbertmcfarland @allentsaiphoto
