“You Attend Conferences Alone?!?!” 

The title, a little self-explanatory, is a question that I get asked over and over and overrrrr again. I’m a huge believer in being independent and doing everything you want to do, not waiting after anybody in life, because the reality of it is, if you wait after someone to accompany you in everything you want to do, you will never accomplish everything on your list. 

So, my answer to that question is always “uhm yeah?! Why wouldn’t I go alone?!” 

I try to attend at least two to three conferences per year, whose topics are the music industry. Conferences are a great place to learn about current issues and events, but most importantly, they are a great place to network. 

Seeing as how I’ve been to several conferences, I want to share a few tips with my loyal blog-readers… ☺️

• Make business cards prior to attending the conference – they don’t have to be super fancy, as long as your name and contact information is written. I’ve found myself sounding much more professional when I can tell someone “here’s my business card” and hand one to them!
• On that same note, while at the conference, try to get as many business cards from others as possible – remember, it’s not about how many business cards you give out, but rather about how many you receive. It is always better to have the power in being able to contact somebody else, rather than having to wait for them to (possibly) contact you!
• Research the panelists prior to attending – it’s always good to know who will be speaking, before attending the conference, so you know who to pay particular attention to and who you want to try and run up to and meet afterwards! 
• Take notes – bring a pen and notebook and take notes on what the panelists are saying, that way you can refer back to specific tips they may have given!
• On the same note, sit in the front – it’s always good for the panelist to notice an attentive audience member!
• Don’t be on your phone while a panelist is talking – not only is that extremely disrespectful, but you’re paying money to be at the event, so you might as well pay attention to what’s going on and #lookup from that screen!
• Talk to people – network, network, network!!! You never know who is attending the conference, who is important, who knows who, who you may need a favor from one day etc. Be genuine and talk to every person you can!!!! After all, there are people from all over the world who gather to attend specifc conferences…you could really open up doors for yourself!
• Dress appropriately – you don’t want to be under or over dressed! 
• Be confident, but not conceited – if someone asks you about what you do, list your accomplishments, but try to do so in a polite way, and not an arrogant one!
• Don’t be afraid – you’re alone? So what! I actually prefer going to conferences alone because it forces me to interact with others and meet new people, rather than to rely on chatting with the people I already know, who would be coming with me!

Have anything to add to my list? Make sure to comment below! 

Remember: Don’t stop yourself from doing something because you’re too afraid to do it on your own. The opportunity will end up passing you by – life waits after no one.