Why attending your industry association conference is a great idea

It's often the case that you see your calendar filling up and wonder how you could create more time and space to get your work done. Maybe by not attending seminar X or event Y. However, one event that shouldn't be skipped is your professional or industry association conference.

Here are just a few reasons why…

Continued Professional Development

No matter how experienced you are, there's always something new that you can learn. Even if it's reaffirming that your existing knowledge is still relevant, so you can continue to be an expert in your field, safe in the knowledge that you really are an expert in your field!  Whether it's new techniques and practices, changes in your industry or new trends, details of new services and products that are being launched into your market or tactics to do what you do better, there are always great nuggets of information in any good association event.

You're in the same boat

Whatever business challenges you're facing, it's likely that your fellow association members will come across similar ones. Whether it's an ongoing issue or something that's looming on the horizon, the chances are there'll be someone that wants to understand it and help you navigate it or that already understands it and has a solution, or at the very least, a game plan.

Competitors, or collaborators?

So your competitors are there and you might not want to give too much away given that you're often fighting for the same business. But actually getting to know the people in a neutral setting where you're both looking to learn and develop can be a good thing. Most businesses rely on strong relationships so learning what makes your competitors tick and how they operate is helpful and can inform your future strategy. Not only this but are you really always competing? It's worth finding out if they have a slightly different focus to you which creates gaps that you can fill, or if they're operating in a different geographical area but have a similar offering and approach and can share opportunities.

A change in scenery

It may be a packed agenda but it's still time away from the office, in a different environment, where people are keen to go and learn. This break from routine can reinvigorate and rejuvenate. Visiting another destination can also be a great experience - whether it's the same place each year or if the event moves around - to see what other places have to offer and to enhance the conference experience. Whilst it might be tempting to only see the inside of the conference venue and your hotel, more often than not there are opportunities to get out and about and experience the destination, which should be taken if only to get some fresh air and keep energy levels up.

Encourage a growth mindset

Key note speakers often add new perspectives and bring different knowledge and experience to conference main plenary sessions, which are often welcomed with open arms especially when they bring some variation to a conference programme packed with industry-related content. Whether it's a motivational speech by someone who's achieved excellence in their field or a talk about skills.

Networking

This is a term that makes many people want to run for the hills but doing it within a learning environment with industry peers is a lot easier than your usual business function where the emphasis is on selling…or being sold to.

Old and new friends

As a key event in your industry's calendar, your professional association conference is the place to meet up with friends you've met through work and former colleagues. Whether you've been in your industry for months or years, organisers design both daytime and evening activities to encourage mixing with others, so it's an ideal forum to catch up with old friends and meet new ones too.

Note on the author:

Kelly Haslehurst is the Head of Marketing for the ICC in Birmingham.  With 20 years’ Marketing experience on both the client and supplier side of events, she works closely with the Sales and Operations teams to ensure a great customer experience at the ICC’s 400+ events every year, plus those of sister venue, the Vox.