A belated Happy Valentines Day! Talking of love, what’s not to love about combining a passion for beer AND branding? Short of becoming a brand manager for a craft brewer (but then I am limited to one brewery!) the next best thing is to slowly make our way around the various craft breweries and do the taste test of beer AND branding. Recently we had a great experience at a… Read More »Are You BENCH-Marking Your Brand?
Tomorrow will be my last presentation this year. In total, I will have delivered over 20 keynotes, workshops, and online webinars on personal branding in 2016. Often the core message is the same, and then I adapt the content to the particular client and event. I am often asked, “Don’t you get bored?” I remember discussing this with a colleague some years ago and he told me that he always… Read More »Why I Hate My Job
The Inukshuk is a symbol that has always resonated with me – “A guide for the right direction”. Sometimes one of the hardest parts of the work in defining your personal brand is identifying your purpose. Mother Theresa was a great example of someone with a purpose- to help the poor in Calcutta. Another is Guy Laliberte, the founder of Cirque du Soleil, with his dream of providing water to… Read More »Does Your Personal Brand Have a Purpose?
In one of his keynotes, social media entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk asks the audience about their watch wearing habits.
Of course as you would probably expect most people in the audience, the millennials, under 30 are not wearing a watch, their watch is their smartphone, and camera, and recording device, and computer, and,,,,, and,,,, and,,,,, and………..
He then asks if the technology were available now to implant your smartphone in to your arm who would have it done. About 10% of the audience say they would. And next year he says, it will be 25%.
One fact, in this very fast moving social media facts video from Erik Qualman, is that 53% of millennials would rather lose their sense of smell than their technology.
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So you might be surprised to hear that the two words my teenagers WILL NEVER utter this week, even though they do not have their technology or any wifi access are
The following story is an example of how the actions recommended in this series of articles can work for you. Whilst they are intended mostly for longer conferences they can apply and work equally well to one off events.
How to be a Conference Guerrilla – Part 1 – Pre-Conference can be read here.
In our time-crunched lives and with the option of virtual events, physically attending conferences can be a hard decision to make. Approach events with more than just looking at the speaker line up, the complimentary networking sessions or in some cases to get the professional development credits checked off. Instead actually measure the ‘return on investment’ of attending a conference. Start using this mindset and you will see the value to your organization and your personal brand in getting out there.
I once went to hear Keith Ferrazzi, author of “Never Eat Alone” speak at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Business. I learnt about the event from the organizer who had booked me to speak there a few months earlier.
I followed Keith’s advice in his book about ‘bumping‘ the speaker before they go on stage and engaging them quickly to gain a follow-up. I had brought my copy of the book and asked him to ‘sign it before he became famous’ – a quote from the book. He commented that I had obviously read the book and I said it was (and still is) my most referred and recommended book on networking. I have even given several people copies as gifts. I then told him that I would like the opportunity to follow up with him to discuss how to make his book the #1 business book in Canada. “Absolutely” he said and handed me his card.
As I walked away, someone behind him had taken my lead and asked for their book to be signed. I heard Keith ask the person….Read More »7 Best Practices For Being a Conference Guerrilla
Recently I was the keynote speaker at the HR Leaders Conference taking place on a boat on the River Danube in Bratislava, Slovakia. It was a great conference and of course the location was pretty unique!
In our time crunched lives and with the option of virtual events, physically attending conferences can be a hard decision. I consider the speaker line up, the networking sessions or in some cases the professional development credits. I also consider the cost, both in terms of dollars and ‘lost production’.
However very few people actually measure the ‘return on investment’ of attending a conference. This is important because ‘getting out there’ adds value to your organization and your personal brand.
There is a lot more to it than showing up. Here’s how to plan like a conference guerrilla.
The meetings and conference industry runs into the $100’s of billions each year, so there are always plenty of conferences to choose from. With so much latest research and information available to access and use at the click of a mouse, going to a conference to hear the latest leading edge speakers should not be at the top of your priorities.
The true value of attending a conference are the relationships that you develop.
What is your goal? Is it to find new business for your company, network to find your next job or are there certain industry contacts you want to make? Are there less expensive ways you can accomplish this goal other than conference attendance?
You might also want to review where your personal brand stands right now with a Personal Brand Audit
First step is deciding which conference to attend. There can be a number of factors worth taking in to account;
Read More »How to Be a Conference Guerrilla – Part 1 – Pre-Conference
If someone is going to search for your name on Google are they going to type in First Name, Last Name and a series of random letters and numbers? Of course not! Then why do you continue to label your professional profile on LinkedIn this way? What most people do not realize is that you can custom the web address where your LinkedIn profile is placed, it is like your… Read More »The #1 Mistake (Nearly) Everyone Makes on LinkedIn and What to do About It.
The kids and I are on a road trip, heading down to Boston to visit my brother. First overnight stop was at what I thought was going to be just another hotel. But I was wrong. From first stepping in to the lobby of Hampton Inns in Sayre, Pennsylvania we were made to feel like we might be the only people staying there that night. The funny thing is… Read More »Are You the Director of YOUR First Impressions?
When I arrived in Canada, 18 years ago today, I did not expect to ever embark on an entrepreneurial journey and roller coaster of life, but would I change it – probably not much of it. Today is Canada Day here and I am grateful for many things that my now adopted home and native land has offered me; C- Children – Two wonderful children and true, caring and… Read More »Oh Canada!
A trip for some client training in Philadelphia turned a little reminiscent of the move “Planes Trains & Automobiles” due to the snowstorm back in Buffalo. The training wrapped up on Wednesday, the same day as the storm and all flights were cancelled back to Buffalo. I was put on standby for the next morning with the next available firm seat being Saturday!! One cancellation and four standby bumps later… Read More »I’m Stuck in Philly!