Pub.1 2019-2020 Issue 2

Y our time is valuable. So are your financial resources. That being the case, why should you invest the time and money in attending an association convention? Couldn’t you have just as much impact professionally by participating in something like social media? Social media is important, of course, and doing it well can be vital to career development. But there is just no substitute for seeing people face-to-face and talking to them. Associations provide a valuable way to get you in a room with other people, learning from each other; the other resources they provide will strengthen you professionally as well. You would be surprised at the number and variety of resources that are available to you through an association membership. Associations are also good insurance for staying in business. Approximately 85% of the businesses that fail are ones where the people who worked there didn’t think associations were important. People really do need each other in order to succeed. Association membership can be one of the most important investments you can make professionally — and that goes double when economic times are hard. The Pitch for Professional Development The top reasons why convention attendance should be a must-do item on your list include the following: • Contacts, contacts, contacts: Everyone talks about the importance of networking, but a lot of people don’t understand what networking really is. It’s a network of friendships and acquaintances, some strong, some weak, and it isn’t something you lock in your desk and expect to keep fresh. If you know someone and never call them or have any regular contact with them, there’s always a chance that your friendship will starve a slow and lonely death. More likely is that you will begin the slide away from each other. To thrive, any relationship will benefit from regular feeding. A cell phone call or a blog entry is better than nothing. But don’t you want to raise the bar just a little? A convention is a great excuse for getting together. Share a lecture, a meal, a laugh. Done right, it will build you professionally. It might also be fun. • Feeding your brain: How long can you expect to stay at the top of your field — or even just get there in the first place — if you don’t ever put your- self in situations where you can get a lot of different information from a lot of different sources in a short period of time? There’s a collective synergy that can only come to life when you have many competent, professional people all in the same room, ready to talk shop. Don’t fool yourself: search engines can never replace personalized, expert information delivered in real time. You’ll find out about trends, legislation, and important issues by becoming a member and actively choosing to participate. The Game Plan To get the most out of any convention, you need to start ahead of time. • The first step is to identify the associations that will most benefit you, personally and professionally. Examine both regional and national options, and be thoughtful about joining. You will be better off joining one really good association than joining several of them and not having enough time for any of them. If you are a student, you are probably eligible for a discounted student membership. There’s also usually a discount if you sign up for a multi-year membership. • Do more than just pay your dues. You won’t get the benefit of joining the association if you stop at giving it money. That’s a little like buying some- thing in a store and then just leaving it behind on the counter. • Find out what conventions are being sponsored by the association that would best fit your professional needs. Most trade associations have an annual meeting, although the meeting schedule might be more frequent than that. • Decide to attend something. Register in advance — it will generally save you money. If you have to travel to another city and will be staying overnight, there will usually be a recommended hotel. Stay there. The goal is to be immersed in the richest environment possible for networking. That won’t happen in the hotel across the street or across town. • Do the research. You want to get an idea of what the program will be so you can make the best use of your time. You should also read any available publications so you can figure out who the important players are, and what it is that people are currently involving themselves in. Figuring out where to spend the time might be a challenge; you may have to make some difficult choices. Which speakers will teach you the most? What subjects could have the most benefit for your life? Who are the most important people to meet? • Focus on being more extroverted than usual. Arrive early, stay late, and look for opportunities to meet people. If you are shy and talking to strangers is hard for you to do, focus on trying to make it easier for other people to talk to you. Strangers don’t have to stay strangers. Getting into a genuine conversation can happen with remarkable speed once you iden- tify some common interests. At the same time, be polite, but make sure you continue to circulate. You will be in many different social situations Why You Should Participate in Your Association's Events People really do need each other in order to succeed. 16 UP DATE