82. 9 Tips to Maximize Your Conference Experience (For Podcasting or Online Business)

I just returned from Podfest Expo, and it was an absolute blast! You might be surprised to hear that, even as an introvert, I love attending in-person conferences. The energy of being in a room full of people passionate about the same things is invigorating. Today, I'm going to share with you my top 9 tips for making the most out of an in-person conference, whether it's for podcasting or another online business topic!

Learn more about Podfest: https://podfestexpo.com/

This episode was produced by me, The Podcast Teacher! Contact me at Hello@ThePodcastTeacher.com.

Transcript

Hey. Hey. And welcome back. I just returned from an epic Podfest Expo conference, an event that I love attending every year. I, of course, learned some new things, which I will be incorporating into my future episodes. But for today's episode, I thought I would do a general conference experience episode rather than a Podfest specific recap. Even though I'm an introvert, I love in person conferences. Physically attending an event forces you to give attention to it, which is sometimes challenging to do with virtual events.

There's also the energy of being in the same room with other people who are passionate about the same things. If I had an infinite budget, I would go to a conference every month. Back when I was an elementary school library teacher, I would go to multiple conferences every year related to libraries, technology, and teaching. I was even a presenter at a few of them. While I wouldn't call myself a pro, I do have a decent amount of experience with conferences in a few different industries. So today, I'm going to share my top nine tips for making the most out of an in person conference. Diving right in with tip number 1, decide what your goal for the conference is and or what you most want to learn. Going to a conference is like trying to drink from a fire hose.

There is so much information coming at you, and it's impossible to attend all of the sessions and absorb all of the information. Decide what's most important for you to focus on. Tip number 2 is to look at the schedule of events in advance to choose the sessions that align with your goal. Look at the presentation topics, but also who the presenters are. In my experience, the most helpful presentations come from your peers or small companies in your field. Presentations given by reps from big companies are generally a sprinkling of helpful information through a thinly veiled sales pitch. There are exceptions, of course. Tom Rossi of Buzzsprout always gives a fantastic presentation about understanding your podcast stats that is truly valuable with no sales pitch whatsoever.

But more often than not, I am disappointed when I go to a session led by a rep from a big company. Tip number 3 is if there's a session that you really, really want to go to, like, it's at the top of your priority list, go to the session before it to snag a prime spot. Each conference is a little bit different, but inevitably some sessions will end up being standing room only. If there's someone that you are dying to see speak, attending the session before theirs will ensure that you can get a good seat. Tip number 4 is to take the helpful information that you have learned and divide it into 3 categories. This tip is adapted from Paul Pruitt, one of the many awesome folks who I connected with at Podfest. So I have to give him credit and a shout out. Check out the podcast that he does with his wife, Melissa, called the Online Marketing Podcast.

This tip of dividing new information into 3 categories helps you to not just learn, but implement what you've learned. So the 3 categories are, 1, something to implement immediately. 2, something to implement later. Make sure to put it into your project management system to revisit in a specific amount of time. And category 3 is something that's a great idea but is not a good fit for your business, kind of like the shiny object category. Tip number 5 is to stay at the official conference hotel if you can. It just makes everything easier. Getting to early morning sessions, dropping off a load of conference swag so that you don't have to carry it around all day, or stealing a few minutes of quiet time to recharge in between sessions.

I live just outside of Orlando, but I still stay at the Podfest Hotel in Orlando every year for these reasons. It is an additional expense, but it changes the entire conference experience for me, so I think it's worth it. And now for a few tips specifically for my fellow shy or socially awkward folks. Tip number 6 is to wear a shirt that sparks conversation. I have a shirt that says battery life of an introvert, and it has an image of the battery level being depleted with each additional person. I wear that shirt to events often and nearly always have people coming up to me commenting on it, not only because it's an interesting shirt, but also because they know as an introvert that I'm not gonna be the one starting a conversation, so they take it upon themselves to initiate. Tip number 7 is to connect with a buddy. If you can connect with someone who is an extrovert and is willing to take the lead, drag you to the meet and greets, introduce you to new folks, etcetera, that is ideal.

But an introvert buddy is good too as long as you encourage each other and help to push each other outside of your comfort zones. Shout out to my Podfest introvert buddy, Liz, who went to the meetups with me. Tip number 8 is to connect with attendees beforehand or go to a newbie meet and greet. Podfest uses an app where attendees with similar interests can connect. And the organizers of Podfest host a virtual meet and greet before the in person event actually starts. Some conferences have a first time attendee meetup or something similar. Sometimes you can show up to a conference and it feels like everyone already knows each other. By going to an event designed for newbies, you meet other people who are in the same boat.

And tip number 9 is to clear your schedule for at least a day after you get home from the conference, more if you can. Whether you take that day to digest all of the new information and make plans for implementing, follow-up with new leads or connections, or just spend the entire day in bed recovering like I did. Having that buffer in your schedule will definitely be helpful. I would love to know which in person events are on your list this year. Send me an email at julia@thepodcastteacher.com and let me know. Who knows? I might see you there. Also, go ahead and mark your calendar for Podfest 2026 happening in Orlando, Florida, January 15th through 18th. I will definitely be attending and hope that you will too.

Until next time. Happy podcasting.