Off-site events these days are not what they used to be. They seem to be fewer and farther in between, but I find that if they do happen a team will put much more effort into making the event count and be meaningful for the business and for those attending. Because of that, off-sites feel different now, to me at least. There is a sense of excitement that builds up as the event approaches. For some, it may be the first time that they have met someone else on their team in person, even though they have worked together for a long time. For others, it’s a chance to see an old friend or colleague.
Today we going to dive into tips to squeeze every drop of value out of your upcoming off-site event.
Prepare beforehand
Some people put a lot of thought into what they are going to wear and what they need to pack for the trip. While both of those things are very important, it’s important to think through and prepare for the trip in other ways as well.
- Create your Hit List (See below)
- Gather work material or projects that you want to show others. Is it prepared in a way that is easy for the person to consume?
- Is there anything that you’d like to bring as a token of appreciation for a person or team?
- Create a list of topics or items that you want to discuss or follow up on.
- If working sessions are a part of the experience, what pre-work is needed to make the session go as smoothly as possible?
- Are you prepared for night or extracurricular activities?
Bring your “Hit List”
Growing up in my career, I always tried to make a big leap in my networking at off-site events. It helped accelerate my career quite a bit as a result. One example that comes to mind is meeting a new operations executive during one of our national meetings. I made sure to spend some time with him in little moments throughout the week to establish a rapport. I didn’t want to come across as overbearing in one meeting but instead took a consistent “I’m here, present, and involved” approach with that particular interaction. At the end of the conference, he and his leader pulled me aside and asked me to take on a new assignment. It was a multi-month merger and acquisition project where I would need to temporarily move across the country to represent and stand up our new businesses. That opportunity led to another promotion, where I had the honor of leading my own region.
My secret to ensuring I was making those critical connections during events? The Hit List.
The Hit List is a short list of 5 people or less that you want to ensure that you interact with during your in-person time. Thought starters to help create your list:
- Are there new senior leaders that you haven’t met yet?
- Is there a person there that you’d like to work for someday?
- Are you looking to make a career move to another group or team? Who could be a good connection there?
- What do you want to talk about?
- What are your common connections and interests?
- Is there a particular time that you want to connect with that person?
Why have a list in the first place? Have you ever been to a conference or event, and thought to yourself “I’m going to make sure to spend time with that leader,” only to find yourself leaving the conference without making the connection? The time always flies by and without that extra layer of intentionality, moments for connection slip away.
Add extra value to those sessions that you are in
I’m sure you’ve noticed something when you attend a multi-day conference or off-site event: once a person picks a seat in a room, they will always go back to that same seat for the entire event. While that is comfortable and easy, it significantly limits your face time with others to just a couple of people around you. I always encourage people to change seats after sessions and each day, if nothing else.
Changing your seat throughout the event may be uncomfortable, especially if you are sitting with people that you don’t know, but it’s a very low-pressure way to meet new people. I always try to break up my seat selection this way:
- 33% of the time sit with a person or group that I don’t know
- 33% of the time sit with good friends and inner circle. I do this most often for the big and important sessions
- 33% of the time sit with my team or leaders.
Why do I spend only a third of the time with my team if my goal is networking and team building? Because I want them to do the same thing as well – getting out there building new connections and strengthening ones in opportunities are uniquely provided by the event.
Connection over rest
I’ve been to a ton of events over the years and one of my takeaways is this – those that show up last in the morning and those that are first to turn in are the most vulnerable to disengagement and have the weakest personal and professional network. I will forsake rest every time for a chance to make the most out of an off-site. I don’t put too much focus on business or work themes at either end of the day, instead, I’ll lean more into the personal and focus on connection and fun.
Being intentional here gives you access to two different groups that may not interact much together in large group settings – the early birds and the night owls. I enjoy the early birds. They typically have a great attitude and are currently in one of their more engaging moods and open to conversation during this time. At the other end of the day the night owls come alive, finding their energy boost after a long day of meetings. You’ll learn all sorts of things that you wouldn’t do during business hours by interacting with this group in the later hours of the day.
So let’s lace this all together and see what we get after the event. You’ve connected with the most important people that you identified beforehand by working your hit list. You’ve had an outstanding mix of people that you interacted with during your sessions, and you built great personal equity with others in both the morning and evening. Lean into this intentionality and you’ll get more value out of the event than just about anyone else.
Make a better tomorrow.
-ZH
