It’s the first Monday after the AIA 2009 National Convention. If you’re anything like me after every conference/show, you came home with a few conference bags, a lanyard, some cute giveaways…and a stack of follow ups. Also, if you’re anything like me, the stack of follow up items will stay tucked away in your sketchbook or on papers balled up in the aforementioned conference bag (at least for a few weeks)! After you’re done playing “catch-up” on email, here are a few things that I WISH I would do right away after every show.
1. Make a list
While everything is still fresh in your mind, and you’re excited about the new connections you made and ideas you heard, write them all down. Nothing major, no “conference report”, just a quick list of the things you want to remember.
2. Check it twice
Once you’ve finished making a list, go back through and sort it by category.
- Ideas (things to tell the rest of the office about, new technologies, project improvements)
- Personal Development (good books you heard about, things to dig into on your own time)
- Leads (may be job opps, may be partners/subs)
- Networking (not leads, just people you met that you want to stay in touch with)
3. Find out who’s nau…just kidding; Prioritize
If you’ve really maximized your time at the show, you may have a lot on the list. Be realistic. Not every person you met is worth a follow up, not every book is going to get read this month. Take a look at your list and determine what you really can accomplish and what’s the most important.
Your schedule after the show isn’t any more flexible than it was before, and for the first few days back it’s probably less! Making a good follow up list ensures you won’t forget the things that matter most and it is a lot easier to keep referring to than that stack of papers.