As I sat center in the third row of the very intimate auditorium at the Times Center in New York City recently, I had the overwhelming desire to weep and simultaneously pinch myself. In fact, I tweeted and commented on Facebook that it was truly a blessing to be among professionals in tech and business.
It was the third and final day of the Business Insider IGNITION 2014 Conference and a high point, aside from having the opportunity to chat—and take a selfie—with Mark Cuban of Shark Tank, along with other attendees, was hearing firsthand thoughts from tech and business luminaries such as Jeff Bezos, Barry Diller, the aforementioned Mark Cuban, as well as the founders of Tumblr and Whisper, and executives at Buzzfeed, Facebook, Target, Apple and too many others to list here.
In the past month, I’ve attended three conferences and an awards gala. Why? Because even before becoming an entrepreneur I strongly believed in investing in my education, formally through college and university, in addition to through professional and personal development opportunities like conferences and seminars.
Finances, however, can get tight, and if there are options at your disposal to attend events for free or to decrease expenses to attend, why not, right? I knew you’d agree. In fact, I did not pay for entrance to any of the four events listed above, which ranged from free (but invite-only) to $3,500 to attend.
Below are 7 ways that you may not have considered to get you into the next on your 2015 list of ‘must attend’ events for your business:
Get in there early: You may have noticed in many conferences that the price increases incrementally as the conference date draws closer. I’ll never forget that in 2006, I received an email invitation for a fundraiser for a then-Sen. Barack Obama, and the cost was $250. I dare you to find an opportunity to have an audience with now President Obama and 30 or 40 other folks without adding at least two zeroes to that number.
(At the time I did not have $250 to attend so I had to pass. I wish I’d had these tips then I may have been able to snag entrance for free or at least a discount.)
If you reach out to conference organizers early, when they are trying to generate interest and entice people with reduced prices and other incentives, they may be more open to your proposal of some of the following ideas. Conversely, if the conference date is drawing near and the sign ups have been weak that may also work to your advantage as having attendees in the room may be more important than the fees generated from a ticket sale. The takeaway here is that you should always ask because you never know.
Check out more tips on the next page …
Try contests or giveaways. Believe it or not there are many opportunities to win access to events or travel or some portion of the expenses. Social media and an organization’s Website are great places to scour for these opportunities. You can even reach out to coordinators and organizers, especially if it’s in advance to see if they’re aware of any opportunities. Often, prospective sponsors make offers that organizers may not make public right away.
Get out there and mingle. Are you social? Do you have a list or following of folks? Affiliate relationships are opportunities for you to share a link or information about an event with your audience or customers or email list. The conference organizer will assign you your own code or unique URL and will track how many folks you get to sign up. Depending upon the terms you negotiate you can gain free access through this type of referral system. A word of caution, you want to be sure that you’re comfortable sharing the information with your audience and that the organizers are trustworthy and will credit you for traffic and purchases that you send along.
Build a blog or writing repetoire. Does the conference organizer or the host organization need writers? If you are a writer, this is a great opportunity to exchange your
talent for access. The phrase, “Content is King,†is ubiquitous these days. Everyone needs content for their Websites, and what better content than a pre-, during, post-write up of the organization’s event. Be sure that you and the organizers are clear about the tone of voice, nature and submission process is clear. As a writer, this is just another way to share your voice.Volunteer. What are you willing to do to take your business to the next level? There are people who aren’t willing to work a registration table, or get water and juice for speakers during a presentation. Those are the moments in building a business where you have to take a hard look at your dedication to building your business … and your pockets.
Offer to live tweet. If you have a Twitter account, or the organizers need help with theirs, live tweeting provides a great opportunity to share your perspectives during the event. As is true with all of these options, it can also provide you access to speakers and others with whom you are interested in connecting. Almost every event has a hashtag and folks at the event and at home will be able to follow along with your updates even if they aren’t following you.
Connect with other attendees to share lodging. Network to see if you can share expenses like room and daily travel or even to/from the event if it’s driving distance. Coordinate with friends, sorors, colleages or other organizations for group rates.
The main takeaways here are, you miss 100% of the swings you don’t take. Invest in yourself. If you believe that a conference opportunity can take your business or career to the next level and the organizers are willing to give you a free ticket, if you have the budget, pay for your own travel and lodging and expenses.
Be willing to compromise and realize that at least you’re not footing the whole bill. Finally, follow through on your promise to the organizers. If you agree to live tweet, do so earnestly. It can only serve to boost your reputation and can position you as a go-to person for future opportunities and events.
Have you come up with creative ways to decrease your expenses to attend events? Please share them below or tweet me!
Michelle Y. Talbert, Esq. is a Washington D.C.-based, New-York-bred relationship strategist and social media content producer. She works with individuals and businesses to improve their relationships online and offline. She produces and co-hosts the popular weekly podcast, They Met Online…, in addition to writing about successful relationship strategies in business and in love. She’s a passionate startup founder and was a member of the 2014 Lean Startup DC contest winning team. Connect with her on Twitter @MichelleTalbert and LinkedIn.