Maximize Your FNCE Experience – Part 2

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) is just a few days away. Here are a few tips to help you maximize your  FNCE Experience!

1. Prepare. Do your research. Plan not only what educational seminars you will attend, but also what products or businesses do you want to learn more about. Take time to review the whole program and mark what events or speakers grab your attention. Research key individuals that might attend. It will also be an advantage if you get some relevant information from their social media accounts such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter. You may even consider dropping them a friendly e-mail letting them know you are looking forward to meeting them at their seminar or expo booth!
2. Dress appropriately. Seriously. FNCE is busy and you will walk a ton! My recommendation, either plan to attend in comfortable flats that make it easy to get around in, or if you want to wear heels, have an extra pair of flats or tennis shoes in your bag just in case! When it comes to clothing, most people will be in business casual attire. Whatever you choose make sure it is comfortable and fits your personality! The last thing you want to do is wear a new trendy outfit and the whole time you are worried about what other people think about your style. One more tip, add a pop of color somewhere in your outfit. It could be your dress, blouse, skirt, shoes, or even a scarf. Here is a great article from Forbes on “What to Wear: Women 2.0 Conference
3. Print and Pack Business Cards. This might seem basic but I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen forget or who have ran out of business cards. You don’t know how many opportunities you could be missing out on by not having your business cards in an easy to access place.
4. Circulate. Take full advantage of the networking opportunities that come with this incredible conference put on by The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Make memorable connections as much as you can. Don’t get stuck in one place, visit as many groups as possible and try to connect and converse with them. Smile. Have fun. Enjoy the moments. Step out of your comfort zone and experience new things!
5. Listen & Show Interest In Others.   Remember it is not all about YOU! Be interested instead of trying to hard to be interesting. Ask open ended questions and engage in the conversation. Questions that start with what, who, when, where and how are great at stimulating some conversation dialogue.
6. Prepare to Follow. Using the Customized Nutrition Newsletter’s Conference Planner, make notes on who and what you want to follow up with when you return to your home. By using this system and updating it on a daily basis, you will be prepared and organized to follow up with those contacts that you want to nurture a relationship with. The best practices in follow up still include sending a personal note or e-mail. Here is a blog post from Small Business Trends on effective ways to follow up!

Enter your email below to download the planner, then make sure to print it out and have in your travel bags when you head to Boston!