It’s now less than two weeks to go until TBEX Europe lands in Athens and brings with it hundreds of travel bloggers, writers, and new media content creators. The team in the TravelMedia.ie office are now getting geared up for their second year at this exciting event as media sponsors. In a recent blog post we explained why we are returning to TBEX for a second year, with our own Michael Collins being invited back as a speaker.
If you are travelling to TBEX then you are probably starting to make plans for your visit – who you want to meet, what sessions you want to attend and what you want to get out of the experience. As past attendees we have some tips to share with you that will hopefully help you get the most out of your time in Athens.
1. Plan your time
During TBEX you may be overwhelmed with the number of breakout sessions and the variation of topics on offer. Our advice? Make informed decisions in advance about what sessions you want to attend. Research the speakers. Look at their blog posts that they have written ahead of TBEX. All of these items are available to view on the TBEX site so there really is no excuse!
2. Bring business cards
You would think that this is an obvious tip but you may be surprised how many people still attend conferences having not brought enough business cards, or having not brought any at all! During your time in Athens you will meet A LOT of people, meaning you will need a lot of business cards. Make sure you aren’t left short – restock your business card stash before you head to the conference centre each morning.
3. Attend the social events
As a company who run a large number of events we stand by the fact that ‘the best networking is done at the bar’. The social events, such as the TBEX opening party, are the places where attendees and speakers are most relaxed so they really are the best places to network. Aside from being able to chat to your fellow TBEXer’s in a relaxed environment, these events are also great fun!
4. Charge up
Although the conference venue are prepared for the fact that they need to have an infinite amount of power outlets, there will still never seem to be enough to cater for the demand. Upon arriving back to your room each night, plug in all of your gadgets – be they laptops, smartphones or tablets. Get as much power into them before you leave for the conference venue – the last thing you want is to get caught out by a dead battery.
5. Follow up
When you arrive home from TBEX you will of course be tired and feel like you want to sleep for days, however, there is one very important task that you must complete first – follow up. You will hopefully have collected a large number of business cards and made some valuable connections but what use are these if you don’t reach out and make contact? Get ahead of the crowd and follow up as soon as you return home.
Are you attending TBEX Europe? Tweet us @TravelMedia_ie and let us know, we would love to meet you in Athens!