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Now, at the end of the day, you need to be strategic about everything that you do (this includes attending conferences). So with that in mind, here’s a checklist of things you can do to make the most out of your next event.  

• Double-check the conference agenda. Point out the sessions that you want to be sure to attend and calendar them in. Get to know the speakers by reading their bio and doing a little background research and if you really wanna impress ‘em, come prepared with a question to ask.   

• Use Twitter Search to find people that are talking about the event. In this case of REBarcamp San Francisco and Inman Real Estate Connect, the hashtags are: #rebcsf & #icsf. I’m using this to connect with other twitteratti who’ll be attending the event(s). It might be a great way to organize a meet-up right off the cuff (so-to-speak) while we’re all in town.   

• Similar to bullet point number one, visit attendees blogs, Twitter streams and Facebook accounts. Use this to do a little background research on them to see what how they’re doing and what they might be working on. Having a little background on folks is great for a conversation starter and it also gives you some great inside look if you’re looking for opportunities to connect with someone on official business.   

• Make sure you’re up to par on the industry gossip. But really, make sure you know what’s affecting people in the industry for the conference you’ll be attending. This falls right back into the whole “doing a little background research.” Reading blogs like Mashable.com and TechCrunch.com is a good starting point. 

• In addition to speakers, you’ll want to do a little background research on the sponsors for an event. Read their bio’s, click thru to their websites and read about what they do and what they have to offer. What representatives will be at the event? Do you know them? Can you connect with them ahead of time via Twitter? Are they a potential vendor for you or could they be a client? The goal here is to determine the business value in meeting with them and having something to say once that moment arrives.     

• Double-check your LinkedIn account and cross-reference names for folks who’ll be attending the event and who might also be speaking or sponsoring the event as well. Read their bio’s full on to get a sense of what they’re doing now and what they’ve done in the past. You might go so far as to drop them (or anyone else in the area) an email ahead of time to let them know that you’ll be in town for the conference and you’d like the opportunity to meet up for coffee or a drink. (Lunch doesn’t work and here’s why: there’s lots of people to meet at a conference! Unless it’s a business meeting, lunch just takes up too much time. If you’re going to make it a lunch, make it a group lunch with an open invitation).   

Content Preparation

• Consider writing a few post-dated blog posts. You’ll be busy whilst at the conference but might still want to capitalize on the opportunity to refer people to your blog and show them some good fresh content. In this case, I’ll be out all week. I have one post set to publish later in the week and will live blog parts of the conference as well.     

• Save your BEST content for the day of the event. You’ll be meeting people, shaking hands and exchanging business cards. People willbe visiting your blog the day of the event and maybe even before. So save up for a great first impression and rock it with an awesome blog post!     

• Think about and blog about conversation starters. What kinds of conversations do you want to have with people at this event? Think about that for a second. Then, consider writing a blog post about it. As people visit your blog to do their “background research” onyou, you’ll give them something to think about so that when you both meet, you’ll have something to say. This is also a great way to set the stage for any business opportunities.  

• If you plan on taking photos (and I know I take lots of ‘em), double-check your gear and make sure you’re set to go. Clear your camera so you have free space to take photos of everything and anything. Oh and did I mention double-checking your gear? I’ve forgotten my batter and usb transfer cable before and it’s NOTcool.   

• Make sure your social networking accounts are all updated. My thought is this, your profiles should be consistent across all of your varying social networks. Update your LinkedIn status, your Facebook status and tweet often. 

• If you’re going to live blog the event, make sure that you have everything ready: (laptop, camera, flip-cam, etc.). Are you going to use Ustream? Is the account ready and set to go? How about services like Utterli for on-location interviews? Have that ready to go? 

Other Preparation

• Order new business cards and have a whole bunch of ‘em at the ready so if someone asks for your card, you have one to give. They don’t have to be all fancied out. I’ve paid $150 dollars to have some designed and printed and I’ve also paid $24 to have a whole box of ‘em delivered via Vista Print. Either one works. So long as you have a way for people to connect with you (including how to connect with you via the interwebs).  

• Email people to connect with them ahead of time. For example, I’ve checked my LinkedIn network to see who’s in San Francisco. Not everyone in San Francisco is going to be at the actual conference but I’d like the opportunity to meet with them nonetheless. So perhaps a tweetup/meet-up is in order. I’ll forward them my agenda and ask them to make some time.   

• Practice your elevator pitch. This is especially the case if you have a business or product to promote. Now, don’t be that guy but do practice your delivery so that when you present what you do and how you do it, it’s sharp!     

• Practice being confident. To some people, networking comes easy. For others it’s difficult. Either way, WE CAN ALL GET BETTER. We just have to practice being confident. Finding our motivating factors, and practicing our delivery (that elevator pitch).   

• If you don’t meet everyone at the conference it’s not exactly the end of the world. But mind you, it is a unique opportunity to meet with folks that you otherwise won’t meet again in a long time as a result of travel and such. So do put forth the effort to connect with folks. This means open invitations to lunches, coffee and drinks as opposed to private invites.    

So there you have it. Some tips/recommendations to making the most out of your next conference. A lot of these things I’ve done and am doing myself. 

Oh, and if I’ve missed something (another great tip), please do share it in the comments below. See you at REBlogworld on October 15th!