I have spent a big chunk of my career on the road at B2B conferences. When my friend Charles Locklin invited me onto The Craft of Conferencing podcast, he framed the conversation in a way that made me smile. He said, in his experience, I was the master at how to sell at conferences. I do not know if that is true, but I do know the tactics I have used to turn events into some of the highest return sales investments in my calendar.
Whether you are a sales leader budgeting for the year, a seller trying to justify a trip to your CFO, or an event organizer wondering why so many attendees are in the hallway instead of the keynote, this conversation is for you.
The Real Reason People Attend Conferences
Charles asked the question I wish more organizers would ask. If most attendees are in the hallway selling and getting sold to, why do we still design events around keynote, panel, fireside chat, coffee break, keynote, panel? The format does not match the behavior.
Here is my honest take. People show up for conferences for three reasons, and only one of them is the content on stage:
- To meet prospects and move deals forward.
- To deepen relationships with existing customers and partners.
- To learn something that sharpens their craft.
The first two are sales motions. The third is enablement. If your team is at a conference purely to sit through sessions, you are underusing the event.
How I Plan a Conference Like a Sales Leader
A conference is not a trip. It is a deployment. The work starts weeks before you arrive. Here is how I approach it:
- Pull the attendee list and flag every prospect, customer, and partner worth meeting.
- Book meetings in advance. Breakfast, coffee, dinner, and walk and talk sessions between sessions.
- Set specific outcomes for each meeting before you land.
- Debrief every night with the team and adjust the next day’s plan.
- Follow up within 48 hours of leaving the venue while the conversations are fresh.
This planning habit is exactly what introverts do naturally. It is a big part of why Matthew Pollard says introverts can be the secret weapon of networking.
Enterprise Deals Move Slowly. Conferences Are Perfect for That
Not every conference produces a contract the week you get home. For enterprise deals, conferences are often the only regular touchpoint you have with a buyer. I had one account where the first two years of the relationship happened entirely at industry events. We never visited their home base. The conference was the relationship.
That is not a bug. That is a feature. Enterprise deals need multiple touches over long periods, and the right event puts you in front of your buyer in a low pressure setting year after year. Patience is part of the playbook. The same mindset applies to any long cycle deal, which is why I urge sellers to treat prospecting as a long game. Read more in my breakdown of how I teach sales reps to master prospecting.
A Message to Event Organizers
If people are coming to sell and to meet, design the event for that reality. Reduce the number of sessions, protect hallway time, and build structured ways for sellers and buyers to find each other. The best events I attend now feel more like curated marketplaces than lecture halls.
What I Would Tell My Younger Self About Conferences
If I could go back and coach my 25 year old self as I walked into my first big industry event, I would tell him:
- Plan every day before it starts, or the day will plan you.
- Say yes to the dinner invitations. Relationships are built after the main stage shuts down.
- Take notes in the moment. You will not remember the details of 20 conversations by Friday.
- Follow up fast. Speed is trust.
- Invest in the event, do not just attend it. Sponsor, speak, host a dinner, or moderate a session.
Why I Still Show Up
After hundreds of events, I still get energy from walking a trade show floor and meeting people in person. The best conversations of my career have happened in hallways, hotel lobbies, and late night dinners at conferences. That is the craft Charles was asking about, and it is one I am still refining every year.
How does your team prepare for the next big conference on your calendar?