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relationships, and the key to present
yourself in the best light!!!
Handouts, promotional literature:
Keeping track of information is always
difficult when you simply throw every-
thing into a bag and then plan to sort
it out sometime next week! A better
plan is to carry two light weight bags,
one for materials you want to scan,
file and utilize in the future (business
cards included) and a second bag for
items that can wait a week or so to be
reviewed (free stuff should go in this
bag, as a reward for going through
the materials!)
Follow ups:
People are going to con-
tact you via phone or email, but some
people should be contacted by you!
Thank yous are also welcomed, so
send thank yous to new contacts and
people who shared something good
with you. While there may be a sea
of emails following any conference,
a sincere thank you always stands
out. Also, if you promised to get
back to someone or share information
with them, be sure do that quickly. If
venders and contacts send you an
email, respond, even if it is to say that
you don’t have an immediate need
and would like to speak to them in
2 months. Following up with contacts
made at a conference solidify your
professionals and solidify the rapport
established in person.
So yes, a Conference is definitely
a work function, but more than that,
it is a career function. The CAI-NJ
Conference is so much more that,
since CAI Committees go all out to
make the experience relevant and fun.
If you approach it the right way, you
will benefit!!!
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