Event Purpose Chapter 2: Networking and Partnerships

It's not just about showing up, you know?

Events aren’t just about showing up, delivering a great presentation, and hoping to make a few good connections. They’re opportunities to go beyond the agenda, amplify your impact, and create lasting connections, partnerships, and even friendships.

The second chapter of our Event series discusses Networking and Partnerships and how to turn any event into a high-impact experience.

Before the Event: Building the Foundation

Here’s the golden rule from Andy: Start early.
If you wait two weeks before the event to reach out to potential partners, you’re already too late. Yes, this sounds like a 100% overlap with the advice we shared in our post about making noise and being seen, but this is with good reason because your event goals will now be different, and: success without adequate preparation is a rare occasion.

Don’t just book hotels and flights. Turn your event into a multi-purpose trip and start booking lunches, workshops, dinners, and weekend meetups with your key partners or prospects—maybe even taking them to a Prodigy concert 🐜🎵! Instead of traditional marketing catch-ups, organize co-marketing sessions with local partners to ensure mutual value.

Think long-term: Great events are built on preparation that starts months ahead.

During the Event: Staying Sharp and On Point

Events can be (read: are always) chaotic, but preparation makes all the difference. Set clear KPIs that go beyond the return on investment you want to achieve. Ask yourself, Who do you want to meet? What relationships do you want to strengthen? and trust in the long game. If you have already made a solid plan in advance, make sure you stick to it. Despite thorough pre-event planning, if you do not fully follow through, you will eventually face some missed opportunities.

Eventing is known for its intense schedules, poor sleep, drinking, and overindulgence, dramatically affecting performance. One way to stay sharp and focused is to make time for healthy downtime, sports activities, or a relaxing walk. Staying healthy while working at events would give you the energy to maintain productivity and mindfulness.

Stay healthy: Your energy is your greatest asset—don’t burn out.

After the Event: Sealing the Deal

The event doesn’t end when you leave. It’s all about the follow-up. Andy’s mantra?

Be proactive, not reactive.

Reach out to those you connected with, reflect on what went well (and what didn’t), and keep the momentum going. Sometimes, it may seem that your new contacts are not replying to you on purpose, but that’s usually not the case. For a person, eventing means traveling, stress, energy deprivation, and social overwhelm. Once the event is over, their most basic goal is to go home and relax with the family.

Our advice? Schedule your next steps while talking with your prospect. Create a calendar placeholder for a meeting in a week or month, and add your discussed steps as an agenda. Your future self will be thankful for this fast and simple effort.

Follow through: Success is in the follow-up.

By applying these principles, you won’t just attend events—you’ll own them. So, start planning today. Who knows? Your next great partnership could be just a lunch invite away.

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Next in our Event series comes the third chapter, Demand Generation for Sales Teams: Delegate Recruiting, where we share actionable insights on how to find and engage the best audience for your event.