Are You Making These Travel Conference Mistakes? 5 Things to Avoid

You know that attending conferences can move your travel business to the next level, right? Of course you do! Not only are they a great way to enhance your network, but you can gain new ideas and reconnect with colleagues you may not have seen in a while.

Keep in mind that when you attend conferences that your reputation is on the line every second you’re visible to the organizers and other attendees. Be positive and professional. After all, you’ll want to make a good impression.

So…

Don’t be that travel agent who makes conference blunders! Here are five things to avoid at conferences, so you don’t embarrass yourself or your agency.

Are You Making These Conference Blunders?

You Forgot to Set Goals

Do you even know why you attend conferences? If you don’t, you could be wasting your time and money. Before you sign up for a conference, figure out what you want to get out of it. Do you want to learn new skills? Do you want to boost your connections? It pays to set goals!

You Dress Inappropriately

You’ve probably heard or read the phrase “Dress for Success.” When you attend conferences, you’ll want to put your best foot forward. Even if you wear jeans, you can dress them up with accessories, shoes and a blazer or jacket. You never want to look as if you just rolled out of bed. You also don’t want to look as if you’re ready to go to a club. Dress professional and appropriate for your age. Always look your best!

You Act like a Party Animal

It’s no surprise that conferences are usually held in fabulous cities, such as Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Orlando, Seattle, and others. However, you’ll want to remain professional at all times, even if you go to the hotel restaurant and bar with other conference attendees. You don’t want to drink too much because you may do and/or say things that you may regret.

You’re Not Selective with Scheduled Events

When you sign up for a conference, you usually receive an agenda. Review it and see which events you’d like to attend. However, when you arrive at the conference and start connecting with others, find out who’s attending what event and schedule meetings. Why? Because when others know you’ll attend events, you may be invited to private events, receive referrals for your business and/or help with your business, and asked to speak at related events.

You May Be Nervous and Unintentionally Unwelcoming

If you’re shy, attending a conference is a huge step for you because you may not be comfortable with approaching people and starting conversations with them. Take baby steps. Be friendly and professional. Seek out 1-3 people and strike up conversations with them – you may want to talk to the keynote speakers. You never know where opportunities may come from, so remain open to meeting and developing professional relationships.

Attend Travel Conferences with Confidence

Imagine attending travel conferences throughout the year, but this time you walk confidently into each and every event space.

Instead of being anxious around other attendees, you look forward to getting to know people because it means you could share your knowledge and build and develop relationships with other travel professionals.

All because you’ve discovered what to avoid at conferences, so you can put your best foot forward. And most importantly, you’ve learned some valuable tips that can help your travel business.

Does this seem impossible? It’s not!

Want more information on how you can build and develop your travel agency? Go to our Grow Your Business page now!