When was the last time you attended a professional conference? From yummy refreshments, free giveaways at vendor booths in the conference’s exhibit hall, meeting and making friends and professional contacts, to learning new practices in plenary sessions that you can apply back in your workplace, attending a professional conference offers you much more than just a break from your daily office environment and routine. Attending a conference is potentially one of the best investments that you can make to bring your team, department, entire organization, or even career to the next level.
Here are five reasons why you should make every effort to attend at least one conference in your field this year.
1. You Will Expand Your Professional Network
Conferences bring together like-minded individuals who share your professional interests, providing a prime opportunity to network. You’re not just meeting people—you’re building relationships that can lead to collaborations, mentorship, and even your next new job opportunity. Research suggests that networking enhances career success and professional satisfaction. A study published in Academy of Management found that networking fosters social capital, which is crucial for career advancement.
When you attend conference sessions, make every effort to go up to presenters and introduce yourself. Ask questions or make affirming comments. Heck, I have even asked to take a selfie at the end of presentations to later post about my experience on LinkedIn. Really take up your attendance at a conference as an opportunity to connect with presenters and any other contacts you will make on LinkedIn and send a brief message reminding them how you met and how much you appreciated your interaction with them. Some of these individuals just might be your next foot in the door to your next job opportunity or big project/company collaboration.
2. You Will Gain Industry Insights and Best Practices
Do you feel like you are stuck in a bubble, disconnected from knowing what the latest trends in your field are? Conferences offer access to innovative leaders and industry experts using the latest technology and practices that you would not normally have access to learning about from your desk. Most importantly, you will come away from sessions, workshops, and panels feeling equipped with actionable strategies that can be applied in your current workplace, whether to optimize your team, a specific workflow, or even your entire organization.
You don’t know what you don’t know, and learning directly from experts can help you understand new technologies, methodologies, or regulations that directly impact you.
3. You’ll Receive a Boost in Your Creativity and Problem-Solving Skills
Attending a conference will be expose you to fresh perspectives and ideas you normally would not receive at work or from home. By choosing to attend a conference, you are choosing to place yourself in an environment that can spark your creativity and inspire solutions to challenges you’ve been facing. In some cases, you might not know you have slow and inefficient workflow processes until you possibly learn in a conference workshop just how much easier and efficient they can be. Research published in Creativity Research Journal shows that interacting with diverse groups enhances creative thinking by introducing you to alternative approaches and perspectives. Whether through keynote presentations or informal conversations during coffee breaks, conferences provide the mental stimulus you need to think outside the box.
4. You Create the Opportunity to Enhance Your Personal Brand
Attending conferences isn’t just about listening to other people, it’s also about being seen. By attending professional conferences, you create the opportunity to position yourself as a proactive, ambitious professional by participating in discussions, asking thoughtful questions, and sharing your insights.
This visibility can significantly boost your personal brand. The Journal of Consumer Research highlights the importance of self-presentation and visibility in shaping professional reputation. Conference attendance is also a way to show your peers and employers that you are committed to staying at the forefront of your industry and, as a result, keeping your team, department, and overall organization from falling behind.
5. You will Come Away with a Passion and Motivation You Didn't Know You Needed
Sometimes, you just need to step away from your daily grind to rediscover your enthusiasm for your work. Conferences are designed not only to inform, but also to inspire. Listening to leaders who have overcome challenges or achieved remarkable success can re-energize you and cause you to think different approaches that you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. A study in The Journal of Business Psychology found that attending professional events leads to increased job satisfaction and a stronger sense of purpose. You might think you are perfectly fine where you are at and with how you do your job, but as stated earlier, you don’t know what you don’t know, and you will come away from conferences with a clearer focus, but also a renewed motivation to be better.
