The Spring is time for live events. If you are in business, the odds are you will be attending meetings in your industry sometime soon.  Local events for groups like a chamber of commerce or national multi-day conventions seem to all clump in the fall and spring (winter and summer have other challenges that make many associations and companies hold their gatherings in these time frames).   This episode of CTED podcast is for you if you are not sure why to attend a industry meeting, or you want to make sure you get the most ROI for your time or money.  Live events can change the trajectory of your business and career. The education, networking and motivation / inspiration all can come together and get you to take new actions.  But change does not happen by accident.  You need to be prepared to maximize your time at the event.   Meetings today are different than they were ten or twenty years ago. The expectations of participants has changed. People do not want some "sage on the stage" to talk at them, but they want to be engaged and feel they are part of the event. Attendees want the event to be interactive, engaging, and willed with actionable learning with a good amount of networking.    Planners of meetings have to be willing to take risks.  (Check out this article in the MPI Magazine about how one organization threw away the standard keynote and created a peer to peer learning session - https://www.mpiweb.org/blog/article/making-attendees-the-star-of-the-show).     5 Reasons to attend live events:   1. Educational Opportunities 2. Networking with Peers 3. Encounter Vendors and Suppliers 4. Position Yourself as an Expert 5. Have an Experience / Have Fun   5 Tips to Maximize the Conference   1. Attend with a sense of adventure 2. Do not spend all your time with co-workers and friends 3. Say "Hello" to others 4. Talk to the speakers after their presentations 5. Plan for the follow up   ******************* Thom Singer is a keynote speaker and professional master of ceremonies.  He is also the host of the "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do" podcast and the author of 12 books.  He can be reached at https://www.ThomSinger.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices