Why I’m attending 4 Speaker Conferences this year!
Ever wondered why it’s crucial to attend conferences even if you’re a seasoned expert? Are you missing out on potential game-changing insights and connections? In this episode, I delve into the unexpected benefits that conference attendance can bring, from mastering new tools like AI to forging invaluable professional relationships.
Listen to this new 6-minute episode for insights into why investing in conferences can help you grow personally and professionally.
Episode Summary:
In this episode of “Wedding Business Solutions,” I share why I’m attending four speaker conferences this year. Unlike typical industry events where I speak, I’m focusing on the benefits of attending as a participant. I discuss the unexpected value I’ve gained from networking, learning about innovations like AI, and the personal and professional growth that comes from these experiences. I challenge you to reconsider the perceived costs of attending conferences and emphasize the long-term benefits of investing in yourself. Through my anecdotes and insights, I encourage you to prioritize these opportunities for growth and connection.
If you have any questions about anything in this, or any of my podcasts, or have a suggestion for a topic or guest, please reach out directly to me at [email protected] or visit my website Podcast.AlanBerg.com
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View the full transcript on Alan’s site: https://alanberg.com/blog/
Why am I attending four speaker conferences this year? Listen to this episode. See why this matters. Hey, it’s Alan Berg. Welcome back to another episode of the Wedding Business Solutions podcast. Some people have been surprised to find out that I still attend conferences as a speaker for speakers, right? Not to go and speak, although I do sometimes speak at speakers conferences, but actually to attend. Just like you would attend Wedding MBA or the photo booth Expo or the special event show or cater source or any number of conferences around the country or around the world. And I’m actually going to attend four speaker conferences this year alone. I’ve already done two.
I’m going to do two more. Three in the us, one in the uk. Considering doing one in Costa Rica. It’s actually for Canadian speakers group, but they’re doing it in Costa Rica in December. Thank you very much for not having it in Canada in December. And the reason is because we can all be better at something. And it’s funny because I don’t even look usually at the schedule when I sign up for these conferences. I sign up because I’m going to benefit in some way by going.
It might be a specific session, it might be somebody that I meet at a meal, at the bar, sitting next to them in a session, in the hallway, sometimes just having conversations with people. The last one I went to, we played golf the day before. You meet new people that way as well. And then you have these contacts. And to me, this is the best part of it. The first one that I attended this year, I wasn’t even going to go. I was like, I don’t need that one. I was looking at a little bit of what was going to be talked about.
I was like, I don’t think I need that. And the last minute I said, you know what? Go, go. You always benefit, so go. And I ended up really, really benefiting because it changed my perspective on using AI for my business. I had really been resisting it because I am a content creator. And as a content creator, I figure I don’t need AI because I’m the one that creates the content. And what I learned was how to use AI with my own content as opposed to having it create content for me. And that has just completely changed a lot of the things that I do.
The way we do business. The new book that I’m coming out with, by the time you’re seeing this, the book might be out already. Actually, I think it will be out already. And three of the chapters started as podcasts. And what I did is I had AI take the Transcript, turn it into a format that’s more like a chapter. And then I went and edited that. So instead of starting from a blank sheet of paper, I started from what I had already said about that particular topic and then just had to reformat it to be the format for a book, because that’s different than a transcript. So my challenge back to you is, why are you going or not going to the next event, whatever that is, could be a local event, it could be a regional event, it could be a national event or even an international event.
But why are you deciding to go? Why are you deciding not to go? What’s the big benefit you had the last time you went to an event? And was it something surprising to you because you weren’t expecting that particular thing. You were expecting to get other things out of it. But what was the best part of it for you? The conference I just went to, again, more stuff on AI, more people that I met, just again, making new friends, making new connections. I just had a phone call with a zoom call, actually, with one of the people that I’ve known for years, and he needed to ask me some things. And because we connected at the conference, he’s like, hey, can we have a call? Absolutely was able to have that call and help him. And then the opposite side of that is me being able to reach out to someone and saying, hey, I think you know more about this than I do. Would we be able to have a call? And that happens because of these connections. So I’m going to continue to go.
And let me also just say that when I hear people not going to an event because it’s going to cost $100 or 2 or $300 or 400 or even 500 or more, I’m wondering, what’s the value to your business of one new idea of something that helps you close one more sale? I mean, my conferences cost a lot more than the wedding and event industry conferences. I just signed up with the Early Bird Bird for next year’s summer conference. I’m paid already this year for next year. And that ticket alone at the early bird was $1,300, not including my air, not including my hotel. And that’s just one of the four that I’m going to attend. So I look at it and say, investment in the future, investment mean me personally, and I would challenge you again to not look at the dollar so much as to say, hey, look back and say, how have you benefited from these other events? And isn’t it important enough to block that time off and say I’m not going to take work during that time because I need to. And the old thing, sharpen the saw, right? I need to work on my business a little bit so that the future is better off because of me taking that break to do that. So why am I attending four conferences this year? Because I will benefit in some way personally, professionally, or both.
I don’t even know what that is. And that’s the beauty of it. The beauty of it is sometimes in the giving back and the fact that you were able to help somebody else, that could be the benefit that you got. I volunteer to be an ambassador with, call it for first timers who come to our national speaker conference. And one of the people that I was their ambassador two years ago this year was an ambassador for new first timers. And that’s just very heartening to me to be able to say that I gave to this person in a way that they want to now give back by doing the same thing. So I challenge you to look at the next time you get an email or you see posted on your associate site or whatever and you’re thinking of not going, ask yourself why not? Like why would you not go? What would you be doing instead of that? And could that be done at another time instead? And sometimes the answer is no, but most of the time the answer is yes. So take the time, sharpen the saw, invest in yourself.
Thanks for listening.
I’m Alan Berg. Thanks for listening. If you have any questions about this or if you’d like to suggest other topics for “The Wedding Business Solutions Podcast” please let me know. My email is [email protected] or you can text, use the short form on this page, or call +1.732.422.6362, international 001 732 422 6362. I look forward to seeing you on the next episode. Thanks.
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