Before the conference

Have clarity about what you want to get out of the conference. What are your priorities? If you were to walk away saying, “Wow, we absolutely crushed SOCAP”, what would you have accomplished? For our team, we divide and conquer between building relationships with funders, locking up new mentors, forging strategic partnerships, and supporting our portfolio of ventures.

Identify 10 meaningful connections or relationships that would move the needle on your priorities. Doing research is a vital component here. A deep connection with fewer people is better than 200 business cards or dozens of 10-minute meetings.

Schedule meetings early and grab phone numbers. Reaching out to relevant folks via Pathable to schedule meetings is the easiest way to get ahold of them, but make sure to grab their phone number after you’ve scheduled a meeting, so you can find them amidst the sea of people wherever you meet.

Have clarity about how you can be of service to people. What can you offer? If you can’t directly meet a need of someone you’re talking to, don’t drop them. Instead, try to intro them to others at the conference and outside of the conference who can help. Be of service to others, even when you can’t directly meet the need yourself.

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