How can AI professionals build meaningful relationships at conferences?

It's more of a Sales and Marketing topic than an AI topic. Just fill in the blanks and it becomes relevant for all areas. How can <<your area>> professionals build meaningful relationships at conferences?

Conferences are one of the best places to meet people. Before going, a great way to find people to meet is to post on LinkedIn a few weeks in advance and ask your friends in your field to repost. Everything at the conference is secondary after networking. Networking is king.

In the dynamic business environment of the present era, participation in conferences has emerged as an active endeavor– a strategic investment of time fostering effective networking. Prior to entering the conference venue, it is prudent to conduct an in-depth exploration. Conduct a thorough examination of the speakers, agenda, and the attendees. Comprehending the key players, the knowledge to be acquired, and the unique value one can contribute is crucial. Equipped with a clear comprehension of the objectives, meticulous preparation is essential. Formulate a brief, concise elevator pitch that encapsulates your unique value proposition. Confirm that your business cards are readily available and contain current details.

Talk specific applications, find ways to work together instead of competing, discuss real challenges and share solutions. The better all of us are at AI the faster the adoption rate!

Four major objectives for attending any AI( or any) conference can be: fun, learn, earn and network. Keeping these objectives in mind you can choose the topics, talks, discussions you want to attend, profile people whom you would like to connect, present your pitch or show your value proposition. Rest is fun of the process... rinse and repeat!

Sure, planning ahead and targeting people you want to connect with is a good thing, but take advantage of the opportunity to make new connections with the broader group as well. Try speaking with the random person standing next to you in line or sitting waiting for a session to start. Chances are you'll have something to learn from what they do and something to share with them.

Get to know their work or viewpoints beforehand. Start engaging with them to learn more about their work, instead of pushing your viewpoint. Conferences are to meet and engage and build new relationship not for closing deals

In my experience, asking questions and showing genuine interest in the speaker and other attendees helps build connections. Do not worry about your question being "basic" - everyone is there to learn! Instead, engage and ask questions such as "tell me more about <topic>", or "what was most challenging when you were building <x>?" Afterwards, close the loop and connect on LinkedIn and other social platforms. Make sure to include a note about the conference you met and the conversation.

Avoid the two extremes: too shy or too salesy. You need to be friendly enough and talk about who you are, what you are doing, and what your interests are. But at the same time, if you are too pushy, then you are in danger of appearing fake.

Take the initiative to organize a small, informal networking event or meetup during the conference. This could be a breakfast gathering, a coffee meetup, or an evening social event.

A handy method during events is to instantly share your LinkedIn QR code. In the LinkedIn app, tap the "search" bar. To the right, you'll spot a QR code icon; tap it to display your unique QR code. Others can scan this to quickly access your profile, facilitating an easy connection that lasts beyond the event. You can do this with speakers, to get also the latest information from them after the event (definitely when you where interested in their talks), but also with other attendees. This could be also very helpful for your employer, as you might convince them to work for your employer too in the future.

Yes! Following up is absolutely the most important part, but, wait few days or a week to avoid overwhelming people's inbox and brains. Make sure you mention the conference you both attended, and to be very clear and precise on your intentions.

In your follow-up messages, share insights or key takeaways from the conference that align with the interests or discussions you had with the person. By providing value and demonstrating a continued connection to the topics you both find important, you reinforce the relevance of your initial conversation.

Send a thoughtful follow-up email expressing gratitude and interest in staying in touch. Remind them of your conversation, suggest a next step, and keep the communication respectful, relevant, and value-driven.

Building the connection is just the beginning, to make strong relationships you have to nurture the connections. Try to help every person that you connect with in your capacity. And Stay in touch, wish them on special days, congratulate them on achievements and try to meet them again whenever possible. *Bonus tip - Build a personal friendly relation. Personal relations are always stronger than professional ones.

Find AI and Technology professionals that attended the same conference with you, and reach out on LinkedIn to connect. You can ask if they attended some of your favorite talks and start a discussion. If you find common topics of interest, or even subjects that you would like to have a healthy scientific debate on, it is a great way to stay connected. Check who you follow in common, and who you can recommend to follow based on common interests. Offer a call or a short meeting to exchange ideas and knowledge, and just to get to know each other better.

Start a conversation in these channels on what your thoughts are about a topic or theme or current challenge. Tag and invite others who you want to engage with. Share one of the folks published viewpoint - and start a conversation around that, and keep contributing to build that conversation

If you work in A.I, you understand the importance of "data intelligence and analytics" so leverage that for your benefit, by signup up wherever the crowd of the event is active (groups, whatsapp, telegram, chats, virtual platforms, linkedin..) and bring value to the channels, share pictures you've taken and ebook or material you can create to share you A.I knowledge.

You can build a connection in an event, but to sustain it you must stay in touch. Online platform are the best places to stay in touch. And my personal fav is LinkedIn. Engage with your new connections post on LinkedIn, congratulate them on their work anniversaries and achievements. Share your achievements with them. And don't miss any chance to help your connections.

- I believe that when we meet a person F2F, have an engaging discussion and find opportunity to collaborate, then we remember each other vividly and build a willingness to connect. - We can use conference's online channels, however that F2F connect is critical, it can be the deciding factor for the professional relationship to continue for a long time. - In come cases I meet the same person again in another forum. If I have already worked with that person after the first conference, then this time the bond gets stronger, and there is a certain comfort level in working with each other.

Utilise the conference to meet collaborators face to face, discuss briefly and set up follow up connects and follow it through. Most people do not follow through, remember conferences have too many attendees and everyone has own agenda, so use conference to build the connect, a face and personality to connect to, and then follow up through meaning full conversations online/offline post conference

Conferences are communities, by being part of it you want to both bring value to it, and leverage other's time and experience. Don't be shy to do so, any expert in a field (specially AI) always appreciate smart questions and engaged individuals.

- In conferences, I generally look for people who have skills which can complement mine, and we can both work together and leverage the synergies. Can be a paper, article, learn from each other perspective, create a solution with potential for patenting etc. - The idea to get a mentor in a conference is great, however the potential mentor might be reluctant to commit to the mentor-mentee relationship in the conference. What can work is to stay connected with your potential mentor, share your wins with him/her from time to time. It makes more sense to request for mentorship post that.

Sometimes Random people can give you advices which can completely transform your lives. Connect with people, learn from them because you always have something to learn from everyone.

Here's my stance: Identify Potential Mentors: Seek individuals whose journey resonates with you. Their insights could serve as a beacon, guiding you through the labyrinth of AI advancements. Engage in Meaningful Conversations: Go beyond superficial chatter. Delve into discussions that challenge your understanding and provoke thought, fostering a milieu of learning. Express Gratitude: A simple 'thank you' goes a long way. Expressing gratitude for the time and insights shared by others cultivates a culture of respect and appreciation. Seek Collaborative Ventures: Explore avenues for joint endeavors. Whether it's co-authoring a research paper or brainstorming on a project, collaborative efforts often yield innovative solutions.

Here is a real-life example: At a conference, I met a healthcare executive. We shared interests in applying AI for better patient care. Post-conference, I connected via LinkedIn and send them an insightful article on the topic which led to a coffee discussion. Over time, we exchanged knowledge; I shared AI insights, they shared healthcare industry perspectives. When a project to develop an AI diagnostic tool came up in their organization, our established connection led to a collaboration opportunity. Through the project, our professional relationship deepened, showcasing the importance of mutual value exchange and consistent engagement.

I recommend you take notes on the people you meet and the conversations you have. This will help you remember details for follow-up discussions.

Conferences are a mix of serious talks and fun interactions. While discussing AI is great, it’s the casual chats and shared laughs that make things memorable. For instance, sharing a funny hiccup we faced at SensViz while working on a project could be a conversation starter. It's about being open, sharing light moments, and enjoying the interactions. This way, you not only learn and network but also create lasting bonds with fellow AI enthusiasts. So, let your guard down, share a joke or two, and enjoy the human side of these tech gatherings.

Sometimes, experience is the best teacher. Having a casual conversation with some other AI expert in which both of you feel comfortable can lead to sharing experiences and anecdotes that can teach you lessons beyond textbooks and papers. Particularly, if those experiences are about errors and failures that you can learn from and avoid in the future!

@Jan Beger your experience support our research. One contributes with creating a language moving the innovation status quo’s from none-idiomatic technology towards idiomatic technology for an emergent technology (in this case AI). In short creating a shared languages and reference of the technology. The other part shares insights of needs in a specific context (in this case clinical context) moving the situation from none-acknowledge needs towards acknowledged needs in a specific context. Together you have created a stronger capacity to innovate ☺️Congrats on the collaboration 👌🏼

Conferences are an incredible way to connect with like-minded experts in your space and discover new branches of perspective. AI is a perfect example of this. But like everything in life, preparation is key. Make sure to take time to identify the talks, panels and workshops that best fit with your passion areas. You are most likely to collide with and add value to people in sessions of mutual interest. Coffee breaks are a great opportunity to share ideas, learn from others, and you never know - you may find a co-conspirator to collaborate with! AI is evolving FAST, especially in healthcare. We are exploring and evolving at incredible pace. Conferences are a great way to extend your network, which is key to advancement in this space!

Always keep a supportive eye on your professional community. Example when people will get fired.... most of their network will let them down like if they became radioactive. Always have time for a call, a coffee, bring some moral support, open your contacts book, provide tips and ideas, connections.... people in tough time will always remember the few who where there!

Conferences get you the first 50% of the way there when it comes to building relationships. Now they know who you are. The rest of it is up to you. In order to build meaningful relationships, there must be enough common ground to foster some collaboration. Just working in AI/ML is not enough. Other professional interests can include: - alignment on career trajectory, eg: you both like model architecture research or want to move into management - alignment on company interests, eg: both of your companies are open source champions - ability of your companies to collaborate, eg: both of your companies are working in the same space but orthogonally (like Zilliz and LlamaIndex) Personality also counts! Be someone you'd like to know.

like everyone else and everywhere else! If I look down and stand in the corner or just stare at my laptop, no one will talk to me. You have to go where the music is playing and be open to exchange.

Conferences are great places where you can build impactful connections, hear out diverse PoVs, understand how other like minded Professionals are looking at leveraging the Tech, know possible ways of collaboration. Let others know about what you are looking to do and many more. Preparation is key! Know why you want to attend as every attendee would definitely have something as takeaway.