Learn how to use live events, such as webinars, podcasts, workshops, and conferences, to connect with other thought leaders and grow your influence.

I totally agree with the points raised here. Choosing the right live events is key, and it's all about connecting with the right crowd. Using social media to stay updated and picking events that match your skills and schedule can really boost your networking and learning opportunities.

How can you build a Thought Leadership network with live events?

Thought leadership is not just about sharing your insights and expertise with your audience. It is also about building a network of peers, collaborators, and influencers who can amplify your message, challenge your ideas, and enrich your knowledge. Live events, such as webinars, podcasts, workshops, and conferences, are powerful ways to connect with other thought leaders and create meaningful relationships. In this article, you will learn how to use live events to build your thought leadership network and grow your influence.

1 Choose your events wisely

Not all live events are created equal. Some may be more relevant, engaging, and impactful than others for your niche, goals, and audience. To choose the best events to participate in, you need to do some research and planning. First, identify your target network, the people you want to connect with and learn from. Then, find out what events they are attending, hosting, or speaking at. You can use social media, newsletters, blogs, or podcasts to discover their event preferences and activities. Finally, select the events that match your interests, expertise, and availability, and register for them as soon as possible.

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Mohamed Abdullahi

🎯 Gen AI expert for Dominating Sales, Social, & Search Outcomes 🔍
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I totally agree with the points raised here. Choosing the right live events is key, and it's all about connecting with the right crowd. Using social media to stay updated and picking events that match your skills and schedule can really boost your networking and learning opportunities.

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Vijay Mistri

Helping CEOs and Directors Achieve Peak Performance | Executive Coach for CEOs, Directors and Boards | Transformative Accountability Partnership | Award-Winning 90-Day High-Performance Director Program
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Aligning to the core message is key to attending an event. It is always important to begin with the end in mind. What exactly are you trying to achieve? You must be congruent and ensure that you know what you will gain from the event. Clarity is needed from the onset and preparation, research, and asking questions will help you to meet the standards you expect.

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2 Prepare your value proposition

Before you attend or host a live event, you need to have a clear and compelling value proposition. This is the statement that summarizes who you are, what you do, and what you can offer to your network. Your value proposition should be concise, specific, and relevant to the event theme and audience. It should also highlight your unique selling point, the thing that sets you apart from other thought leaders in your field. You can use your value proposition to introduce yourself, pitch your ideas, or invite collaborations during the event.

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Vijay Mistri

Helping CEOs and Directors Achieve Peak Performance | Executive Coach for CEOs, Directors and Boards | Transformative Accountability Partnership | Award-Winning 90-Day High-Performance Director Program
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Impact comes when you stand apart. Delivering more value in what you offer is critical. I recall developing a master course that sold well due to the alignment with the audience and the immense value it added. Also sharpening your skills regularly is a must. Having an elevator pitch, under a hundred words can have a profound impact. You can further drill down more information but the first impressions normally have a lasting impression.

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3 Engage with the event community

One of the benefits of live events is that they create a sense of community among the participants. You can leverage this to build your thought leadership network by engaging with the event community before, during, and after the event. Before the event, you can join the event platform, social media group, or email list, and introduce yourself, share your expectations, or ask questions. During the event, you can participate in the live chat, Q&A sessions, polls, or breakout rooms, and interact with other attendees, speakers, or hosts. After the event, you can follow up with the people you met, thank them for their insights, or propose further discussions or collaborations.

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Vijay Mistri

Helping CEOs and Directors Achieve Peak Performance | Executive Coach for CEOs, Directors and Boards | Transformative Accountability Partnership | Award-Winning 90-Day High-Performance Director Program
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Engaging and sharing ideas, perspectives and deeper insights is critical. Commenting and asking questions helps gain momentum and traction. Most important is that you should be fully aligned to enjoy the entire process. You must set aside enough time to interact which leads to stronger business relations. Always appreciate others and be humble after the event. Any follows ups must be well scheduled and you must ascertain the tough points needed.

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4 Showcase your expertise and personality

Live events are also great opportunities to showcase your expertise and personality to your network. You can do this by delivering valuable content, sharing your opinions, or telling your stories during the event. Whether you are a speaker, a host, or an attendee, you can demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and experience in your niche, and provide useful tips, insights, or solutions to your audience. You can also express your personality, your values, your passions, or your humor, and make a memorable impression on your network.

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Vijay Mistri

Helping CEOs and Directors Achieve Peak Performance | Executive Coach for CEOs, Directors and Boards | Transformative Accountability Partnership | Award-Winning 90-Day High-Performance Director Program
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I have found that if you have a framework that you can share with your audience, it works very well. Alternatively, an acronym can further help as it can have a stronger impact. Reflecting on stories starting with the challenge and how you overcame the challenge will help others see the transformational journey with must ease.

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5 Nurture your relationships

Building a thought leadership network is not a one-time event. It is a long-term process that requires nurturing your relationships with your network. You need to stay in touch with your contacts, provide value to them, and support their goals and projects. You can do this by following them on social media, subscribing to their newsletters, blogs, or podcasts, commenting on their posts, or sharing their content. You can also invite them to your own live events, join their live events, or collaborate on live events together. By nurturing your relationships, you can strengthen your trust, credibility, and influence in your network.

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Shantanu Verma

Give me 1 hour/month & get 10+ ideal B2B prospects on your calendar who see you as the obvious choice | Driving new pipeline for multi-6 to 7 figure consultants.
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The best type of events for cultivating relationships with B2B decision-makers are executive roundtables. - 1 trending topic. - 3 executive speakers. - LinkedIn live. This works great because, 1. They promote the event within their network - visibility for you. 2. You deepen your relationships with the speakers and can open the path to a sales conversation. 3. You can ask them to refer 1 speaker each, therefore, growing your qualified network. This brings in clients + visibility with hundreds of decison-makers to fill up your pipeline.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Alberto Tinarelli

Marketing, Product and Business Strategy | Leadership Development and the Future of Learning | Currently on Career Break | Former School Governor and International Executive Education Manager
(edited)
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I would consider asking your network what they want, with a survey and voting system too. Then, create roles and levels, communities within communities, gamify the experience, give incentives, badges, and meaningful gadgets to create a sense of belonging, and above all, organize events as if they were milestones of a networking journey. Give them a reason to engage during but also after the events, then identify the champions and make them the protagonists of next events.

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How can you build a Thought Leadership network with live events?

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2

3

4

5

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1 Choose your events wisely

2 Prepare your value proposition

3 Engage with the event community

4 Showcase your expertise and personality

5 Nurture your relationships

6 Here’s what else to consider

Thought Leadership

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How can you build a Thought Leadership network with live events?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Choose your events wisely

2 Prepare your value proposition

3 Engage with the event community

4 Showcase your expertise and personality

5 Nurture your relationships

6 Here’s what else to consider

Thought Leadership

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