As a busy professional, taking time out of your work schedule to attend a conference is a decision not to be made lightly. To that end, understanding how to get more from the conferences you attend might be in order. Take our ITEC events. For example, here's what I think you can get done at an ITEC show.

• If you're making IT purchasing decisions, visit the exhibitors and ask for more than the demo. Ask about implementation considerations. Ask about the support environment. Schedule a follow up phone meeting for after the show, because sometimes events are too busy to get to the meat of your questions.
• If you're hoping to learn about new technologies and how they impact your business, scan the agenda ahead of time, then Google for articles and blog posts related to the topic at hand before you attend a session. That way, you can already have some questions that pertain to you and your business before visiting the show. Make sure to get the speaker's card, in case you have follow-on questions, or if you need a consultant to help with the process.
• If you're looking for business partnerships, have a few opening questions and statements ready for conversations, bring plenty of business cards, and don't be shy to reach out and ask people at events what their partnership opportunities are like. Remember that everyone at an ITEC is there to learn, and to improve their business.

Events can hold different values for different people. Some of us are there to learn. Others of us want to do business. In some events, the attendees are all peers with similar backgrounds. In others, the audience is as diverse as the real world. Knowing a little about a show before attending can help you understand what you're likely to get out of it. I attend 20-30 events a year (not counting our ITEC events), and each one is a different beast.

I won't tell you everything about every event, but if you want to learn more about how to get more out of ITEC, drop me a line: [email protected] , and I'll gladly share what I know.

– Chris Brogan, Vice President, Strategy & Technology - CrossTech Media, producers of ITEC