Why we still go to conferences

In less than two weeks, MMG will be at SiGMA World in Rome. That got us thinking about something that's easy to take for granted: why do we still go to conferences?

There are a lot of them. Every week, somewhere in the world, there's a show with a big hall, a long speaker list and a lanyard waiting for you. Video calls work. Email works. So what is a plane ticket and a few days away from the desk supposed to add?

What a call can't do

You can run a business without ever meeting a partner in person, and plenty of people do. But a call has an agenda, a start time and an end time. It covers what you planned to talk about.

A conversation at a conference covers what you didn't plan. Someone says "by the way, we're looking at a second provider" over a coffee, and suddenly you know something you would never have found out in a scheduled meeting.

You also read people differently when you're standing next to them. How they answer a hard question. Whether they listen. Whether you'd want to call them when something goes wrong. That's hard to judge from a screen.

What we go for

The mix is a bit different for every event, but it usually comes down to four things.

• Meeting people who need what we do. Merchants who are looking for a payment gateway, or for a second option next to the one they have. A talk at a conference often gets further in ten minutes than a month of emails.
• Building relationships. The first meeting is rarely where something happens. The second or third is, when you already know each other. A conference is often where that first meeting takes place. It's also where the people you already know can introduce you to people you don't. A referral from someone they trust gets you a conversation that a cold hello at a stand rarely does.
• Seeing what's new. New products, new ideas, what everyone is talking about and what nobody mentions anymore. You get a feel for the market that you don't get from reading about it.
• Hearing how business is really going. Ask someone in the industry how things are, and the answer at a coffee table is different from the one in a sales call. Approval rates, banks changing their minds, new rules in a market. We use that.

Why you shouldn't leave it to chance

SiGMA World expects around 30,000 delegates, more than 1,200 sponsors and exhibitors and 550 speakers, spread over 120,000 square meters at Fiera Roma. Nobody can walk up to everyone in a place like that, and you wouldn't know whom to pick anyway. The people you've never heard of look just like the ones you were hoping to find. Everyone is busy, too. By the time you arrive, the person you wanted to talk to has often filled their calendar with sessions and meetings that were booked weeks ago.

So a chance conversation is a nice bonus, but it can't be the plan. The plan is to fix as many meetings as you can before the show, with people you picked on purpose. The more you book, the more of your days are used well. Introductions help here too. If you know someone who is going, ask who they'd recommend you meet. Start as soon as you know you're going. The good time slots go first, and a short message saying who you are and what you'd like to talk about is usually enough.

When a conference isn't worth it

Anyone who has been to a few knows the versions that don't work. A stack of business cards that nobody follows up on. Three days of walking from stand to stand. Meetings where both sides just pitch.

With so many conferences around, the real question is which ones deserve your time. We look at whether the people we want to meet are actually going, and whether we can reach them before the show to agree a time.

Getting more out of the days you're there

• Book your meetings before you go. Start early, because slots fill up. The more you have in the calendar before you arrive, the less depends on luck.
• Ask for introductions. Tell the people you already know who you'd like to meet. Someone who vouches for you gets you a conversation faster than any pitch, and you can do the same for them.
• Leave gaps between them. The planned meetings come first, but some of the best conversations are the ones nobody scheduled.
• Write down a line after each conversation. Do it right away, while you still remember who said what.
• Follow up within a week. Refer to something you really talked about. "Nice to meet you" gets lost, "you mentioned the declines in Brazil" doesn't.

What we're doing in Rome

We don't have a booth. We're booking meetings in advance and keeping time free for the conversations that just happen. If you're going to SiGMA World, write to us early and mention SiGMA. We'll find a time and place that suits you, before the days fill up.

Let's sit down together

If you're going to SiGMA World and would like to meet, use the contact button below. Whether you're looking for a payment gateway or just want to talk shop, we'd be happy to sit down with you over a coffee.