It’s almost time for manufacturers from all industries to descend on the Global Shop Solutions headquarters in The Woodlands, Texas, for the best ERP event out there – ERP User Conference. It’s a time of excellent training, personalized tips and the best networking with Global Shop Solutions employees and your peers.

Our attendees love the training, the instructors, even the great food, but one of the most important reasons they join us is for the networking. It can be a busy three days full of learnings and insights so we don’t want you to forget to spend time connecting with other attendees while you are here.

Check out these tips to help you maximize your networking while learning all you can:

Prepare a list of employees you’d like to connect with and meet them.

Over the time you’ve worked with Global Shop Solutions, you’ve worked with many employees from a variety of departments. They are all looking forward to meeting you! Send them an email prior to arriving to let them know you’d like to put a face with a name and connect with them while you’re at HQ. Additionally, let your Customer Success Manager know who you’d like to meet with, and they can help you connect. 

Pack a conference day bag.

Three full days of training means that a variety of situations will arise. You want to be at the top of your game and stay at HQ as long as possible while making the most of every opportunity while here, make sure you pack a bag with all the necessities:

• Business cards
• Hand sanitizer
• Pack of gum or breath mints
• Phone charger
• Power cords
• Sweater or jacket

Pack business cards.

I know we mention it above, but it bears a tip all its own. Business cards are a valuable tool to have ready. You may only have a few seconds to connect between sessions and providing a business card is the easiest, quickest and most effective way to introduce yourself and share info.

Introduce yourself to new people.

At break. At lunch. In session. At the evening event. We have developed our schedule to give you plenty of time to connect with the other attendees so take that time to introduce yourself. There is no reason to waste the little downtime you have looking at your phone, talking to a colleague you see every day, or calling into the office. Be ready with conversation starters. (Some good examples: Are you happy? Where are you from? How long have you been with your company? How long have you been using Global Shop Solutions? Found any good places to eat around here?) Be approachable and open to people that want to meet you. And remember, they are in the same situation as you – meeting new people.

Sit at lunch with people from different companies.

This goes back to the point above. There’s something special about enjoying a meal with others in your industry. So each day we’re providing you lunch and snacks so you have lots of opportunities to network with peers and employees. Get out of your comfort zone, use those times to meet new people. Use the conversation starters above as well as “Is this seat taken?” to kick off a great meal with new people.

When you meet others, get their business cards and cell phone number.

Did you have lunch with an awesome group of new conference friends, grab a mid-day snack with a new buddy, or connect with people at the night event? Don’t leave those scenarios without getting their business card and cell phone number. One will help you keep a physical log of who you met and the other will help you connect with them outside the conference.

Walk around the facility.

Remember those connections you made with Global Shop Solutions employees earlier? Ask them to walk you around HQ, take a look at all the different departments, see where we collaborate and how we create the ERP software you use daily.

After the conference, send a postcard, card or handwritten note after the session.

Physical mail has come back in style. So use those business cards you’ve collected to send a follow-up card to the other ERP users you’d like to stay in contact with. And don’t forget the digital world – connect on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter for example so you can stay in contact long after your ERP User Conference experience is over.

We know that ERP User Conference will be a memorable experience for you. Use these tips to turn the notch up on your ERP encounter and make lasting connections for years to come.