Every year, attendees tell us that networking is one of the main reasons they come to SPN’s Annual Meeting. This year’s online event space offers many opportunities to connect with other attendees and build relationships—if you come prepared and avoid the temptation to get started after sessions begin.

To help you step up your virtual networking skill sets, we’ve put together some tips for making the most of your time in the online event space. While some of these recommendations are specific to SPN’s virtual Annual Meeting, you’ll find many of them useful for future Zoom calls and online conferences.

• Be public before, during, and after the event. Set up your Annual Meeting profile as soon as possible and take the time to fill out all your interests and meeting availability. If you opted in during registration, your profile will be searchable by other attendees and will be how they contact you. Take a few minutes to set up your personalized agenda. Not only will it help you keep track of the sessions you want to attend, but other attendees in that session will also be able to see your interests in advance. Being visibly active in areas like the public discussion forum is a great way to share your name and your organization’s work.
  
  
• Have goals, and set them early. Go into Annual Meeting with some firm ideas on what types of connections you want to make. Rather than focusing on quantity of contacts, it’s often best to prioritize types of interactions, such as meeting with policy experts in a specific field or communications experts who specialize in donor messaging.
  
  
• Review the attendee list in advance. Our virtual event space allows you to filter by interests and expertise areas, making it easier than ever to find the right connections at Annual Meeting.
  
  
• Bring shareable visuals and marketing collateral. From the public forum, to meet-ups, to specific events, there will be plenty of opportunities to share relevant work from your organization. Easily digestible content like an infographic is always of value, but the virtual setting makes it easier to share even detailed content.
  
  
• Block off time in your calendar to fully engage. While the virtual format offers flexibility to watch sessions at a later time, it is worth prioritizing as much real-time participation as possible. Being able to ask speakers questions, participate in in-session chats, and connect with other attendees at meet-ups will significantly increase the value of your Annual Meeting experience.
  
  
• Do the fun stuff too! Not all of Annual Meeting is work. The chess tournament, 5k for Freedom, Peloton spin session, and morning barre class offer virtual opportunities to connect with Network peers on non-work interests. Need a break from sessions and email? Surf the topics in the online discussion forum and take a virtual stroll through the exhibitor hall to discover future partners and vendors.
  
  
• Communicate in sessions. During sessions you will have the opportunity to share your thoughts and ask questions in the session chat. In addition to this, you can directly message other attendees in the session to share immediate reactions and related resources from your organizations.
  
  
• Attend a themed Meet-Up. These sessions will be less formally educational, and will offer the opportunity to engage with other attendees on a given topic. Attendees will be able to see each other, so get your business casual attire ready!
  
  
• Follow up. Like you would at an in-person event, make sure you follow up in a timely manner with connections made during Annual Meeting. Because the virtual event space will still be accessible for 90 days, you will also have the opportunity to continue engaging with other attendees through the platform and reach out to folks you couldn’t meet during the live event days.
  
  
• Use the recordings to deepen your learning. Since session recordings will be available, you have the luxury of focusing on the speaker in the moment and going back later to refresh your memory on key points. Relax, listen intently, and take the time to engage with others when the opportunity presents itself. Feel free to suggest sessions to others and to ask for suggestions in return, since you can all revisit the sessions you didn’t catch live.