Your Guide to the 2017 Inc. 5000 Conference

By Matt Kamp

We recently announced that our company was on the 2017 Inc. 5000, and we are extra enthusiastic about attending the Inc. 5000 Conference 10th Anniversary Celebration on Oct. 10-12. I am heading to California with a few teammates to mingle with other leaders from around the world who were honored this year.

A few of our clients who were recognized will be attending, too. We’re excited to congratulate them in person and celebrate together!

Here are just a few of the standout companies (some of which are our clients) that we want to recognize for their great work:

If you’re attending this year, here’s a quick guide to help you make the most of it. Feel free to use these tips at any conference you attend this year, as I’m sure they’re applicable to a variety of events.

1. Connect.

Obviously, when you go to events like these, you want to connect with people in your industry. But what I mean here goes beyond just approaching someone, giving him or her your best sales pitch, and seeing what happens.

Instead, connect with attendees on a deeper level. Get to know them by asking questions about what they do, and as you chat, think about how you might be able to help them and deliver actual value — not how you might turn each person into your next client.

Inc. is especially focused on building a community of industry leaders and innovators. Respect that by finding ways to let the leadership and innovation in others shine. Tap into these traits, and strive to learn from these individuals.

2. Don’t go dark on social.

Conferences are fantastic for social engagement because there are always event organizers, leaders, speakers, and attendees to tag and hashtags to use to keep up with what’s happening in real time.

Search the appropriate hashtags for the event you’re at (for example, #Inc5000) to meet someone new, learn about a speaker, or discover an event that might not have been on your radar otherwise.

3. Plan out your session agenda.

Some people like to wing it when it comes to conferences and events, but if you want to maximize your time, map out an agenda before things get started. Inc. 5000 is a bit of an outlier in that you don’t have to register for each individual session, but that doesn’t mean having an idea of what you want to see and do before you head home is a bad idea. Check out the speakers and sessions, figure out where you want to be, and put together an agenda to hold yourself accountable.

Hopefully, this quick guide gets you excited to make the most of the Inc. 5000 Conference (or any conference you’re attending this year). I’ll be at this year’s Inc. 5000 Conference, so if you’ll be attending, too, feel free to say hi or reach out to me via Twitter @themattkamp.