Every year our industry gets together to share knowledge and meet new people at the National Association of Home Care & Hospice’s Annual Meeting (NAHC). Our team looks forward to making the trip and sharing how we’ve enhanced our products year after year. NAHC’s annual meeting is a great opportunity to hear firsthand how challenges, like Pre-Claim Review, are affecting agencies across the country. We use this insight to further improve our platform and ensure we fulfill the needs of our customers.
Now that we’ve been attending for several years, we’ve come up with some best practices for maximizing time spent at the annual conference. We’re all about maximizing return on investment before, during, and after each conference we attend.
Determine goals for the conference
Whether it’s your first time attending NAHC or your 5th, why are you making the investment to attend? Are there specific topics you want to learn about or people you’d like to meet? Take the time to think about why you’re attending and set goals for who you’d like to meet. If your company needs to make a decision on a vendor, set a goal to meet with at least 3, so you can come back with valuable comparisons for your team.
Set up meetings ahead of time
Research vendors, competitors, and presenters prior to attending the conference. You can view a full list of presenters and vendors on NAHC’s website. Once you know what sessions you’d like to attend and who you’d like to meet with, create an itinerary. NAHC offers a My Planner section that also syncs with their mobile app. It can be easy to get off track so try to stick to your itinerary, but be sure to leave time for impromptu meetings and dinners.
Make connections
To maximize your time at the conference, you’ll need to put yourself out there. Get to sessions early, ask questions, and listen- don’t just collect business cards. If your goal is to educate yourself and your staff, ask questions to presenters and vendors. If you’re looking to generate new business, know how to effectively describe your business in its current state.
In your downtime relax in places where you can meet people easily, like the Gaylord pool or exhibit hall. You can also check out the conference on social media using NAHC’s (@OfficialNAHC) official conference hashtag.
Follow up
Meet someone new at the conference? Whether you spoke with them for five minutes or forty-five, follow up with them while the conversation is fresh in your mind. You never know who can help you improve your business, so don’t be afraid to keep the conversation going after the conference ends.
Share what you learned
Information presented at the conference can be valuable not just for you, but for your whole team. Take detailed notes while you’re in Orlando. Once you return, summarize them so they can be shared with your team. Meet with colleagues to recap and knowledge share. Consider sending out a company email or organizing a brief 15 minute industry update meeting. Share your feedback and thoughts with conference organizers and vendors to help them improve. Lastly, don’t forget to bring back swag from the exhibit hall to give to your team!
At the end of the day, you want to maximize the investment you made in the conference, so put yourself out there. You won’t be alone as many people in our industry will be out of their comfort zone. Take advantage of everything the conference has to offer, from educational sessions and face-to-face vendor interaction to giveaways and the Gaylord’s awesome amenities.
