There are hundreds and thousands of e-Commerce conferences; around the world and in any given year. These can differ in their scope and approach. Some are more high-profile ones while others are low-profile in nature but more focussed in approach. A bit of planning can help you make the most out of such business events. In fact, advance planning is the key to derive maximum benefits from attending conferences.

Here are the things to know before attending e-Commerce conferences.

The conference as per your Requirements

You needn’t attend every e-Commerce conference out there. For busy professionals, this is simply not feasible. Every conference may not be useful to you. So, take some time to find the ideal conference as per your business or professional requirements.

For instance, if you are looking for a China e-Commerce conference in London, a simple online search can provide you with good leads. You can then check their websites to learn the conference details and see which one is worth your time and money.

Conference Details

The planning needs to include details such as location, dates, agenda, speaker line-up, events, and cost of the ticket. You can find such information on the conference websites.

The dates are announced in advance; giving people enough time to plan their visits.

The location is important as you need to check if travelling there is suited for your budget or not. The same applies to ticket pricing. Usually, if you book months before the conference date, you might get early bird offers on the ticket. Such offers are extremely helpful as the discounts are significant.

The agenda or the focus of the conference may change each year or remain the same depending on the industry. Some conferences may focus more on the technology aspect of e-Commerce businesses; others may be more general in nature – covering different aspects of online retail businesses. There are also now e-Commerce conferences focussing on branding, social media marketing, and SEM for online businesses. The conferences may focus on small retailers or global businesses; and the strategies to implement for their operational success.

The speaker line-up is one of the main draws for every conference. You must check them out and plan to attend your choice of events or panel discussions in advance. The speakers will be thought leaders, visionaries, and successful voices in the e-Commerce category. You can choose your events depending on the things you wish to learn for your business or professional growth.

Conference Benefits

When you are planning to attend a conference, you need to also think about its utility for your business or professional growth. You need to consider –

  Will you be able to acquire the knowledge you really want to gain for your business’s growth? The chief focus of attending conferences is to expand your knowledge or expertise in a specific field. You need to seriously consider if the conference is worth it in terms of the cost and your time.

  Will it offer the right networking opportunities? One of the benefits of attending conferences is that you can expand your network. Consider if meeting the speakers and other attendees from your industry is worth attending the conference.

  Will attending the conference help you increase your sales? The goal of every business is to expand sales – month after month; year after year. Consider if the conference you wish to attend can help you in any way in this regard.

The e-commerce conference you attend must offer you something unique in terms of your learning growth. There are benefits of learning directly from industry leaders and successful e-Commerce professionals. You may find information about a certain topic online. But you may not get the benefit of the experts’ first-hand experiences in the e-Commerce industry.

You may also not get the networking opportunities if you simply choose to find the information you need online. Meeting industry peers in conferences is a chance to discuss pitfalls and challenges of the industry or solutions required for positive change.

If you deem an e-Commerce conference worthwhile by way of the above factors; go ahead and book your ticket.