Prospecting and Networking Apps for ATD Conference Attendees

If you were to time travel back a decade or two, you could revisit attending conferences with reams of promotional paper goods and boxes of business cards in tow. In the pre-tech era the traditional conference protocol was to bring plenty of hard copy materials, and never be caught short.

It was better to come prepared with too many business cards than too few. Think about not being able to share your contact information with a person you just met at a conference that you’d love to collaborate with. If you weren’t carrying plenty of business cards, that could be one crucial missed opportunity.

Fast forward to today and how times have changed. Partly due to a more ecologically-minded approach to business and daily life and partly due to convenience, now paper goods have been largely replaced by handheld devices with storage capacities and technological sophistication unimaginable just even a short decade ago.

Has conference clutter been minimized in the modern age? Absolutely! But with tech innovations comes a new challenge: Selectively choosing from the many app options at one’s disposal. The scope of available apps can be dizzying, and dedicated conference attendees should have a streamlined list of what is most beneficial for their respective needs.

With the 2015 ATD International Conference & Exposition in full gear, there is no better time than the present to offer a consolidated list of important apps that merit consideration for anyone working within a conference setting. Choices are varied, so select wisely and make your ATD Conference visit a profitable one.

Operations Apps

• Gone are the days of hiding handfuls of business cards in your conference materials. Evernote, Cardmunch or Evernote Hello allow users to collect business cards digitally for easy storage and organization. Has there ever been a better reason to dispense with your antique Rolodex?
• For those interested in daily planners, Rapportive can facilitate the process of reviewing client projects and company information, as well as monitoring interactive contacts for conference speaking engagements.
• Additional daily planning support can be found with Boomerang. Emails can be scheduled for future transmittal, as can calendar updates and reminders. Gmail and Outlook access have never been simpler.
• Anyone active on Twitter should consider using Buffer at the next conference. Tweets can be scheduled for future posting irrespective of one’s workload. Buffer is an ideal way to stay active in real time on Twitter without disrupting continuity during conference commitments.
• Sales professionals will find LinkedIn of special importance as it utilizes an advanced search feature to identify potential marketing targets. Future clients can be located using specifics such as keywords, particular business status/relationship, industry, and geographic location
• Navigating the conference circuit is always an exercise in time and task management. Charlie can help with the latter by working as a liaison between you and your first time contacts by emailing one-page info sheets on your fellow attendees.
• Planely is the app equivalent of Big Brother, but without the oppressive surveillance. Simply put, the app allows the user to identify which attendees are traveling at the same time so that convenient meetings can be scheduled prior to conference hours.

Logistics Apps

• For those interested in entertainment through fine dining, Open Table gives users the ability to make reservations, explore menus, check reviews, and earn reward points. During conference season, restaurants can often be standing room only, so it behooves anyone interested in taking clients out to eat to have reservations made early and effortlessly.
• As conferences often attract participants from different locales, the Time and Date world clock app is vital for keeping current on visitors from other time zones, as well as for managing one’s own travel and meeting plans.
• Everyone is responsible for submitting T&E reports from their road work, and nothing incurs the ire of Accounts Payable more than missing receipts or shoddy expense reporting. Shoeboxed is your personal accountant for tracking receipts and organizing your expense reportage.
• Similar to Shoeboxed, GoodBudget tracks and organizes the user’s personal spending from any given business trip. A combination of the two apps will guarantee a clear accounting of what was spent, and what can be submitted for reimbursement.
• If you are partial to community relations, then Viber may be an app worth considering. Sending free messages and making free calls to other Viber users can greatly reduce company phone charges, especially since communications can be made from any device and network, and in any country.
• Once the domain of a dedicated personal assistant (or tour manager), travel itineraries can be logged into TripIt and updated as necessary with minimal effort. An organized itinerary will keep a person on time for scheduled conference events, as well as multiple trips.

If you plan on visiting the 2015 ATD International Conference & Exposition, we will be one of the 10,500 strong in attendance so please visit us at booth #1412. Our company is a leader in global sales training and sales force effectiveness, and we’d welcome the opportunity to meet you and get your feedback. And if you find us with one of the listed apps, let us know!