If you’re not always learning and growing, then you and your business are dying. Some of Steven Sonsino’s (go »») clients are shocked to learn that every year Steve, already considered by many as a management guru, personally spend a minimum of 33 thousand euros on continuing education, including business books, self-study courses, coaching, and… especially… attending live events.
«In fact, attending live events is the most important element of executive development, because they pay off TENFOLD in real terms!» says Steven Sonsino. And no, the business schools he works for don’t pay for him to attend those programmes – he pays out of his own pocket.
6 Reasons Why Successful Leaders Attend Live Programmes
There are at least 6 reasons that attending live events is one of the BEST ways to turbocharge your leadership and your business.
1) You get complete immersion in your subject: we are big supporter of self-study programmes – including books, CDs, DVDs and courses – we sell them, after all. But NOTHING compares with getting away from your office or home, spending a few days with professional faculty and other “students”, and completely focusing on learning new strategies to improve yourself and your business.
2) You meet people who really understand what you do: «When I first started out in my first leadership role I really didn’t have anyone else to talk to about it. It was a really lonely time. Then I remember walking into my first leadership seminar, and within five minutes realised I had hundreds of people to talk to who “GOT” what I was trying to do as a leader! We could exchange ideas, share resources and coach each other. It was a whole new world and I’ve never looked back. I love attending seminars and workshops. You should too.» says Steven Sonsino.
3) More Business, More Leads, and more High-Level Opportunities: It isn’t unusual after attending live events to come home with dozens of new acquaintances and tons of cards from your colleagues on the programme. Many of these people are willing to collaborate with you in some way on your projects. Sometimes you even make direct sales of your product or service. And you will always come away with invitations to visit other businesses in other parts of the world. Some of those events are very expensive? Yes, sure, but remind that the quality of the people at an event often correlates with its price tag. You will generally meet more successful people at the events that cost more. It is not difficult to figure out why that is.
4) Deals on Continuing Education and Coaching: many of the speakers at the live events you can attend also offer self- study resources, or some type of continuing education. So attending live programmes is a great place to check people out and decide whose material you want to get and who you want to continue learning from. Plus there are usually special offers given on the spot there to encourage you to invest in your future. So you will save money, as well as learn.
5) Visit New Places and Have Fun in a Tax Deductible Way: talk with your accountant about this one, but in most cases educational events are usually completely tax deductible. After all, you’re traveling there to learn, network, and increase your business. Even if this is not your cup of tea, hang around near the hotel bar and certainly stick around for coffee breaks and during lunch. You’ll find this is where everyone congregates and the real networking happens. But be sure to get OUT of the hotel at least one night to enjoy the city you’re visiting!
6) Access to the “Gurus” – in Person: the speakers at live events are usually very accessible. You’ll always find Steven Sonsino, for instance, hanging out in the hallways, in the lobby, and in the coffee bar. Other faculty are just the same. You can easily catch a few minutes of their time to ask a quick question or discuss a point they made in their presentation. This is an extremely rare opportunity – you can’t just call these folks up and get them on the phone! This type of access is priceless and will also get you more exposure and credibility.
How to get the return on your investment
When it’s all over, you’ll be exhausted, but you’ll have more energy and enthusiasm for your leadership challenge and for your business than ever before. Plus you’ll have new, powerful connections with people and proven strategies ready to implement!
So make sure you take the opportunity to get to a live seminar this year. There are some things you just can’t get from a book. And make sure you do apply at least ONE of the ideas you got during the event (do not forget to take notes!) and that you do FOLLOW-UP on the contacts and the resources you bought!
Special thanks to Steven Sonsino for the inspiration. This post is adapted from the page on events in his website (go»»)
We specially recommend the event QSP Summit (go»»). We can also recommend you the best events to attend based on what you want to achieve. And we can get you some interesting discounts… Interested? Please contact us.
