How to Prepare for a Professional Event
Getting ready for National Freelancer’s Day 2022
The event
National Freelancers Day will take place on 16 June, and IPSE are hosting a virtual event to celebrate freelancers. The event also provides an opportunity for self-employed people to plan the next steps and discuss the benefits of freelancing. The event will cover freelance community and values, managing wellbeing and mental health, and financial management, alongside inspiring case studies from successful freelancers.
In anticipation of this event, we at Revolancer have investigated a few ways you can prepare ahead for National Freelancers Day, or any other networking events you might be attending this summer.
Benefits of Networking Events
Networking events are excellent ways to meet new people. Freelancing can often be a lonely trade, being a single person running a business and working remotely. As such, meeting new people can be a rarity. Attending professional events such as National Freelancer’s Day, remotely or in person, provides you with a dedicated timeslot to chat with people in a similar role.
It may also be inspiring for you to swap advice with the people there, you might learn something new about your industry, alongside some handy hints and tricks from your peers and make some excellent contacts. You never know, the people you meet here might go on to become your support and guidance while you work.
Finally, while you might be thinking – “but I could be working and earning money while at this event.” This event may turn out to be a chance to meet and connect with potential new clients. While you’re not actively making money, the advice and knowledge gained, and networks made, can all be used wisely to increase or generate new income.
Preparing Ahead
So, you’ve determined this event is worth it! You now need to ensure you have prepared ahead to make the most out of this event. Read ahead for three essential tips to ensure your success.
The purpose of attending
You’ve signed up to attend and meet new people, and you’ve taken time away from working and earning money. But why? Think about what you wish to take home from the day, is the presentation and event theme interesting to you, or is it something you have thought about before? Can you bring it into your field of freelancing? For example, National Freelancer’s Day will touch on wellbeing, and you might be the kind of person to rarely take holidays. Think about how you are going to incorporate these values into your working future.
Are you intending to make more contacts in your industry? If so, do some research and see if any of the speakers are specific to your field. Preparing ahead and understanding your purpose for attending will allow you to think of essential questions rather than floundering on the day.
Perhaps you could even connect with the speaker before the event, make yourself known, and tell them you wish to speak to them during the event. This is a polite way to approach them and is respectful of their time and schedule too. It can also make the speaker feel more at ease knowing someone ahead of the event. These simple things, such as background research and preparing questions can inform your behaviour on the day and allow you to make the most of your time there.
Prepare conversation starters
There will be little point in attending the event with no idea how to make the most of your purpose, so try not to be a wallflower – even if only a virtual one!
Take some time before the day to prepare some conversation starters. This can either be a compliment on a person’s attire, asking their name or some relevant industry news that you have in common. But also be prepared to talk about yourself. It’s possible you will be approached by other attendees asking you many of the same questions, and this will allow you to expand on other conversations.
What to wear
While the National Freelancer’s Day event is virtual, you may still be visible through a webcam. It is important to always look professional to make excellent first impressions, especially if your goal is to network with potential new clients. It sends the message that you are someone to be taken seriously, and someone who spends time on their appearance. Caring about how you represent yourself demonstrates to others that they should take you seriously and provides extra credibility to your status.
In situations like this, making sure you have a professional and tidy background is also essential. While much of your attire might be disguised by the screen, your background may give away just as much as your in-person attire and presentation can encourage the same promising interactions. The same is true for how you interact with yourself – a tidy room makes for a tidy mind. Being somewhere organised will allow you to think in a more structured way, once again, making the most of your time at the event.
Ultimately dressing smartly and professionally can significantly impact how you feel, present yourself, and especially surge your mental preparedness and confidence. These two factors will enable you to feel empowered and in control.
Before you go
If you found this article insightful, be sure to check out How to Make Money Online for Graduates for more insight on finding your niche and getting paid for flexible working.
Freelance marketplace: Revolancer
