So I first published this in a personal blog but it's definitely relevant for Brisbane Creative Industries. 

To be a pro-active event attendee is to gain the most out of events and especially with your professional development.  Here are some tips on how to gain the most of your experience - during and after an event.  Of course, preparation is key so I have also included in pointeres on what you can do before an event.

Pre event

• Look up the venue on Google Maps and print up a screenshot. Look at the transportation options. Nothing worse than not being able to attend because you can’t find the venue!
• Research the speakers and organisations. Website info should already cater for this via bio/company profiles on the event page.
• Do a bit of research into the topic and see if there were any events in the lead up to this certain one (ie if there was an industry group meeting the day before, people may be talking about it).
• Find out what the Twitter hashtag is and so a search for anyone talking about attending the same event (or if it is a series of programs like a festival, look up what the feedback is).
• Feedback for bigger events with separate programs – Twitter, blog posts (either external posts or blogs found in the event site), Google.
• Don’t be afraid to converse with people online before an event. Don’t feel obliged that you need to meet them though just because you’re following them on Twitter.
• If you recieve a Facebook invite, make sure to go to the official website to double check on the details.  Facebook is also a good way to see who else is attending an event.

During the Event

• Take notes! Seriously, take notes – it can be a full A4 notebook or Word document or a one liner on the iPhone Notes app.
• Make the effort to chat to the event organisers about the event – they’ll probably be quiet busy but it’s always nice to get a “Good work” or something during an event. Event organisers will also have a different perspective on events and I always find it interesting to see what they have to think.
• If you are tweeting during the event, put a warning to your followers beforehand (especially if it’s an all day event or a large festival).
• Don’t be afraid to have brief online conversations during an event – it should complement your experience of an event rather than compete with it though
• Make sure that you have business cards at hand or at least pen and paper. Especially in the bigger events with a lot of attenees – something to refresh your memory of someone after an event will help.
• Don’t be afraid to talk to the other attendees – you are all there for the same thing at least. The same to the speakers as well. Take advantage of any networking opportunities provided in the event.
• If there is time, do another twitter search of the event hashtag to see if anyone that you haven’t followed has mentioned something interesting about an event.
• In terms of networking/talking to attendees that you don’t know, it takes practice and time to learn how to get the most out of it. It’s also a bit daunting – you are talking to a stranger within a professional environment. You may be talking to this stranger because they happen to be standing near you, or you have been introduced to them, or you have a proposition or idea in mind that you want to share etc. Also, networking ‘circles’ start forming so there’s also the aspect that you feel like as if you are intruding upon a conversation. I find that when I approach strangers and/or these ‘circles’ , I approach them with a purpose: they look interesting, I have a question to ask them, a comment or a statement to provide, someone has pointed me out to them, etc. Name badges also help – they may be from an organisation that you are familair with or interestef in. What you can ‘give’ to them may be rejected or what they ‘give’ to you may not relevant to you but that’s ok. Move on to another topic or to someone else.

After the Event

• Things don’t end when the event stops and everyone leaves. What you do after an event is also important becuase it helps retain the information that you obtain from the speakers and attendees. Leave or take ‘items’ that will help you refresh your memory – do a search online for any comments made during or after the event, business cards, notes.
• Post-event follow up with the speakers, organisers, attendees is a good way to help remember them/you (and this goes for all sides of the spectrum, not just for the attendees) and any discussions that you may have.
• Note that event organisers are going to be extremely busy with 24 or 48 hours after an event (sometimes even more) doing follow-ups with the speakers, sponsors, venues, media, and more. However, do not hesitate to contact them – they just may be a bit on the slow side to respond in terms of timeframe
• Look up any blog entries, videos, photos and comments posted online. Again, this is another good way to help retain the information and discussions from the event.
• If you have created any content about the event, don’t forget to forward it to the organisers or speakers or even the other attendees in case they are interested.  I recommend content creation after an event as I see that this is a great way to spread the word about the speakers, attendees and the host (especially where in the creative industries you tend to rely on word of mouth).

The bottom line here is that as a pro-active attendee, you will gain a lot more during and after an event :)