Whatever your political persuasion, you had to be surprised by John McCain’s pick yesterday of Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. The conventional wisdom was that he would choose Mitt Romney or Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, or maybe as a longshot, Carly Fiorina or Meg Whitman. But Palin? She really hadn’t been on anybody’s short list.
How did someone from a state so far away from Washington D.C. even get on McCain’s radar screen in the first place?
According to a McCain spokesperson, “John McCain first met Governor Sarah Palin at the National Governors Association meeting in Washington in February of 2008 and came away extraordinarily impressed. John McCain followed her career and admired her tenacity and her many accomplishments.”
While I used to shy away from conferences and big events myself, I quickly realized as a busy entrepreneur that I had to use my networking time productively, and conferences have become my favorite place to be. Organizers say that the number one reason people go to conferences is to network. That means that those who are there want to network with YOU.
But it’s not just the sheer numbers of people you can meet that is so appealing. It’s also about WHO you can meet. Speakers and other VIPs at the event are much more accessible than they would be otherwise. And just like Governor Palin, a chance meeting could turn into the opportunity of a lifetime.
Going to a conference this fall? Learn simple yet powerful secrets for maximizing your ROI.
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