Here's how you can effectively convey your professional brand in conferences.

Here is a bit of advice I took to heart. If you met a complete stranger, could you articulate what your company and business does in 60 seconds or less and have them understand it? This is the approach that you need to take in crafting your pitch.

In addition to crafting a strong pitch, authenticity and consistency is crucial to building trust and lasting impressions which will ensure every interaction reinforces your brand.

You know yourself better than anyone, and you need to know how to articulate your value clearly and quickly—especially at a conference. Without boring your counterpart, elaborate in a few key words what you do, why you do it and why it matters, then quickly pass the ball to the person you're speaking with by asking the same question. By doing so, you show interest in the other person's point of view, which in turn will define your own professional and personal brand as one that's open to listen and learn. Remember, to be interesting you have to first be interested.

Remember your pitch is only partially about you - it should be about the person you are speaking to or the group you want to connect with. We think our intro is all about us, but it's truly about what value we can bring to the person we're speaking to. You pitch should include three parts: 1) Who you are, 2) Who you help, 3) What's the outcome of working with you. You can adjust this based on who you're speaking to.

The way you dress describes the way you are. By dressing the part you show that you are taking what you do seriously. This is not about fashion or lifestyle or nothing of the sort. This is pure non-verbal communication. Your attire conveys an aspect of your personal and professional brand. Dress wisely.

In my experience, the best way to engage actively is to ask open-ended questions (such as "How?" and "Why?") and to listen actively by showing interest, making eye contact, nodding your head and giving non-verbal cues that hint to the fact that you are reacting to what you hear without interrupting. I remember a conversation where I spoke probably 10-15% of the time, while for the most part I was simply listening with interest. At the end of the conversation, my counterpart said: "You are great to talk to!" Why? Because I didn't do all the talking, and I listened carefully.

Meeting someone at a conference and having a nice conversation is only half the battle. To really succeed in business and make the most of a conference experience, the most crucial action to take is to follow up. And in doing so you have to try your best to be natural, interesting and (most importantly) to find a compelling way to tie back to the conversation you had during the conference. Only this type of follow-up will have a good chance of turning a simple meeting into a valuable connection.

This is where most people fail and thus the truly committed shine! Having a structure around this is critical to success. I block time after events for this follow up, and have a system in place for continuing the connection/conversation.

When we think about simple ways to add value to those we want to connect with, tagging/sharing/boosting things from others (including the conference) is a great one. People greatly appreciate it, and it takes such little time. It ends up being a win win which can also lead to a good follow up.

Social media is nowadays a platform that nobody can avoid. Much like a public square back at the beginning of the twentieth century, social channels are where it's at. Conversations start there, news are learned there and trends are born there. The best way to leverage it is to choose the right channels for you and your audience and learn the right etiquette for that environment (i.e., what to share, how to interact, etc.) Social is crucial. Ignore it at your own peril.