How do you establish long-term relationships with your conference audience?

Always, Always, Always, let people know how they can reach you! "Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn if you want to hear more on this subject" is an example of what you can say at the end of the talk. It gives people permission to reach out and stay in touch with you for future opportunities.

To continue being top of mind for your audience members, invite them to be on a newsletter or ezine that you create. Even if it's only a quarterly article, that's likely enough to make them remember you for years without feeling like a constant noodge.

Further to that research, it’s also important to know who YOU would like to maintain those long lasting relationships. Often times, audiences are comprised of people from various niches, even if they are attending a conference with a general theme. Knowing what niche you would like to connect and have the long-term relationships with, and which ones you would like to explore, make for a fantastic post-conference networking session!

Q and A - Give value by asking the audience what they need and provide your expertise for free. Giving value up front establishes trust.

Networking before ans after my presentation is a great way for me to connect and start to build a relationship with my audience. I usually receive many messages on email, LinkedIn and Instagram and this is an opportunity for me to get to know more about my audience as individuals. Asking questions to fully understand their roles and what is important to them. As a result, I have collaborated with different leaders and also got hires for my services. The focus on building healthy relationships has blessed me with more than I expected.

Engagement can be as simple as asking people to raise their hands at various times during your talk. No need to get fancy with it, just make people feel like they're part of the experience.

Engagement can take various forms. Ultimately, the long-term relationships are easier built when your presentation/talk is able to stand out. Anyone can start with a “Hi, I am X, I work at Y and love to do Z”. But the real engagement comes from delivering that message in a more engaging, fun, and memorable way. The aim of the speaker should be to make the audience curious enough (beyond the content of the presentation), that they reach out via platforms provided (such as LinkedIn).

Be thoroughly prepared so you can give your complete attention to the audience. Greet and mingle with participants as they enter the venue, private conversations enhance public participation. Create a safe environment, stay connected and present, and move them to their goals. Use a facilitated style, "tapping in" to their experience. Ask questions, and have the group write down their top ideas or answers. Ask for volunteers to share their ideas. Use FUN, creative, and icebreakers, to get participants moving, interacting, & getting involved. Facilitate a follow-up conversation regarding what they learned. Utilize small group activities and discussions to multiply involvement. Follow-up with open-ended questions to process the learning.

I believe that first, you need to build some type of relationship with your audience. Be there even before your presentation starts, walk around and see people, look them closely and look them in their eyes, be observant. When you get to the stage, mention some of the features you have seen: it would feel like you have connected to them even before they realize it. This 'surprise' might strengthen their connection to you.

There are styles. While you are feeling the truth on you, you may use jargon if it is needed to hook a concept when the abstraction you are trying to explain is complex. Keep thinking how to be easy to explain and drop pop culture concepts to create baselines.

If your presentation was at a conference, consider those who couldn't attend as well - posting follow ups on LinkedIn with key takeaways allows for your audience to recall and connect, but also for others to contribute to and learn from the discussions and topics. If your presentation was an internal or confidential engagement, send a summary of you takeaways of your presentation and of what you heard from other speakers or discussion and Q&A with the audience to your key contact.

After a conference, I make it a priority to follow up with the audience to build meaningful, long-term relationships. I start by connecting with attendees on LinkedIn, personalizing my message to reference the event and our shared interests. I also share valuable content, such as insights or resources related to the talk, and invite them to engage in further discussions. Over time, I nurture these connections by staying active in their network, commenting on posts, and offering support where relevant. This consistent, thoughtful engagement turns a one-time event into lasting professional relationships.

Deliver your talk exactly as you promised the person who hired you for the event. And even before you sign a customer, be sure to meet every expectation exactly during the prospecting or buying phase. This is the best way to establish trust with event organizers. In addition, other things like readily taking feedback, leveraging recommendations, and continuously focusing on improvement are other things that speakers can do to build trust.

Trust starts with your workshop and providing what you promised. I always say your workshop description motivates your audience to attend your workshop, but once they are there you must equip and inspire. When you add value and tangible tools that can solve your audience problem that is when you build trust. An easy way to equip your audience is by giving them a method, steps, a handout that they can use to then go solve their problem. For example if you are doing a workshop for staff that support students in their leadership development. One thing you can do is provide them with a mini assessment tool that helps students identify their leadership style. By adding value you now open up the opportunity to stay connected.

Building trust with a conference audience starts with delivering genuine, valuable content that resonates with their needs and interests. I focus on being authentic, sharing personal experiences, and offering actionable insights. Engaging with the audience through interactive Q&A sessions helps create a connection, showing that I value their input. Post-conference, I maintain trust by consistently providing helpful resources and staying accessible for further questions or conversations.(even via email post event) By being transparent, dependable, and genuinely invested in their growth, I create the foundation for a long-term relationship that extends beyond the event.

Building trust with your audience at a conference will start the moment you walk up to speak. How do you walk, what is your posture like, what energy did you bring onto that platform? Your opening words also have the power to dictate how much you audience will resonate with you. Choose them carefully. You want to be memorable and to do that, they need to know you instantly. By nature we chose what we think of someone, and for most people we see, we are indifferent. How can you change that perspective in those first moments? Share a relatable anecdote or a thought-provoking statistic. Invite the audience to participate early on to foster that connection.

Invite your audience to keep in touch via social media, email, and through other events or groups. As a speaker, consider resources to help the audience and share them generously. You may want to set up a resource page for your audience so they can go deeper into your topic.

To nurture your conference audience effectively, engage consistently through social media, newsletters, and forums, providing tailored content and seeking feedback. Facilitate networking opportunities for collaboration and community-building. Offer ongoing education via webinars, workshops, or online courses to support their development. Maintain transparent communication and genuine interest in their needs to foster trust and loyalty over time. By implementing these strategies, you can cultivate lasting relationships with your audience.

Personally I start by staying connected through personalized LinkedIn messages, thanking them for their participation and inviting further dialogue. I share valuable follow-up content, such as event takeaways, articles, or tools relevant to the session. Consistently engaging with their posts and providing helpful insights keeps the relationship active. I also offer ongoing support, such as answering questions or offering mentorship where appropriate. By being genuinely invested in their growth and staying accessible, I foster a strong, lasting connection that extends beyond the event

Talkadot is an app that allows presenters to create a QR code for attendees to scan, allowing attendees to, among other things, provide their email addresses. Create an email list using these addresses and email attendees periodically about content that'd be useful to them (e.g. additional insights on your presentation topic, insights of others, book recommendations, etc.).

Building a brand generally requires you to spend years creating positive, engaging touchpoints between yourself and the target audience. I would say that before you actually engage to build true brand, build the relationship with your customer before they are even customers. Yes, you heard it right. Spoken reputation matters. Integrate your efforts operating in the eco-sysytem- 1. Let's say someone invites you to the event. 2. The potential customer experiences you at the conference. 3. You engage with the customer and offer to connect outside the event. 4. The potential customer meets you to an in-demand experience you offer as an expert. 5. The customer tells their friends that they benefitted — and that’s grassroots marketing. Possible!

I have exactly one recommendation here: be authentic. Be yourself. And be approachable. I can tell for sure that the fact, that I'm weird enough to walk up a stage and speak in front of people doesn't make me special. If you see me, talk to me. And this is what I'm trying to convey at any given opportunity. Have questions after the talk? Shoot them via email or social! Wanna chat? Find me at the lunch buffet. I'll be hanging out in the hackergarden afterwards.

Also consider allowing members of the audience to sign up for a free newsletter. Ask the meeting/event planner beforehand. Put all disclaimers in place, of course. This will keep them in your ecosystem for a bit. If your content is valuable and engaging it could be for a LONG time.