Self development: Why you SHOULD go to that conference

In the fast-moving, ever-changing world we work in staying on top of business trends and the newest ways of working can be difficult, yet not keeping up-to-date can be detrimental for your business.

But in a post-pandemic world, for some of us, we’ve either become suspicious and anxious in large gatherings of people, or simply got out of the habit of going along to these vital events.

Need a bit of a push on why you should click ‘accept’ on that invitation and blow the dust off your overnight bag?

Here’s the benefits of attending a conference to learn:

  • A variety of topics, opinions and answers in one place - The wide range of topics that you get at a conference, can provide a level of insight into areas that you never considered before, potentially opening your ways of thinking to more creative and innovative solutions to normal.

  • Learn from people that have actually 'walked the walk' - Conferences provide you with the opportunity to learn how people have dealt in a certain situation (successfully or unsuccessfully) and to find ways of associating that with your organisation.

  • Gain a wider overview - Training and organisation structure tends to lend itself to keeping us siloed, meaning that we don't necessarily understand how other parts of the organisation work. A conference provides points of view and examples of the processes within various other parts of the organisation, which will give you a more general overview of how the organisation tackles problems. This overview may change your approach to problems within the organisation.

  • Networking can provide new answers to old questions - Often many organisations can get stuck in their ways and conferences provide the opportunity to network with a plethora of people from different industries, organisations and functions, which can widen your horizons and approach to business.

Conferences provide a different type of more 'hands-on' learning than typical training organisations offer, making it more interactive and providing examples that resonate with our working environment.

If you're new to a situation, position or industry, a conference could be the perfect way to learn, network and develop your skills - so go, already!