Interested in the Catalyst East discount? Find your discount code at the end of this post…
In October, I will (finally) attend my first Catalyst Leadership Conference. In order to prepare for it the best way possible I researched all the speakers and investigated lab options. Yet, I wanted something more real-time. I needed something that constantly fed me the latest information on relevant topics, whenever I wanted. So, naturally, I turned to Twitter.
I keep Twitter streams running on a separate monitor with columns for various interests, such as brands and websites I manage as well as relevant #leadership hash tags. To monitor these streams all day, I use Hootsuite. The streams alert me when there is a lot of discussion about something important to me. With this system already in place, I thought, why not add a Twitter list for the Catalyst East conference?
The result is the Catalyst East Twitter List with 54 accounts (at present). Please, share the list with other conference attendees.
Uses for Twitter Lists at Events
It occurred to me, after creating the list, a similar approach may be useful to you and others. In addition to conferences, here are some other events for which you may find a custom twitter list useful:
1. Meetings
Sales presentations, board meetings, union sessions or even community council sessions are all good opportunities to leverage twitter lists. Especially for public meetings. You can share the list with all attendees a week or two ahead of time so attendees can familiarize themselves with topics each member is considering.
2. Interviews
If you’re headed to an interview, checking social feeds of your potential interviewers is always a good idea. If they have a public Twitter stream, you may want to put them in a list. Be careful on this one though, lists are typically public and your list creation could be misinterpreted. Use your best judgement.
3. Churches
Visiting pastors, active on social media, would especially appreciate these lists. Why not keep a list of congregational members? Your youth group might not be thrilled at first, but the transparency may call attention to the public nature of these communications and the opportunities and risks inherrent.
4. Rallies
I’m a biker, when my other priorities allow me to be. Before heading to my next rally, I’ll be making a similar list. What rallies are you headed to that attendees would appreciate a Twitter stream and list for?
5. Trade Shows
Trade shows are full of marketing. There are likely hundreds of people vying for attention. A Twitter list will help consolidate them all for attendees and identify key booths, organizations and / or products in attendance.
Creating Your Own Twitter List for an Event
The next time you’re preparing to attend an event, here’s how I suggest you compile your own, “Event Preparation Twitter List”:
1. Conference Organizers
These are the easiest individuals to identify far in advance. For example, I visited the Catalyst Space Team page and found the Twitter accounts of everyone that works on these great events. Most conferences and major events have similar pages.
2. Speakers
Speakers are not always identified long in advance. In fact, chances are you will need to revisit this page as the event draws close and update your Twitter list accordingly. Here is the Catalyst speakers page I referenced.
3. Organizations
Most events have presenting organizations. This is especially true for Trade Shows. Whether it is an associated trade floor or conference sponsors, most of these organizations will also have relevant Twitter accounts you could add to the list. Catalyst’s sponsor page can be found here.
4. Attendees
This is a tough one. If your event is small to medium size and you have access to the names, you could add attendees to the list. However, I would suggest making this a separate list. Many people may not want to follow everyone attending. As for Catalyst, sorry gang, even if I had all your names, I don’t think I’d track down all 13,000+.
So, if you’re planning to attend Catalyst – or even just wish you were – check out the Catalyst East Twitter List. If you’re attending another event, consider making your own list. I bet the attendees (and organizers) will appreciate it.
For those of you attending Catalyst East in Atlanta this year, you can get a single registration for only $249 (regular $319) – a 22% discount, via the Modern Servant Leader: use discount code MSL at Catalyst’s online registration. But hurry, this discount code is only good until September 22nd!
Question: What are other good uses for Twitter Lists?
