How to Survive Industry Events

I recently attended the first annual San Diego Music & Technology Conference where I met many amazing people working in the electronic music industry as well as other industry professionals who are making major inroads everyday with the Indie music scene.

During these two days I spent a good 15+ hours/day attending panels and after parties not to just have fun but to actually talk to other people and of course that included holding a lot of alcoholic beverages in my hand which leads me to writing this quick guide at succeeding in attending conferences like these...


QUICK GUIDE TO SUCCESSFULLY SURVIVING INDUSTRY EVENTS
1. Dress appropriately: my friend, @eyemusing, represented The Mixster and as such we tried to dress appropriately in a mixture of leggings, skirts, shorts, nice outerwear, and cute accessories. So even though you might not be officially part of the industry, at least throw on a decent jacket that makes your outfit look put together. Trust me, no one wants to talk to a school marm.

2. Do NOT drink every drink offered you (unless you can handle it that is): drinking and getting drunk at afterparties is ALWAYS a bad idea. It can lead to making a fool of oneself OR worse you can end up puking on an executive which is that much worse. (yes I've witnessed this) If anything do what I do and keep switching drinks so people think you're keeping up with them OR get the drinks yourself and order just juices or sodas, just remember never to share drinks or your act is up.

3. Look Older: Looking somewhat old is a good thing at these things. You can get into trouble for looking young, like getting kicked out of a club where the final after party is occuring (yes this comes from personal experience). So do the whole thick makeup, dark clothing, with four inch "kill heels". (Although after four hours of walking around and dancing around in them, you're "my feet are hurting" walk might lead them to also believe you're drunk when the only thing you had to drink that was alcohol related was four years prior (yes this is also from personal experience).

4. Keep cards on you at all times: by cards I mean your business cards. Even at random times you might run into a good opportunity to network, yes even in the bathroom. (I was able to network with an executive from a big label while waiting for a stall) Having it ready makes you seem THAT much more professional. =)

5. Have fun: I know it's work and what not but having fun is key. If you can't enjoy these events then what's the point in attending them at all. Remember to always enjoy what you do. =)