Training Events

Should you pay to attend training events? At first glance you might not think the costs are worth the expense but then you might not be considering the unadvertised advantages of the event either. In this article we’ll take a look at why you may want to consider the power of a good idea, ways to make your money back on the deal, and what after hours gatherings can do for your network of contacts. These factors will tell you if an event is “worth it” or not.

Paying for training is a topic I used to consider pretty seriously because, conferences, seminar, training events, boot camps, and two day courses can all cost money you never seem to have. That’s not even considering the plane tickets, hotel, food, and rental car. Everything can add up pretty quickly and if your not careful an initial look at the figures can potentially scare you off of the idea all together. So to help relieve those fears, let’s take a look at a few key concepts that can help you decide on the value of an event.

What Events Should You Attend

Picking an event can be a daunting task, but here are a few of the top things to consider when choosing an event to attend.

1. Relevance to your existing activities – Is the event relevant to what you are currently doing? Does it offer exposure to inside information that can make you more productive at what you already do? Could what you learn help to increase your bottom line?
2. Expansion into new areas – Does the event offer information about new areas of opportunity? Will this new information allow you to move into an area that you are not currently capable of entering? Will this new information potentially increase your bottom line?
3. Quality of information – Who is presenting the information? Is the information coming from a trusted source? Is the information being presented by a traveling flea circus or by one of the top presenters in your field?
4. Opportunity for making contacts – Who is scheduled to speak at the event? Who is planning to attend the event? Do other people you would like to partner with attend these events? Have they attended them in the past? Will there be off line opportunities to mix and mingle?

If you can answer positively to any or all of these questions, then most likely you have the formula for a profitable event. Learning new skills, adding to existing skills, receiving good quality information, and meeting new partners and industry contacts are all elements of a successful event that you can not put a finite dollar value on.

How Much Is Too Much To Pay

When estimating the real cost of an event you should consider what value the event will bring to you long term. In fact, it helps if you ask the question, “What will it cost me if I don’t attend this event?” If you can’t honestly answer that question with an overwhelmingly positive result, then odds are you shouldn’t consider the event as a real option anyway.

Remember, there are lots of events out there that would love to have your money, but you can’t possibly attend them all, nor should you try. But, if you can honestly point to a series of advantages for attending and definite disadvantages for not attending, then you have a strong argument for participation. The price of an event is only expensive if there are no rewards for spending your money and your time. On the other hand, an event can cost you plenty in lost time and money if you don’t attend because you think it “costs too much”.

How To Make Your Money Back

It is generally understood that what you can learn at just one event can more than pay for your entry fee. Consider that if you walk away with even one new idea, that idea can be all that’s needed to cover the cost of attendance. However, as mentioned before, what most people don’t consider when calculating the costs is the dollar value associated with meeting people and making industry contacts.

Information is a wonderful element of power for removing the barriers to building a successful online business, but no one is an island and the combined efforts of a network of individuals can exponentially thrust your business in a positive direction. Long term success is built on the strength of contacts and partnerships that are made at events and through first hand interaction with others. A successful joint venture with someone can easily allow you to recover the cost of attending an event.

In the realm of Internet Marketing of course there is also the aspect of promoting an event as an affiliate. This can be a great way to offset the cost of an event because for each referral commission you make, you essentially reduce the direct cost of the event to you. Of course, this is not the only way to make money off of an event.

If you run a blog you can immediately begin to write about what you’ve learned while attending an event. In effect, the people who have not attended the event directly, your readers, will have access to valuable information and they will be highly interested in what you have to say because, you are there and they are not. If you wrap your articles with blended affiliate links, and paid promotions then you can immediately begin to monetize the event.

Action Is The Key To Success

While all of these are good suggestions, there is one key point that can not be understated and that is, “action is the key to success”. It will do you absolutely no good to attend an event, learn good quality information, and meet people if you don’t take action afterwards. During the event you will need to start planning what you will do with the information you have learned and the contacts you have made. You can wait till after the event is over, but why wait if time allows and putting planning off until after the event will only allow your intentions to grow cold after the excitement wears off. Be proactive and start getting benefit from your money and your time right away.

Upcoming Events:

To get you started down the path of looking for events to attend, here is one that I am considering attending myself. It’s called the World Internet Main Event and it’s hosted by Paulie Sabol. It’s slated for September 13 – 16th in San Francisco and it’s suppose to feature speakers like Mike Filsaime, Tom Hua, Donna Fox, Brett McFall, and of course Paulie Sabol.

In addition to gaining access to the event there are also a number of bonus materials included with the price of admission. The big one is a free offer for the Complete Butterfly Marketing System (Digital Edition). If your interested in the Butterfly Marketing System which is normally offered for around $1500 USD, then you might want to consider buying a ticket to this event, because it is included as a free bonus. Even if you don’t go to the event, it’s like getting a discount coupon for the system. I have an Internet Marketer friend who uses the Butterfly Marketing System and it has worked well for him. So if you’re in the market for that product then check it out. There are several other bonus items mixed in so be sure to check them out as well.

Here is a link to the event details.

http://opensourcemarketer.com/themainevent

Beyond that I recommend staying on top of what your favorite industry presenters are doing and where they will be speaking. In fact there are several events that are coming up in September of 2007 and more are being promoted for upcoming 2008. Be sure to spend a little time doing some advance planning so you can make travel plans well in advance. You can save more money that way on airline tickets and hotels, plus you will have a better view of how the training will fit in with your goals and activities. Thorough planning is always a good idea no matter what the topic is and it can definitely save you time and money when considering training events to attend.

Whatever you do remember that information is power and a key component to success in anything you do. Be sure to consider all the unadvertised advantages of going to an event before you dismiss the cost as to high. While there are somethings you can learn on your own through persistence and hard labor, why not accelerate the things you can control and save the grunt work for those times when no one else is doing what your trying to accomplish.

See you at the next event,

Charles McKeever
OpenSourceMarketer.com