Here is the final part of Heather White's advice to get the most out of party conference networking. Don't miss if you want to finish conference season having met all the right people.

Links to Part One - Part Two

Be aware of spending time with the right people and not dismissing those who are not yet MPs. This conference season, probably more than any other in history, will be full of prospective MPs (PPCs) who could well be a regular target or contact post next year’s election. Therefore it is important you are aware of getting details of younger flunkies around PPCs as these could be the gatekeepers of the future. Also don’t spend too long trying to meet with an MP who is known to be standing down or very likely to lose their seat. Not only is it likely they will not be particularly interested, it is precious time you will have missed with those who could really count.

Do basic things like jotting down bits of information from your conversation on their business card for future reference to remind you of who they were. You will stand out if you remembered something useful or unusual from your exchange. Great conversation starters would include:

This is my first time, what would you suggest I do to get the most from this Conference?

Great speech, what did you think?

What issues are you currently working on?

I couldn’t help but notice you are/have...

I am really keen to meet ...., I don’t suppose any of you know him/her?

Everyone who attends conference is there for a similar reason as yourself so ensure you make the most of your time there and stand out for the right reasons. Identifying your targets and the conversation areas in advance is crucial as there is simply not time for a ‘jolly’ this year. This is strictly business and for some, this is the last chance saloon for concerns to be heard or arguments to be made. Ensure you follow up with everyone you made contact with, even if just a courtesy to say it was nice meeting them. Make the effort to organize your contacts into those who could be useful and therefore need more work or those who are simply worth being filed away. Remember a productive Conference season should mean several emails and calls afterwards to arrange follow up meetings and not just a suitcase to unpack.

TIPS

1. Work out your priority? Meeting key individuals, influencing the agenda, running a successful event

2. Who do you know? Write a list of all those people who could be helpful

3. Who do they know? Think of all the possible connections they may have or introductions they could make?

4. Plan which events are relevant in subject area or because of their attendees — make them in your conference agenda and plan a schedule

5. Think about your first impression — look for opening in a group, get eye contact and have business cards ready if it goes well.