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Attending an Internet Marketing seminar can mean many things; firstly it is a day away from the office and out of the firing line of your clients. Secondly, it means taking in a lot of information in a short space of time; and thirdly, in many cases it means a day of having every decision you’ve made about your website in the last year or so turned completely on its head. The point is, it’s worth being prepared for an Internet Marketing seminar…

Do Put Your Phone/Blackberry on SilentEveryone around the table at an Internet Marketing seminar is likely to be a marketing manager with a blackberry in their pocket, and each of them is likely to have around 29 missed calls and 87 emails by the time you break for lunch. However, if everybody stopped to take each call that came in, you would be there until midnight. If you’re taking the time out of the office to attend a seminar, remember to put your phone or blackberry on silent – you can deal with anything urgent at lunchtime.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask QuestionsThey say that the best way to learn is through questions, and nowhere is this more true than at an Internet Marketing Seminar. There’s nothing worse than half understanding something but failing to clarify it; after all if you don’t get it when your teacher is in front of you, you certainly won’t get it when you’re back at your desk trying to implement it.

Do Make an Effort to Be SociableA seminar might be the last place you expect to meet useful contacts, but you never know when networking will help you out in the future. No-one’s asking you to come away from the seminar with a new best friend, but there’s no harm in being sociable as you just might meet some people that could be a great deal of use to you in the future. Don’t keep your conversations between those sat at your elbows, make the effort to integrate with the entire group – it might even help your learning.

Don’t Hide in the CornerMany learning experts would say that the best way to take information in is to learn by example, and this is why a speaker at an Internet Marketing seminar will often call upon the websites of delegates for practical case studies. If your website ends up on the stand, try not to get too defensive. However, try not to hide in the corner and ignore criticism either. You can be sure that any comments made about your site will be constructive, so it is better to stand up tall and accept any advice you’re being offered, than to take offence.

Do Be Open-MindedThe chances are that if you were to attend a Traditional Marketing session, you would have very fixed views on what you were being told. But the fact is, you wouldn’t be at an Internet Marketing seminar if you knew everything there is to know on the subject, and you’re likely to hear plenty of new material. Much of Online Marketing involves taking traditional marketing and turning it on its head; it’s crucial that you be open-minded enough to do that and at least consider new principles.

Don’t Count on a Print Out at the EndMany speakers will indeed give you a copy of a presentation or some notes at the end of the seminar, but due to the interactive nature of Internet Marketing seminars, you can guarantee that it will only cover a small proportion of what you will have learnt during the day. It is much more valuable to make your own notes as you go along. Even if only eighty per cent of what you write is legible at the end of the day, at least it will be written in a way you personally understand.

So, if you’re planning on attending an Internet Marketing seminar, make sure you get the most out of it by approaching it in the right way. You never know, you might even enjoy it!

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