With life very slowly returning to normal with the easing of the lockdown, businesses are starting up again and business events will start taking place (with safety precautions in place). This will obviously be very different from before and people are likely to be cautious and have some anxiety, so here are a few tips for how you can do this successfully.
Get in the Right Mindset
Having spent a long time in lockdown, it can be daunting and a bit of a shock to the system to start doing things which seemed so easy and normal not too long ago. This means that you will want to get into the right mindset before heading off to a business trip, which will involve preparing for the event and perhaps doing some socializing beforehand so that you can brush up on your skills and get in the right frame of mind.
Get Documents in Order
You will then want to make sure that you have all of your documents in order, including train tickets, flight tickets, your passport and anything else that you might need. It is understandable to have some stress and anxiety in terms of travelling so being prepared will be key. If you have multiple events abroad/throughout the UK then you might want to think about Carnet tickets which can be cost-effective for those making regular trips between London Victoria and Gatwick.
Arrange Schedule & Work Out Who You Want to Meet
It is also a smart idea to work out a schedule so that you can maximise your time during the business event. This might also involve identifying who the people that you want to meet are and working out the best way to approach them/what topics of conversation you should engage in.
Cards & Branding Statement
It is also important that you have business cards to hand out which are professionally-designed and will clearly show your information. Additionally, you need to prepare your professional branding statement so that you can succinctly explain to people what you do and how you could help them. Having spent a long time in lockdown, it can feel slightly odd socialising so being prepared for networking will be key.
These tips should help you to prepare for any upcoming business events that you are attending after lockdown. It is fantastic to see things slowly return to normal, but it will inevitably be more challenging than normal to prepare for these events so forward planning is important.
