The Meeting Within the Meeting

Having always been fairly academically oriented, I’ve always enjoyed attending professional and technical conferences, such as the annual American Dairy Science Association meetings or regional nutrition conferences. I view them as an opportunity to keep abreast of the latest scientific knowledge and to continue my education. So, I was a bit confused a couple years ago when a colleague and friend of mine told me that when he attended meetings, he was more interested in “the meeting within the meeting” than the technical content of the program. This gentleman has been a successful salesperson and nutritionist for nearly 30 years; thus, I decided it would be in my best interest to understand better what he was referring to. According to my friend, “the meeting within the meeting” refers to everything that occurs outside of the presentation rooms during technical conferences. This may include conversations in the hallway before or after presentations; pre-arranged dinner meetings with customers, suppliers, or colleagues; or even discussions outside of the meeting rooms during presentations.

Being young and naïve, initially I thought this mentor of mine was really missing the point of attending conferences and seminars. However, it only took a couple of meetings for me to recognize that his emphasis on “the meeting within the meeting” was a major contributor to his success as a salesperson and nutritionist. A tremendous amount of business is conducted in this manner. Customers may be more receptive to listening to your ideas when they no longer have “home court advantage,” as they usually do when you call on them at their dairy. Suppliers provide market insights and new information with regard to customer and competitor activity. In addition, they may be helpful with introductions to potential new customers. Conversations with colleagues provide additional market insight and increase and strengthen your professional network. During my time in the industry, I was consistently in awe of how much my co-workers and I accomplished during “the meeting within the meeting.” I am grateful for the lessons I learned from my more experienced colleagues.

Recognizing that many people who read this newsletter are either currently students or early-career animal science professionals, I encourage you to re-think your approach to attending meetings and conferences. The importance of networking, particularly early in your career, can not be underestimated. Whether you are looking for your first job, content with your current job, or looking for a new professional challenge, formal and informal networking will improve your chances for success. I encourage you to seek out opportunities to broaden your professional network.

One particularly effective way to do this is to identify a few professional conferences to attend each year. If you are of an academic mindset, step out of your comfort zone a bit and introduce yourself to people in the hallways, hotel lobbies, and restaurants. Make it a priority to pre-arrange dinner meetings with customers, suppliers, or colleagues. A business professor of mine always suggested that “the best conversations always occur around meals.” If you’re a student, before you attend a conference, print some business cards with your contact information to hand out at the meeting. You can purchase perforated business cards at office supply stores and print these out on your home printer or you can order professionally-produced business cards. These will help people you meet remember you. Jeffrey Gitomer, a sales training guru, suggests that it’s not “who you know” that’s important, but rather “who knows you.”

By no means am I suggesting that you attend conferences without ever listening to a presentation. In the animal sciences, the science behind how we feed, breed, and manage the animals we work with is continuously and rapidly evolving. To be successful, we all must be committed to lifelong learning. That being said, there may be times at conferences when continuing a conversation in the hallway is more beneficial than going back into the meeting room. Your goal should be to establish a reasonable balance between the networking and technical aspects of a meeting. The next time you attend a meeting or conference, don’t forget that the “meeting within the meeting” is just as important as the actual meeting. Attending professional conferences can be beneficial for your career in more ways than one!