I came across a great article by Mashable entitled, ‘5 Tips for Using Social Media During Conferences’describing how best to interact when attending conferences using social media. With World Travel Market 2014 having over 100 conferences and seminars at this year’s event, I could not agree more with the valuable points that were brought up in the post.

However, with WTM around the corner I started to think that these rules can apply to not only our event programme, but the many different events and functions that are going on throughout the four days including exhibitor events.

As Mashable have said in their post, social media has well and truly established that events are a great way to network with others and brand yourself and your company. Not only that, but with the rise of social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, it makes it easier for the WTM team to hear our delegates thoughts and opinions of each and every part of WTM. We have a huge following of more than 54,000 followers on twitter alone so please do get engaged.

So, how can you make the most out of your WTM experience online? Here are a few tips…

 

1 Jump aboard the WTM social media train…

Feel free to share your opinions, feedback, pictures, videos, any great facts and figures you hear and excitement of what’s taking place around you.  By promoting your excitement you are able to connect with like-minded people and network with them at WTM. Also, we have a dedicated WTM Social Media team who are able to see your comments and pictures and can therefore favourite, respond, retweet and like your messages as well as taking all your feedback on-board. The WTM Social Media team even have their own ‘command centre’, yes that’s right, a social media command centre.Most WTM tweets are filled with words of encouragement and exciting moments that take place at the event, so what would we like to hear? Just that!

 

2 Get the WTM hashtag right #wtm14

When using the hashtag, take a look and see which exhibitors are also using it. There could be some that you have missed, this gives you another chance to find them and network.#wtm14  is the official hashtag for WTM 2014, so make sure you use it! Nothing is more annoying than feeling like you’ve been tweeting up a storm only to find out you’ve been using the wrong hashtag. WTM’s hashtag will enable you to find out who is at the same event/session you are attending, widening your chance to network and share your own thoughts and comments on specific events you have attended or specific stands that have really interested you.

 

3 Interact with others online

Social media has the word social in it for a reason, in other words don’t be afraid to reach out to other attendees on Twitter and/or Instagram whose comments really interest you. This is where using the correct hashtag comes in handy as you are able to explore who is saying what and therefore who you would like to chat with more. If you have met someone else online who likes the same exhibitor or conference you like, make plans to meet up for lunch or find each other in WTM’s networking session (WTM Speed Networking, WTM Bloggers Speed Networking) as these can be some of your most valuable connections for the future.

 

4 Don’t get carried away, enjoy your WTM experience

We all know once you’re on a roll with something, it’s hard to stop. But WTM goes by in a flash and only happens once a year. So, even though it is a struggle it’s sometimes best to put your gadget down and engage. After all, not only do our seminars and conferences have a great line up this year (Lee McCabe from Facebook, Will Hayward from BuzzFeed just to name a few) the variety of entertainment surrounding the stands and the atmosphere is not to be missed!

 

 

5 Have fun with social media at WTM

Keep an eye on our tweets which will be flowing throughout the week and favourite/retweet the ones that you like. If you find a great exhibitor that really interests you or a fun festival that you didn’t want to stop, take a picture and include the hashtag and the company.  Remember, not every commentary needs to be serious, show off a different side by joining in with the WTM Festivals and taking part in the fun entertainment that stands have going on.Social media is meant to be entertaining, so have fun when you’re posting news, pictures and videos from WTM 2014, we would love to see it!

Make sure you also pop by the WTM Recharge Zone in the Global Village GV688 where you can take a fun selfie in our fancy dress photo booth to put on social media and leave your message on our WTM 35 year timeline.

 

So finally, make sure your phone and laptop are fully charged and at the ready for WTM to discuss every conference, seminar, stand, festival and more exciting bits of what the event has to offer. So as Mashable said, what are you waiting for?! #GetOnit

Article by Ruby McElligott