Get Out There: See and Be Seen

As seen in the accompanying photo, last Thursday night I attended a members only event for the Florida chapter of the Recording Academy.  It took place in Miami, the same city that had hosted a similar event – albeit more Christmas-themed – five months earlier.

I was surprised by the number of people four nights ago who said to me, “You drove all the way here from the Tampa Bay area?”  For starters, yes, I drove, I didn’t walk.  But secondly, it’s only four-and-a-half hours, one way.  Had someone driven there from up in the Florida panhandle (more than nine-and-a-half hours one way) it would be natural for someone to be taken aback.

In fact, a client of mine was texting with me 90 minutes before the event started and when I indicated my whereabouts, the response was that I was sure dedicated to the Recording Academy.

Let me first state the obvious.  I am proud to be a Member of the Recording Academy.  You get out of it exactly what you put into it, the saying goes.  And in-person events don’t happen every month, so of course I’m going to attend when there is such an opportunity.

When I present an author client with an opportunity to do an in-store signing at a bookstore, I often remind them that however many books they sell during that event is that many more than they would’ve sold if they pass and just stay home instead.

In other words, you won’t get any results if you don’t take initiative and put yourself out there – even if it means driving four-and-a-half hours.  (Full disclosure: I did get a hotel room and stay overnight and drive back the next day.  Going all the way back late – late – at night was not an option for me.)

But I think back to the days when I worked in the Olympic Movement.  Don Porter was the president of the International Softball Federation and would routinely fly halfway around the world just to sit in a meeting for three hours and then fly back to the world headquarters in the southeast of the United States.  His rationale was “out of sight, out of mind.”  In other words, if he weren’t there, no one else would think of and talk about the sport that he represented.

If you think of the expression, “you were noticeable by your absence,” that means that people are noticing you and so you do need to keep showing up.

I made some good connections last Thursday night, met some great people, and had some very enjoyable conversations.  Had I decided, “I’m not going to drive all the way down to Miami,” then none of that would have happened.  None of that night’s attendees would know about this fellow member, this Bruce guy, who is a publicist in the Tampa Bay area, with a PR agency called Now Hear This.

If you say, “Nah, I don’t need to get out and mix and mingle.  I went to a networking event one time and it was dumb,” then I’d say, “One time?”  Besides that, networking events, member events, professional development, workshops, conferences come in all shapes and sizes.  You need to find what is most appropriate to you and what you do.

This Thursday morning I’ll be on an airplane heading northwest to be a speaker at the Inklight Festival in Quincy, Illinois.  Why?  There are authors who attend (potential clients), I am very active as a speaker, and I spoke at it last year and see this as an opportunity to continue massaging relationships with people I know at that event.

Certainly, budget is a consideration for everyone and, of course, the return on the investment of your time too and not just the costs associated with travel, lodging, meals, and the event itself.  But to rule out going to something where you’re not the headliner is missing the mark.

If you’re a performer and have the night off, get out and see someone else’s show.  Take notes on what they do that you like that you can incorporate into your live show.  Shake hands, meet people, talk to musicians and fans alike.  Take advantage of the rare opportunity to watch live music from the audience perspective instead of the person on stage performing.

But go to music conferences.  And authors, go to writers conferences to access peers and resources.  Content creators, go to events like Podfest Multimedia Expo so you can identify what you don’t know that you don’t know.  In other words, in each of these cases, don’t go in thinking, “How much audience building can I do at this?”  You need to compartmentalize.

Remember that you are a business and these are business-related expenses because you are investing in yourself.  I’m optimistic that you will find them worth the time and effort.  Get out of your comfort zone.  Attend events so that you see and can be seen.

A Member of the Recording Academy, I have been helping indie music artists, authors, actors, entrepreneurs, podcasters, filmmakers, small business owners, and more for over twenty years.  What challenges are you having in your creator career that I can lend some insight to?  Connect with me so you can take advantage of all my experience, and I can help and keep you moving forward.