Last year I wrote an article regarding the importance of being social at eXtreme365 – this is a little update for ‘first timers’ and a reminder to wise participants from the Microsoft Dynamics Community attending the best Partner focussed event happening in Europe next week in Dubrovnik.
For clarity, the purpose of this article is to help the community of 850+ participants at eXtreme365 Dubrovnik 2018 to get the most out of the investment that you are making both in time and money, at the end of the day, we are all attending for a common purpose:
“To participate, to meet, to expand, to contribute and to amplify the great things that we all can achieve by leveraging Dynamics 365 for the benefit of our clients”.
So why am I asking you to ‘be Social’ and what six things am I explicitly recommending…?
- Participate
- Meet & be considerate
- Expand
- Contribute
- Amplify
- Achieve balance
Participate
First and foremost, you have either paid to attend or your employer has, therefore make sure you participate. Take part in everything you can, from Social events to learning activities but most of all, if you can, participate in the Innovation Challenge.
Why? You might well ask…
Well, three years ago I happened to be a part of the team that won with a novel yet much needed application ‘KYC’ – I won’t go into details as to what the letters stood for on this occassion but I wrote a post last year to help ‘Innovation Challengers’ (as a mentor in 2016) so will simply share my experiences once more here: https://prosperity247.com/2016/04/08/extreme-crm-2016-one-week-and-counting/
If you can participate in the Innovation Challenge then there is probably no better way to accelerate your learning journey and your networking. You will be working alongside Dynamics MVP’s in the creation of a minimum viable product in just 24 hours, which you then get to present to your peers (with incredible support from your host). You will get to know all the best people ;o) and be known as a contributor in the community.
Meet & be considerate
Enough said. Just do it. Be friendly, meet everyone, say hello, walk around with a smile on your face, be approachable and accessible and you will become part of the Dynamics community very quickly.
Why ‘be considerate’…?
You might find networking incredibly easy, others may note, if you see a person looking uncomfortable, alone, unsure or uncomfortable, go and start a conversation or offer some support or opinions.
If you are a uncomfortable walking around grinning like a Cheshire cat, make sure that you download the eXtreme365 Social App (you will get an invite to download it tomorrow) and start to share thoughts, nuggets, insights or curated content with your peers via the event private Social channel to enable peers to know that you are attending, listening to, processing and therefore happy to discuss a common topic – Dynamics 365 – helping you to get over any initial fear of saying “hi” to anyone who happens to smile at you (just remember, they will have read this post as well!)
Expand
You are at eXtreme365 to learn, to evolve, to develop, to expand your knowledge of the best business platform the World has ever seen – Dynamics 365.
“Do not be afraid to immerse yourself in the most obscure sessions rather than those which you find most comfortable”.
If attending events like Dynamics 365 has taught me one thing it is that the most I have learned has been when I have put myself the furthest from my comfort zone. Try it and let me know if you too derived some surprising and beneficial results.
Contribute
Now, this is an event built by the Dynamics Community for the Dynamics Community therefore to use the old adage ‘you will get out what you put in’ so contribute! …Raise your hand, ask that question, it won’t be daft it will simply be that you asked it first (that is what I always tell myself anyway).
Be a part of the community and the community will reward you when you get back to your desk – when you need that question answered, you will be able to jump on Social Media or e.mail and ping that question to someone you met, spoke to or debated with regarding the most obscure topics about ‘how to’ with Dynamics365. Similarly, if someone reaches out to you to ask a question after the event, make sure you provide a positive an answer, as you will no doubt meet that person at Inspire, Ignite or eXtreme365 2018 and they will say thank you to you in person, which develops your network and of course your self-esteem with a good old boost of dopamine in anyone’s book.
Amplify
Now this is very much a ‘Social’ term and I have already said about the event App earlier, but please, use it, Twitter, FB and LinkedIn (of course) to amplify good news and insights to your peers.
I used the App at eXtreme365 in Lisbon to challenge, cajole, ask, contribute, network, be friendly, say thanks and convene the inaugural #WomenInTech lunch to ensure the event organisers can ensure that eXtreme is more accessible than ever before to a diverse audience – use social and amplify your impact and you never know, you might make a difference!
Achieve balance
This is new in for 2018… A conference, by its very nature is NOT a jolly, it involves hours of participation, learning and discussion, by hours I am talking 10-12 hour days immersing yourself in the latest and greatest technology, sharing insights with your peers.
For the last three years I have tried to achieve balance by taking a break, consuming some culture of an evening (which should be amazing in Dubrovnik) as well as trying to go running (early) in the morning to clear my head for the day ahead.
A fresh mind is an active mind, exercise, eat well, drink water, get some rest, take a break, do not run on ‘fumes alone’ and you will come back from Dubrovnik inspired and ready for the year ahead
Finally, if you are attending eXtreme365 and are looking for a friendly face, just find me or my colleagues Geraldine Evans or Jason Roberts – alternatively make sure you use the event App to find those in attendance or simply look at the website for the links to speakers, sponsors and participants. The eXtreme365 Community is more like a family so don’t be afraid to say hi to any one of us – we are all here for the same reasons as I stated before…
“To participate, to meet, to expand, to contribute and to amplify the great things that we all can achieve by leveraging Dynamics 365 for the benefit of our clients”.
