If you are an entrepreneur, going to an entrepreneur summit or gatherings with other entrepreneurs is a great way to share ideas, improve your skills, and maintain your focus. The more you are able to immerse yourself in the summit culture, the better time you'll have and the more you will learn. You should also take a little time to prepare yourself for the summit by doing the following.
Prepare your elevator pitch
You are going to meet a lot of people at the summit, and almost all of them are going to ask you the same thing — "so what do you do?" You're not going to want to ramble on for five minutes and risk losing their attention or monopolizing their time. So prepare what is called an elevator speech — a short, concise description of what you do and how you do it. Write this down and read over it a few times so that you are happy with it, and maybe ask a couple of friends for input. Then, memorize it. This way, even if you are nervous, you will have the right answer ready to go when asked about yourself.
Prepare a list of things you would like to improve on
Entrepreneurship summits are often mostly about solving problems. To make sure you focus on the problems that you actually need solved in your own business endeavors, write them down. Another way to look at this is to write down three or four things you would like to come out of the summit knowing more about. For instance, you could write down "best hiring practices, how to market to an older audience, writing concise ad copy." This list will help guide your conversations and determine which seminars you attend when you have a choice.
Read a little about the big topics
Many seminars will have a theme or a central focus. If you see that the one you're attending does, consider reading a book or two on that topics beforehand. This way, you will at least be acquainted with the basics of the topic and will have an easier time learning the specifics. You will be better prepared to have conversations about the topic, too; you can always bring up the book or books you've read.
By preparing in advance, you can get even more out of an entrepreneurship summit. Just follow the steps above, and you should be set