Last year, we put out an article on making the most of analysts at user conferences. We got a lot of positive feedback on this topic, and given that user conferences are just around the corner, we thought we would dust off the article and see whether times have changed. And in fact, we find that they haven’t really. Here are some of the best practices we’ve seen when it comes to making the most of analyst attendance at user conferences:

Our time is yours.  We’re attending your user conference as your guest, so you have an opportunity to maximize your use of our time in ways not usually possible. If we’re already going to be there as a speaker or a panelist, or even just attending, it’s more than okay to propose a full schedule for us – just make sure you do so in advance, so that we can plan our “other job” accordingly (sometimes there are calls we just can’t shift no matter how hard we try). We might not always take your advice on proposed sessions to attend – current research topics or interests might lead us to other options – but advice is much appreciated in trying to negotiate the agenda, particularly at larger events. If you want to take advantage of our time to propose one-on-one meetings, either with internal resources or customers, by all means do so! You’ve got us there, so make the most of our available time.

Take advantage of an objective point of view. We have been keynote presenters at user conferences, as well as moderators, panelists, session presenters… you name it. One thing we have seen is that retailers really appreciate any opportunity to get a perspective on what their peers are doing. The funny (or maybe sad) thing about that is that the vendor is often the least-trusted point of view. Retailers want to know where you think the future is headed, so they can determine if you are headed in the same direction they think they’re going. But nothing beats a data-driven, no-skin-in-the-game perspective on that topic, particularly when it is structured so that your customers have an opportunity to grill an analyst they may not have the opportunity to interact with regularly.

Let us spend time with your customers.  We analysts love you vendors.  And of course we love to spend time with you.  However, if you really want us to get to know your solutions, strengths, opportunities, etc. etc. then give us some free time to hang with your customers too.  You’re welcome to set the ground rules (and we recommend this – with Twitter and blogging and all kinds of real-time feedback and comments abounding, it’s helpful if you can set the rules up front – no client names, embargo this until after the conference, those kinds of things).  We wouldn’t be analysts for very long if we didn’t respect non-disclosure requests.  Besides, it’s already hard enough to get retailers to speak publicly about the projects they’re working on – we don’t want to be responsible for spilling the beans that causes yet another great story to never be told again.

Leverage a mix of perspectives.  We have seen all kinds of configurations at user conferences – ones where only retailers present, ones where only the vendor presents, and ones that have a good blend.  We have found that the most dynamic events have a good mix.  Too much of the vendor talking gets wearying.  Having retailers present is great, but can be frustrating for other retailers trying to get access to the right expertise, as many retailers willing to present are already well into an implementation, and a lot of times the speaker is far away from the thought process that led them to an implementation decision, or some of the early lessons learned as they got a project underway.  When you mix retailer, vendor, and objective third parties, you can get a really good balance of big picture, technical details, and retailer realities.

Make sure we meet the team.  Often, we have one or two primary contacts into a vendor, either analyst relations for bigger companies, or marketing for smaller companies.  But some of the best discussions often come when we sit down with product people, or listen in on new enhancement presentations. 

To make the most of analysts at conferences, the most important thing is to understand your goal in having us there.   If we’re just window dressing, that’s fine, we can do that.  But everyone involved will get a lot more value if you leverage us the whole time we’re there, and not just for that one speech or panel participation.  Just remember: the more we interact with you, the better we know you, and the easier it is to keep you top of mind!