When I go to marketing industry conferences these days, I get more inspired by intangibles, rather than the tangible. Give me something that will really move me or get me thinking deep thoughts. Give me something that I could do in my every day life, not just in my job.

 

I want to meet people, be inspired by stories, and feel moved to do something different or be reminded of what I need to do to be more successful and fulfilled.

 

That said, my highlight of the 2017 Masters of B2B Marketing (I still call it BMA) Conference earlier this month in Chicago was one great slide by keynote speaker Tamara McCleary (@TamaraMcCleary).

 

 

Tamara’s talk was on innovative personal branding and becoming an influencer. The slide and discussion that really hooked me included three simple things to think about:

 

Be real. Be courageous. Lead.

 

Simple. Powerful. Moving. These are the types of things that get me going and get me coming back to industry conferences.

 

I hereby declare, from this day moving forward, these three items are going to be my guiding principles. And I’ll be repeating them often. My sister Brenda already got an earful when I reviewed her LinkedIn profile last week!

 

I may also add “have fun” as a fourth guiding principle. And speaking of fun, another incredible benefit I get from attending industry conferences is the chance to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. Both of those came together at the happy hour we hosted at the Loews Hotel in Chicago during the BMA conference with BusinessOnline and LinkedIn. Check out our Facebook album for some great shots from a fun night. As I hope you will see, I practice what I preach. Especially in the “have fun” department.

 

 

 

In closing, think about how you can be real, be courageous and lead in your every day life. And have fun.