Skip to content
Home Blog News & Trends

6 Ways to Make the Most of BiggerPockets’ 2019 Conference

Alexander Felice
5 min read
6 Ways to Make the Most of BiggerPockets’ 2019 Conference

Alex here! I want to talk to you about the BiggerPockets Conference in Nashville, October 6th to 8th. You better be going to this thing, man! It’s going to be super exciting.

I want to give you six tips on how to maximize your time there. Also, I’m going to give you a discount code at the end! (I’m going to make you read the whole thing first, but I’m going to give you a discount code.)

Hopefully this post will hype your pants off. I’m not going to waste your time though, so let’s get right to it.

6 Ways to Make the Most Out of BP Con 2019

Tip No. 1: Talk to people before you go, and set up some friendships.

This is simple. Go to the BiggerPockets Forums and find the numerous threads about the conference. Reach out to people who have announced that they’re going to go and say, “Hey, I’m traveling across the country just like you to go to the same place at the same time to talk about the same thing. Maybe, just maybe, we could be friends?”

If you’re going alone, this tip really works, because that way when you get there, you’re super popular. Or if you already have 10 or 20 friends, you’re going in a group, this is triple important because what you really don’t want to do is take a group of people you know, travel across the country, and go talk to the same people. You want to talk to new people. I guarantee you this will work!

If you’re shy, reach out to me as a test run. I’m easy to talk to! Then, reach out to make a list of like 50 people—that would be ideal. Reach out to them so you have some connections, so you can shake some hands when you walk in the place.

BiggerPockets Conference speakers 2019

Tip No. 2: Have an elevator pitch ready.

The first time I heard this advice, I listened to it. It sounded good. But I ignored it because I was arrogant, and I super, super regretted it. Don’t be like me! Be better.

Here’s what I 100 percent know is going to happen if you don’t prepare for this thing. You’re sitting in a group setting. The introductions are going to be fast, and there are a whole bunch of people around.

People move in quick. They’re going to ask you what you do. If you’re not prepared, you’re going to try to explain something complex in 10 to 20 words, and you’re going to mess it up and feel silly. I dare you to come to this place without this thing ready, to be standing in a circle and somebody you know (maybe mildly famous like Brandon or Mindy—or God forbid, somebody really famous like me) walks by and says, “What do you do and who are you?”

And there you are—not prepared: “I’m Alex. I think I like real estate.”

Everybody there likes real estate! That is not an elevator pitch. You gotta prepare man.

“My name’s Alex. I buy single and multifamily real estate long distance in North Carolina. I’m looking for my next deal in Charlotte. I was the guest on episode 301 of the podcast, and I run BrokeIsAChoice.com. Nice to meet you!”

Look, man. I’m not an expert, and you don’t have to be either. You just have to have something ready—10 to 20 seconds—so you can spit it out. That way, when somebody inevitably asks you who you are, you’re prepared.

Related: 4 Reasons You Should Attend a Real Estate Investing Conference This Year

Tip No. 3: Tell the whole planet that you’re going to be there.

Look, hot shot. The point of this is to network. So, you need to tell everybody that you’re going to be there so that they know to come looking for you. Use all your social media and content creation avenues to yell about this. I’m going to start yelling for about a month in advance.

Even now, I’m telling everybody. Why did I make this video? I made this video so that I can leverage the BiggerPockets media machine into making me more famous.

So, you know that. It’s in the air, so now when we get there, we can shake hands. You have to be loud about this! Just like I told you to tell 50 people that you’re going to be there. You need to be loud enough so that 50 people reach out to you who know you’re going to be there. Your goal should be to talk to every warm body that’s in attendance, including vendors. You never know what a relationship is going to turn into.

Don’t even think you know. You don’t know, and you don’t know if it’s going to start from a small conversation or a big operation.

Tip No. 4: Stay at the hotel where the conference is held.

If you think that staying at the hotel at the conference is expensive, I’ll tell you that by staying somewhere else down the street to save a few bucks is a bad idea. It’s way more expensive to miss the opportunity. The best networking that you’re ever going to do in your life is impromptu. It’s not planned. It’s magic, baby. You can’t control magic. It’s not the planned seminar where the real networking happens; it’s the unplanned hallway walks at 6 a.m. while you’re getting coffee and everyone is still sleeping.

The hotel at the conference is going to be packed. The concentration of real estate investors is there. Maybe there’ll be some at your hotel; maybe not. I know where I need to be to get the most out of my dollars though and that’s at the hotel that the conference is at.

I’ve made this mistake before, like a lot of people, staying somewhere else to save money. I’ve done it, and I’ll tell you it’s 100 percent not worth it. Do not make the same mistake I made. I will never make that mistake again.

Audience at the conference hall. Business Conference and Presentation

Tip No. 5: Bring business cards.

Business cards? Those old, outdated, expensive, cheesy things that you throw away as soon as you get them? They don’t count for real genuine connections.

Yeah, those things! You’ve got to have them. Why?

Because first, business cards are the way that society does social hierarchy battle in group settings. Second, because like the elevator pitch, you’re going to be asked. You’re going to be asked for them, and you want to hand them over. You don’t want to take a principled stand about how business cards are outdated and cheesy and they don’t represent genuine connections. You’d have to make that rant 600 times. Instead, just give us some kind of business cards. Give the people who are asking you for your information the information they want—as fast and efficiently as humanly possible.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to have your stupid name and information on it.

Related: BP Con 2019: What’s the Deal and How Will It Transform Your Business?

Tip No. 6: Don’t stress; it’s gonna be fun.

You’re going to learn a lot. You’re going to make real friends. And it’s vacation! Relax, bro.

Get hyped, and don’t stress. Don’t be so tightly wound about what you’re supposed to do that you’re not fun to be around. Be fun, be cool breeze. Don’t be so attached to the agenda either that you give up what seems like fun opportunities for library time. If you see a bunch of people who you want to be friends with going off and going to the bar, blow off everything else and go hang out with people.

Hang out with the people that you’re supposed to be hanging out with. It’s a people game, man. Don’t stress. It’s about making friends.

The Bottom Line

That’s it! That’s all my tips—quick and dirty, baby. I hope that was useful. And as I promised, I was able to leverage my all-powerful powers of the BiggerPockets moderator forum position to get you $200 off the conference. And I hope you use it!

blog ads 01

What do you think of my tips?

Let’s talk in the comment section below.

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.