Networking at #aiip24

This will be my first in-person AIIP, as I attended virtually the past couple  of years (and yes, I applied for the travel stipend 😊). I have been a member since I was a library student in the mid 2000s and first learned about y'all at an SLA conference. Now that I am a full-time business, the stars are finally aligning. I used to work in the meetings and events industry and I realize the value of face-to-face meetings. I love St. Louis, so this was a win-win decision! I look forward to meeting y'all in person and learning a lot!
Marj Atkinson, researcher, AskMarj.com

This week, I decided to go to the collective wisdom and know-how of luminaries in the taxonomy field to ask a burning question. The conversation enabled me to move ahead with more confidence because I had spoken to the right people. How did I get this kind of response and access to these experts? In-person networking.
Ask yourself how you want to extend and engage with your network of experts. Build these relationships by participating and conversing with the people you'd like to be able to ask and receive wisdom from in your field. In addition to experts in your field, build a network of like-minded infopreneurs who may not be in your sector so that you can expand your knowledge boundaries.
Liz McLean, knowledge management strategist, Knowsaic

I have connected with so many amazing AIIPers at the three conferences I attended in person—plus our virtual conferences. There’s nothing like a personal connection—some one-on-one time with another person—to really understand what they do and the customers they serve. I look forward to the April symposium and all the value that comes from a bunch of smart solopreneurs all being in the room together working to help us all learn and grow!
Kelly Berry, business strategist, ResourceAbility LLC

The symposium is an absolute must-attend event for me, and I haven't missed one since I joined AIIP in 2005. It's where I meet and forge personal and professional relationships with other AIIP members, feel the spirit of community and camaraderie, learn from the thought-provoking presentations, and leave with a renewed sense of enthusiasm. It's truly the best way to invest in yourself and your business, with colleagues who "get" what you do and want you to succeed.
Karen Klein, research expert in advanced manufacturing, Fulcrum Information Resources

Back in 2008 I went to my first AIIP conference. I had just hung up my own shingle after years of working in a collegial, engaging, and intellectually stimulating corporate culture. That environment had been so important to me as I grew professionally, I knew I needed something like it to sustain me as I transitioned to solo practitioner.
At AIIP08, I remember thinking “This is where I belong.” I have missed only 2 annual events since, because they always give me what I need. When we reunited in person last year, the energy was amazing – it’s more palpable and gets the brilliant ideas flowing more readily. It's a different setting on the dial. AIIP24 will give you a necessary boost for your business, so if you can swing it, choose in-person, but if you can’t, come to virtual.
June Boyle, business and leadership consultant, CerCo Research

I attended my first AIIP conference in Philadelphia. While I knew a few people from my SLA activities, I met so many more people and got to know them and what they do and knew that was going to be my prime conference for as long as I keep my business going. This decision has been confirmed as the right one time and again throughout the years. I encourage any and everyone to try and participate in person if possible or at least virtually. It will be well worth your time and money. 
Richard Hulser, organizational archivist, Richard P. Hulser Consulting

I attended my first AIIP conference a month before I went independent, which was both financially scary and the best money I invested in my business that year (and every year since). My business wouldn't be where it is today—30+ years later—if I hadn't made the commitment to attend the conference in person every year. The connections I make, the insights I get, the fresh perspectives I gain, I can't get anywhere else.
IMO, if I want my clients to invest in me, *I* have to invest in myself as well, and part of that investment is scrounging up the money to build my business skills and network at the AIIP conference every year. I look forward to seeing, and getting to know, lots of you at this year's meeting in St. Louis.
Mary Ellen Bates, strategic analyst, coach and author, Bates Information Services

I joined AIIP right before the 2018 conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At that time, it was hard for me to justify the cost of traveling as a newly independent infopro. Looking back now almost 6 years later, I wish I could tell that new infopro to just take the risk. The AIIP community has taught me so much. When I did attend my first conference in 2019 in Philadelphia, the warmth and welcoming truly was amazing. I enjoyed the smaller size of the conference—by the end of the three days, I had met everyone attending at least once if not twice and was hopeful to work with a few attendees in the future. Come for the community, come for the inspiration, come for the value to your business.
Janel Kinlaw, consulting project manager, Refining Workflow LLC

However you attend the symposium, in-person or virtually, it really is money well-spent. The ROI is immense. New ideas, new contacts, new friends, new inspirations, new perspectives.
Denise Carter, competitive intelligence researcher, DCision Consult