# I think all of us has attended a business conference or workshop and wished the day past.  Those things are just so boring!  Not Steemfest of course.  Steemfest is not boring whatsoever.
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I attend a lot of conferences either as a delegate or as a speaker, and when you have done a few, they really do become the same old same old.  But things are changing ,  I have attended a few conferences lately where they are bringing in the concepts and Technics of speed dating.   This really are a breath of fresh air for to attend.

http://www.conferencebasics.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/speeddating-frog.jpg
[Image Credit](http://www.conferencebasics.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/speeddating-frog.jpg)

## How does this work?

It takes a bit more marketing before the event as you need to give the attendees more time to read through the agenda's as well as understand who is attending the specific event, as you need to make sure who you want to get some time with.  

Let's take an example of an event which a good friend attended in London recently 

## The African Financial Services Industry Annual Conference 

All you had to do was download the Mobile App before the event to carefully study each of the exhibitors as well as the other attendees corporate profiles to understand what each do and if you would wish to make contact at the event.  

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/jpl/jpl-conference-browse.jpg
[Image Credit](https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/jpl/jpl-conference-browse.jpg)

You then request a specific time to meet at the conference. You then have a seat on the one side of the table and you’re the company which you made the appointment with on the other side of the table.  You then have a 5 minute discussions (Elevator Pitch) with the company, and if you want to talk further it is up to you to set up further meetings for detailed discussions.  This is to ensure you see the people who you really want to see.

There is also a fast track session, where you have 10 minutes with each of the delegates and exhibitors at the event.   After the 10 minutes you move to the next company … and so forth.  This assist you to meet many more people from different companies and you end up understanding so much more than you thought.

My friend and his partner walked away from the conference with 4 real life opportunities which they are now executing on. 

## See even the boring days of conferences are gone.  We do not need to sit and listen to some boring guy speaking and telling us what he thinks we want to know.  The world is really changing at a tremendous pace.

# Happy Steeming!
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