The 2013 Tribute and TrulinX User's Group conference is next week. We thought we would bring you some tips in this blog to help you prepare for the conference and get the maximum benefit from your experience.

You probably know that you should bring comfortable shoes and lots of business cards and company line cards. But here are some tips you may not have thought of:

• Ask a professional colleague to become your conference buddy, so you can share what you learn. This collaboration will bring special benefits when you talk about presentations that only one of you attended. This is especially pertinent for those who have never attended a Tribute User's Group Conference before.

Read about this and other tips in this article by Admin Secret, sponsored by Monster.com.

• Approach small groups of people who don't seem to be in intimate conversations. Introduce yourself.

Get more advice in this article from About.com.

• When you get your room number, call your cell phone with it. Sure it may be only three or four digits and the call probably won't go through, but then it will be in your phone log (don’t do this if your room is 911). You may also do this with the hotel front desk as well as other important phone numbers. 

Want more conference travel tips: Check out this article from AllStays Travel.

Networking

One of the main reasons that people cite for attending a conference is the networking opportunities. Here are a few strategies courtesy of About.Com:Entrepreneurs to help you get the most out of connecting with others at a conference: 

• Have a plan. Know in advance whom you want to meet (personally and/or the type of distributors), which sessions you want to attend, and what vendor booths you want to visit.
• Talk to the people sitting next to you. When you walk into a seminar, take the time before the presentation begins to say hello to the people seated around you. Once you have said something as simple as "hello", it will be easier to talk with them later in the week if you see them again.
• Put your technology away. Do not turn to your smartphone or laptop at every break. When you are working on electronics, you send the message that you are unapproachable because you are busy. Utilize the time on breaks to converse with others.

And don't forget these networking rules of thumb from the Wall Street Journal:

• Forget the artificial sales pitch
• Communicate your passion
• Don't commandeer the conversation
• Keep in touch