Stop Wasting Time at Conferences: My ROI Rule for Every Event

Why I only attend when there's a clear strategy that makes time away worth it

When I first started attending conferences, I fell into the same trap most entrepreneurs do. I bought a ticket, showed up, and hoped for magic.

But what exactly is “magic?” How do you know if it was worth it?

Sometimes I got a new contact or two. Most times, I walked away with a stack of business cards that never turned into anything. Shoot … most of the time, I wouldn't even follow up. Meanwhile, my company back home had to keep running without me, and my family went another few days without me around.

That’s when I realized I was treating conferences like a lottery ticket. I was gambling with my time and money for no good reason. And the truth is, you can't afford to gamble when you’re running an agency doing a few hundred thousand or millions in revenue. Every hour away from the business and your family has to count.

For too many agency owners, going to conferences is, at best, “work.” Sure, it’s a business write-off, and sure, maybe something will materialize from it.

But let's acknowledge the truth for what it is... You're escaping the pressures and responsibilities of your staff, family, money, and reality. You're escaping and calling it work.

So I set a rule for myself: I only attend a conference if I have a quantifiable reason to be there. That means I can answer this question before committing: “What outcome do I expect to get, and how will I know if I got it?”

Sometimes it’s as specific as, “I need to meet Person X, Y, and Z because they control access to the exact type of clients we serve.” Other times it’s, “I need to hear this one speaker because their insight may directly affect my strategy.” Or, “This is the only place where I can reliably meet 20 law firm owners in one shot.”

Notice what’s not on the list: “It sounds fun.” “Everyone else is going.” “Maybe I’ll bump into someone useful.” And my favorite of all, “Sounds cool.”

Those reasons cost too much. They're a total waste of time, and again, all you're doing is escaping.

The shift came when I started niching down. Our agencies focus on law firms, home services, and medical. So those are the only conferences I want us to. I’ve never been to an agency-focused conference, because there’s no clear ROI for me there. I don’t need to meet other agencies. I need to meet clients. That’s my filter, and it makes saying “no” a lot easier.

I'm not saying I'll never go to an agency conference. I want to, and I will when there's a damn good reason.

This rule doesn’t just apply to conferences. It’s how I prioritize my time in general. If I can’t point to a clear, quantifiable return on the investment of my time, I don’t do it.

Sounds transactional? Maybe. But the cost of being distracted and escaping reality is higher than most of us want to admit.

That mindset shift has taken me from “just showing up” to running an integrated agency doing $6.5 million per year in revenue.

I hope that helps.

~ Erik

P.S. Check out the industry conferences we’ll be attending:

1. Top 6 HVAC Trade Shows To Attend in 2025

2. Top 7 Legal Conferences for Lawyers in 2025