With so much new technology around us and so many new apps and devices and widgets debuting practically every day, people can get sidetracked about what really makes business happen. It’s not the job board that gets us the job or the Blackberry that lands us the deal—it’s still the human relationship that counts. Sure, life is easier and business is more efficient because we have so much technology at our fingertips, but we still sell our products to people who trust us and want the value we bring, and we still evaluate whether a potential business partner can be trusted by getting to know that person, hearing their story and observing how they act. We build our network one person at a time, and that network gives back manifold connections, as each of our colleagues comes with their own network attached.

This is why conferences and industry meetings will always have value for business—because they give us the chance to meet one another in person, build relationships and assess the competition with the most advanced technology we have: our own eyes, ears and ability to read each other’s body language.

But our ability to expand our networks via technology is also growing by leaps and bounds. Look at the growth experienced by networks like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter in the past few years. And social media will be the bedrock that all future conferences and industry meetings will be built upon. People will begin to find it increasingly more acceptable to expose more and more of their personal details on different forms of social media. While this trend will certainly increase in the future, we think it is already the case. People understand the value they can gain by customizing their personal settings and allowing select groups to access their information remotely—everything from more targeted advertising to reconnecting with old friends. In the conference arena, this ability to reach out before the event, touch base during the meeting and follow up with leads and people of interest afterwards will become an essential part of getting the greatest ROI in conference attendance—as always, by allowing participants to find and meet face-to-face with others whose offerings can enhance their own business.