It’s official: convention season has arrived. Propertymark One kicked issues off with a bang earlier this week, and over the following few weeks, 1000’s of property and letting brokers will pack their greatest blazers, refill on branded tote baggage, and descend on resort ballrooms and metropolis venues throughout the UK.
We’ll snicker. We’ll be taught. We’ll seize lanyards and lukewarm espresso. And if we’re fortunate, we’ll return to the workplace with contemporary inspiration and a fireplace in our stomach.
However right here’s the million-pound query: what truly occurs subsequent?
As a result of in line with the analysis, not a lot.
80% of Studying Goes to Waste
Research constantly present that solely 10–20% of what we be taught from conferences and coaching days ever will get utilized again at work. One UK research discovered that simply 35% of expertise have been nonetheless in use 12 months after coaching. The remaining? Misplaced in a sea of emails and Rightmove comparables.
This isn’t only a property business downside—it’s about human nature. We attend occasions with good intentions, however except we take deliberate steps to translate concepts into motion, we rapidly slide again into “the way in which we’ve all the time executed it.”
So Ought to You Trouble Attending Conferences At All?
Truthfully? Sure – however provided that you’re going to do one thing with what you be taught.
As a result of in case you have been simply searching for a enjoyable and uplifting day trip, you could as properly have gone to Legoland.
The reality is, inspiration is simple. Implementation is the place the actual work (and worth) lies. And the very best companies—those that develop, adapt and lead—aren’t simply run by individuals who go to occasions. They’re run by individuals who act on them.
Why We Don’t Put Studying Into Observe
The analysis lays naked just a few traditional culprits:
No time – You’re again to 200 emails and a diary filled with valuations.
No assist – Your boss/colleagues/purchasers need you to do issues the outdated manner.
No plan – You meant to behave, however now you may’t learn your rapidly scrawled notes. Was that “automate socials” or “animate sausage”?
No relevance – The coaching was too generic or theoretical to be of actual use.
And my favorite:
Nobody else is doing it – You’re feeling like a weirdo attempting one thing new, so that you cease.
All very human. All very fixable.
The best way to Make Studying Stick
Whether or not you’re attending an enormous expo or a smaller coaching day, the purpose is similar: take one or two helpful issues and really do one thing with them.
Listed below are just a few methods to ensure that you just come away from the following convention with a masterplan:
Restrict Your Observe Taking. Earlier than the day, carve out a web page in your pocket book labelled “3 Actions from At present”. Scribble as many notes as you want on different pages, however your mission is to come back residence with three clear, practical, business-improving actions. No extra. Something past that dangers turning into an concepts buffet you’ll by no means digest.
Use AI. The subsequent day, with inspiration nonetheless coursing by way of your veins, {photograph} your notes and add to ChatGPT. Higher nonetheless, use your cellphone’s voice recorder to seize the classes and use apps like Ottr or Plaud to transcribe them. Add the transcripts to ChatGPT, instructing it to summarise your key learnings and switch them right into a 30-day implementation plan to enhance your small business.
Schedule Staff Coaching. One of the efficient methods to be taught is by educating others. Within the days after the occasion, current your key learnings to your crew; work collectively on setting new targets based mostly on what you’ve realized, thereby attaining complete buy-in and accountability out of your colleagues.
Don’t Let Studying Die in Your Pocket book
Look, conferences are sensible. You meet inspiring individuals. You hear intelligent issues. You’re feeling fired up. However that vitality has a brief shelf life. If it’s not became motion inside just a few days, it fades into nothing.
The excellent news? The switch of studying isn’t some mysterious magic trick—it’s a behavior. And like all habits, it will get simpler the extra you apply.
So sure—go to the convention. Benefit from the espresso. Clap for the audio system. However then? Return to your workplace and do one thing. In any other case, all you’ve actually collected is a lanyard.
Toby Martin is an business marketing consultant, coach, and speaker.
