Cracking Conferences

01 Mar 2015

Cracking Conferences

Go-to strategies for conference-goers

Re: Margaret Molloy (MBA 2000); By: Julia Hanna

Topics: Communication-Communication Strategy Relationships-Networks

Margaret Molloy (MBA 2000) came to New York in 1994 for a marketing internship with Enterprise Ireland, a government agency promoting the country’s products in the United States. She had $200 in her pocket and no family connections on the ground. “In that situation, connecting with people is essential. It’s not optional,” she says. “There’s almost an animal instinct to it. When you take someone out of their environment, and give them a lot of constraints and not many resources, certain traits become more prominent. Connecting with humans is a very natural instinct we all have, especially when you don’t have a local family.”

That need to connect served Molloy well as she established herself in New York and moved on to positions at Siebel Systems, Gerson Lehrman Group, and Velocidi before landing at Siegel+Gale. Being Irish didn’t hurt, either. “The Irish are natural storytellers,” says Molloy, who grew up on a dairy farm in County Offaly. “We hold our storytellers up as heroes. And being able to tell a good story helps you connect with people.”

Grit and gratitude are two other Irish traits, she adds, conceding that gratitude is something most newcomers feel, whatever their background: “Anyone who is an immigrant to the United States lacks a sense of entitlement or any sort of establishment status,” observes Molloy. “You tend to be more appreciative of people’s time and more likely to follow up and say thank you.”

Getting ready for SXSW? Looking ahead to Dublin’s Web Summit or New York’s World Business Forum? Margaret Molloy (MBA 2000), frequent conference-goer and global chief marketing officer and head of business development at Siegel+Gale, a global strategic branding firm, has developed a few go-to strategies to ensure attendees come home with more than a new book bag.

Be purposeful.
Know why you’re going—if it’s to acquire knowledge, you’ll have a more student-like posture than you would if you’re attending an event for networking purposes.

Ask great questions.
Be curious about other people’s stories and have your own ready to tell—succinctly. Don’t underestimate anyone’s intelligence. Be authentic.

Ditch the ones you’re with.
Don’t spend all your time hanging out with coworkers or members of your circle from back home. Instead, communicate in advance that you’ll be using the time to meet new people so that your behavior isn’t perceived as impolite or not team-oriented.

Be relevant.
Don’t ask for someone’s time without first knowing why it makes sense for the two of you to meet. How do your interests overlap?

Engage online.
If you’re not active on Twitter, says Molloy, conferences can be a great place to get your feet wet: “Some people feel the bar is very high to tweet something original and compelling, but it’s easy to highlight an interesting point that you heard a speaker say.” Cross-pollinate—put your Twitter handle on your LinkedIn page and, if your company allows, on your business card and email signature.

Featured Alumni

Margaret Molloy

MBA 2000

Featured Alumni

Margaret Molloy

MBA 2000

Stories Featuring Margaret Molloy

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Re: Margaret Molloy (MBA 2000)
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Re: Margaret Molloy (MBA 2000)

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