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The Social Capital Markets Conference begins in less than a week. Already social entrepreneurs, angel investors, philanthropists and more are flying in to San Francisco from all parts of the world for meetings, reunions, and hopefully, the start of the next big thing. As the whole field converges on the city, however, it can be overwhelming to figure out what’s actually going on. Here’s ten tips for making the most of it.

1. Don’t try to do everything. SoCap is chock full of content. Like, overflowing. Like, don’t even try to see it all. The number one tip for content at any event that has so much of it is to accept that you can’t see it all.

2. Consider how you fit into the space before you arrive. SoCap is designed to be a crossroads where investors meet entrepreneurs meet philanthropists meet impact analysts meet everyone else. Knowing how you fit into that space, what you have to teach and what you want to learn before you arrive could dramatically increase your enjoyment of the event.

3. Pick a content track. One of the ways to make the large amount of content more manageable at the event is to pick one of the handful of content tracks like “Tactical Philanthropy” and focus on it. Because they’re curated by individuals, it’s likely that many of the panels with work well in the context of one another.

4. Know the 1 or 2 people who you must meet, and make it happen. One of the keys to successful event networking is figuring out who you want to meet. SoCap has made that easier with a community tool that allows you to browse other attendees in advance and discover mutual interest.

5. For everyone else, just let it happen. If making it happen matters a lot in networking, so does letting it happen. It’s extremely hard to know which of our connections are going to step up with the resources we need, but it is clear that the deeper the relationship, the more likely it is that people will have your back when you need it. Cutting off conversations that could be going somewhere fun to rush around like a head-cut-off chicken may not, in the long run, be the right strategy.

6. Engage with the community online in advance. SoCap has set up a community portal that allows attendees of the event to begin the conversations they want to have in advance of actually showing up. It’s a great way to get to know the people you’ll spend the next week with.

7. Go with the flow. Any in-person gathering is ultimately a collection of energy produced by new connections between people. Even when its great, content can get in the way and impose artificial barriers on conversations that feel like they’re only just getting started.

8. Save some for the night. At any event, the real connections happen at night over dinner and drinks. Take the time to get rest in advance in order to enjoy the best the community has to offer.

9. Lay down some roots in San Francisco (such as by visiting the Hub). For my money, the Bay Area is the informal capital of this space, and I believe that connection is going to get deeper as more tech money flows into the sector. SoCap is a great chance to lay down some SF roots in a place that is valuable to have a foot it.

10. Go to the Day 3 Unconference. SoCap veterans know that one of the most intimate, fun, and differentiated parts of the event is day three’s Unconference. Facilitated by the inimitable Jerry Michalski, the sessions are where a lot of the deepest connecting actually happens.

Photo credit: sociate

10 Tips for Maximizing Your SoCap10 Conference