Having been to a book launch event here in Jerusalem on Monday, and attending the Israel 15 Conference today, I was reminded again of the importance of prep work to help achieve your individual goals.

Each of us is different; every event is different. We have changing goals and agendas. The key to a successful result, is understanding our individual needs and taking appropriate action. And planning!

Here is Chris Brogan with some additional thoughts that may be right for you.

Before Attending an Event or Networking Opportunity

Consider writing a blog post a day or two before attending an event. In this post, put up a recent picture of yourself, explain who you are, and tell people what you’re hoping to accomplish while at the event. Be clear and open about what you want. If you’re concerned about privacy matters or stalking, post-date the blog entry to show up the day of the event.

Mention the event by name, and tag it heavily. If you’re using social networks, spread the event around via those networks, such that people attending might fall onto this information over the course of their searching for more information to prepare themselves.

Preparing Yourself for the Event

Before attending an event, search the event’s page for information. Look at who’s coming to speak. Learn about the speakers. Find their blogs. Look at the sponsors. Head over to their websites and familiarize yourself with any companies whose products you might find interesting. Be ready to talk about things in their news/announcements part of the website.

Move off the event site and into Google, Technorati, and Google Blogsearch. Look for mentions in blogs about the event, and see if you can find some attendees who you might wish to meet. Reach out via their comments section. Send connection invites in Twitter or Facebook, mentioning that you hope to connect in person at the event. Give the person a sense of what you bring to the table, should you feel they don’t know you enough yet.

p.s. two reminders from eJP: don’t forget your elevator pitch.

And, more than anything else remember, You’re Always On!