There are certain things, as a business owner or employee; you should have in your briefcase ready to give out when going into business meetings, interviews, etc. Some of those things can be as simple as an agenda for the meeting you are going into, or even the necessary technology for the meeting like a disk, or a flash drive.
Here are some of the things you should keep up-to-date and in your briefcase ready to hand out when needed during a business meeting:
Business cards
Whether you are going to an in-house business meeting or an international event you should carry your business cards with you at all times. You may want to consider having your business cards printed with information on both sides with English on one side and another language like Spanish on the other. Exchanging business cards is a great way to make new contacts and network with similar business people.
Pamphlets
Include a pamphlet or two about your business and what your company does, sells, and stands for in your briefcase just in case. Though pamphlets are normally for your clients, having some at a business meeting can help you to quickly and efficiently explain what your company is all about to fellow business meeting attendees.
Plan
A business meeting is meant to gather individuals together to discuss topics of interest; it is not supposed to be an all-day event where a few individuals talk about their agenda to a room or uninterested employees and or coworkers. Establishing a plan or agenda outlining the topics and times for each part of the meeting can help you stay on track. Having a plan will also let your fellow business meeting partners know that the meeting has a schedule and will not last forever.
Technology
Depending on the presenters and speakers of the business meeting you will need different types of technology available for them to use. Here is a list of some technology devices to have available:
- Laptop
- Projector
- PowerPoint
- Speakerphone
- IPhone for QR code scanners, business card readers, etc.
- Presenters
There is no point in having a meeting if the presenters or other attendees who need to be there are not able to attend. Plan the meeting for a time when most of the necessary people can attend, if the time does not work reschedule. You may want to consider holding the meeting during your normal business hours and when the other attendees are already at work because then there is no excuse for not attending.
Time
Choose one person to be in charge of the amount of time you spend on each topic during the meeting. That person will lead the discussion and steer everyone in the right direction when they start to go off topic.
Visuals
Printing companies in Charlotte are a great example of the kind of quality printing you want to look for when you need to print out visuals for your business meeting. Colorful and informative visuals will help keep your fellow business meeting attendees interested in what is going on.