Follow up email templates for after a conference: a speaker, a panelist, the hallway, the dinner and the person you meant to meet, plus when to send each one.
Send a follow up email after a conference on their first full day back, mid-morning. Name the session or the place you talked, one thing they said, something useful, and a small ask. Write to speakers the day after, briefly, asking for nothing. Five templates below, for a speaker, a panelist you questioned, the hallway, the dinner, and someone you meant to meet.
By Kai, Founder of Cardr. Updated . Every template here is our own writing, and every figure links to the study it comes from.
A conference gives you three days of people at once. The follow-up works when it starts during the event, not after it.
| When | Do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Between sessions | One sentence per person in your phone | By the evening, three days of names blur together. |
| Each evening | Connect on LinkedIn with a one-line note | It costs a minute and pins the name to a face. |
| The day after | Speakers and panelists | Their inbox fills fastest; a short note gets read. |
| First full day back | Everyone you talked to properly | Mid-morning, after they have cleared the travel backlog. |
| The week after | People you meant to meet | The attendee list or the app, honestly framed. |
Words in brackets are yours to fill in. The note under each one says which line does the work.
Hi [first name], I was at your session on [topic] at [conference]. The point about [one specific thing] changed how I am approaching [your own work]. Thank you for it.
Make it yours. Ask for nothing. Speakers hear from many people after a talk, and the specific point is what makes yours worth reading.
SubjectMy question at [session], and one more
Hi [first name], I asked about [your question] at the end of [session] at [conference]. Your answer, [what they said in a few words], was useful, and I had one follow-up I didn't want to take up the room with: [the question]. No rush, and a one-line answer is plenty. Thanks, [Your name]
Make it yours. Remind them of your question in their words, then ask one more. One question is easy to answer; three is homework.
Subject[Conference]: [the topic you talked about]
Hi [first name], Good to meet you at [conference]. We got talking after [session] about [the topic], and you mentioned [what they are working on]. [One line that helps: a session recording, a tool, or someone they should meet.] Would it be useful to compare notes once we're both back? I'm free [two specific times]. Best, [Your name]
Make it yours. Name the session you had both just left. It places the conversation faster than anything else.
SubjectGreat to sit with you at [dinner or reception]
Hi [first name], I enjoyed sitting with you at [dinner or reception] at [conference]. Your story about [something they told you] is still with me. On the work side, you mentioned [their work problem]. [One useful line, or an offer that costs you something real.] Hope the trip home was easy. Best, [Your name]
Make it yours. One personal line, then one work line. Dinners are where people tell you what actually matters to them.
SubjectWe were both at [conference]
Hi [first name], We were both at [conference] last week, and I meant to find you after [their session or the reason you wanted to meet], but the day ran away from me. I'm [your role] at [your company], working on [one line]. Would a 15-minute call in the next couple of weeks be useful? I'd especially like to hear [one specific question]. Best, [Your name]
Make it yours. Say plainly that you did not meet. Implying a conversation that never happened gets found out in the first reply.
Two surveys from 2009, both paid for by someone with an interest in the answer, and both checked at source for our business card audit.
95%
of HBR subscribers who travel: face-to-face is key
95% of Harvard Business Review subscribers who travel for business said face-to-face meetings are a key factor in successfully building and maintaining long-term relationships (Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, sponsored by British Airways, online survey, June 2009). Source. How we checked it.
87%
of 760 executives: in person is worth the cost
87% of 760 business executives agreed that in-person meetings have tangible business benefits that outweigh the cost savings of web or video conferencing (Forbes Insights, Business Meetings: The Case for Face-to-Face, survey of June 2009). Source. How we checked it.
Neither measured what happens after the conference. That part is the follow-up, and it is the part this page is for.
A Cardr is a QR code and an Apple Wallet pass that opens with no signal, which helps in a basement ballroom. People scan it, save you, and can send their details back, so you leave with their email as well as their face. Save one sentence about each person between sessions, free. Pro then drafts each follow-up from that sentence and emails it to you at 9 a.m., on day 3 or on the day you noted.
Your card, your page and every contact it brings in are free. Pro writes each follow-up from what you talked about and emails it to you at 9 a.m., ready to send.
See what Pro doesFor speakers, the day after. For everyone else, their first full day back, mid-morning, when they are clearing the inbox. Waiting more than about a week means reintroducing yourself.
A short note, usually on LinkedIn, naming their session and one specific point, and asking for nothing. Speakers hear from many people afterwards; the specific point is what makes yours worth reading.
Name the session you had both just left or the place you talked, one thing they said, something useful, and a small ask. The session name places the conversation faster than the conference name.
Say plainly that you were both there and did not meet, why you wanted to, and ask a short, specific question. Implying a conversation that never happened is found out in the first reply.
Both, for people you talked to properly: a LinkedIn connection that evening, and an email with the substance once they are back. Just LinkedIn for speakers and people you only exchanged a few words with.