Conferences are expensive. Not just in ticket prices, but in time away from the clinic, travel, accommodation, and mental energy. Yet most professionals attend events hoping something will “stick” rather than planning how to extract real value.
If you want conferences in 2026 to actually improve your skills, your business, and your confidence, the solution isn’t attending more events. It’s attending better.
Stop Treating Conferences Like Interruptions
One of the biggest mistakes people make is working themselves into the ground before an event.
When you arrive exhausted, you listen passively rather than think critically. Reducing workload in the days leading up to a conference isn’t lazy. It’s strategic.
Presence Beats Attendance
Being physically in the room isn’t the same as being present. If you’re answering clinic calls, emails, or messages during sessions, you’re diluting the experience. Conferences are as much about hallway conversations as they are about presentations.
Relationships Compound Over Time
The value of conferences compounds through relationships. The people you meet today may become referral partners, collaborators, mentors, or friends for years to come.
Planning who you want to speak to before you arrive changes the entire experience.
Reflection Is Where Learning Becomes Action
Most learning is lost after conferences because there’s no structured reflection. Staying an extra day, reviewing notes, and identifying immediate actions dramatically increase retention and implementation.
Learning Has Friction
Applying new ideas feels uncomfortable. That friction is part of the process. Growth happens when you focus, apply, reflect, and refine.
Skipping reflection or jumping straight back into distractions limits learning.
Make Conferences Work for You
Conferences shouldn’t be calendar fillers. They should be growth accelerators. With intention, preparation, and follow-through, every event can move you forward professionally and personally.
If you want to get more out of events, workshops, and professional development in 2026, this mindset shift alone will change everything.
To learn more about my upcoming events, please follow the links on this page.
One-on-One Business Coaching that works
If you want help solving your business problems and creating systems that make your business more profitable, I offer free 30-minute coaching calls; no pressure, just some guidance.
If you like what you hear, we can even work together long-term.
Below is a link to my online calendar.
You can schedule a free 30-minute Zoom call with me to discuss any aspect of podiatry. You may have business questions or need career advice; regardless, I’m here to help where I can.
But if you’re still not sure about scheduling a time to talk with me, that’s okay. Keep browsing my website, take a look at my coaching page, and if you have any questions, please email me at tf@tysonfranklin.com