The best place to connect with other health and safety professionals is at a safety conference. Where else can you find a building full of safety folks from across the country who are eager to talk shop for a few days?

Safety conferences are a perfect opportunity to get a new perspective on a safety issue, explore career options, and meet others in the same industry. Follow these five tips to make the most of your networking opportunities at the next national safety show.

Limit the small talk

Some people open up more after a bit of small talk but you don’t want to spend your time talking about the weather. Once you’ve settled into the conversation, gently steer it towards safety-related topics.

Save energy for networking

If you’re planning on networking, give yourself time to recharge your batteries first. It’s hard to have a good conversation if you’ve just attended five straight sessions and haven’t had anything to eat since breakfast.

Network with everyone

Targeting only high-level executives isn’t always a great plan—they’re often in demand and tend to have jam-packed schedules at safety conferences. They’re also not the only ones who can offer insight. Approach everyone as a potential resource just waiting for you to introduce yourself.

Ask direct questions

Ask others about their suggestions for solving any stubborn safety problems in your workplace. Safety professionals love to help and may have interesting opinions to share. Consider asking about any vendors you’re interested in to see if they would recommend them.

Make plans to continue the conversation

If you find someone you’re having a great conversation with, make plans to continue the discussion—either later at the conference or by exchanging contact info so you can connect via phone, email or LinkedIn.

This list appears in our guide on attending safety conferences, which is full of other tips, advice and practical worksheets to improve your next safety conference experience. Download the safety conference guide for free here.