Your INDUSTRY conference survival kit

The ultimate insider's guide to making every handshake, session, and coffee break count at Cleveland's premier product management conference

Let's be honest: Walking into any product conference in 2025 with 700+ product people from over 30 countries can feel overwhelming. Between engaging keynotes, workshops, and Q&A sessions and the fear that you're missing out on something, it’s easy to feel a bit overwhelmed.

After attending and putting together dozens of product conferences, I’ve cracked the code to get the most out of the INDUSTRY experience. Consider this your cheat sheet pass to conference mastery in Cleveland, which is coming to you this September.

Haven’t bought tickets yet? Get yours here! Prices increase on 1 September.

The product networking game

You don't need to meet 50 people; you need to make meaningful connections who could become career-long friends. Here's how to do it right:

The 3-touch rule for product people: Instead of collecting business cards and LinkedIn connections, focus on three meaningful interactions. First (and potentially the hardest): spark an initial conversation about their product challenges. Second: Follow up during the conference ("Hey, I sat next to you at John Cutler’s keynote. What did you think about his hot take? "). Third: reach out after the conference with an article you’ve been reading that relates to their challenge. 

Master the art of the graceful exit: Hone in on this phrase: "I don't want to take up too much of your time, but I'd love to continue this conversation about [specific product challenge] after the conference." It shows respect, suggests genuine interest, gives you a natural reason to follow up, and avoids the good old Irish exit tactic.

The buddy system: Partner with a colleague or find a conference buddy. Introduce each other to your networks. This is much easier than going out on your own. 

Session strategy: Ruthless prioritisation
With so much content going on, you need to prioritise ruthlessly at INDUSTRY, and here's how to do it without missing out on too much. 

Each keynote will offer unique insights, from Brent Tworetzky to Rainn Wilson. There are leadership-focused talks by Oji Udenzue and more practical ones, like those by Bob Moesta and Nina Olding from Google DeepMind. Before the week kicks off, make sure to keep note of which sessions you can’t miss.

If you have burning questions after the event, head over to the Talk Shop for Q&As with speakers throughout the two days. These intimate settings often allow for more intimate conversations with the speakers.

Make full use of discussions to build connections: Throughout the week, we’ll be hosting 12 small-group Roundtable Discussions, allowing attendees to learn from each other on topics such as product strategy, product leadership, experimentation, and others.

What should I wear?

Long story short…wear what you want! Whatever you feel comfortable and confident in.

The INDUSTRY Event App: Your secret weapon

Let the app and the Mind the Product events team do most of the work for you! Both are here to make your lives easier.

The INDUSTRY notes: Comprehensive session notes will be emailed post-conference. We’ve introduced this so you focus less on frantic note-taking on every point and more on relationship building. We’ll also periodically send keynote videos, slides, and write-ups in the weeks following the event. 

The INDUSTRY app: One thing we hear often is that you want more ways to start building connections before and during the event. With this year’s event app, you can begin conversations, discover peers with shared interests, and start forging meaningful connections right now, before the conference doors even open.

The INDUSTRY team: If you’re lost or just need someone to chat to, the events team will be on site to help.

Your INDUSTRY survival checklist

Get your caffeine fix: Look out for the Cafe Collective area, which is open throughout the day to ensure that you're sharp and ready to learn.

Note-taking: While INDUSTRY Notes will be emailed after the conference, remember to bring your notepad so you can jot down your immediate thoughts nd action items in real time. 

Pack your charger: Your portable phone charger is absolutely essential during those long conference days.

Download before you go: Make sure you have the INDUSTRY conference app with notifications enabled and LinkedIn mobile for quick connections. Download Lyft and Uber for Cleveland navigation and a weather app, since Cleveland weather can change quickly and catch you off guard.

Product prep: Come prepared with a few current product challenges you're actively facing to spark conversation; these make for authentic conversation starters that go beyond small talk. Have your 30-second product introduction polished, covering your company, product, and biggest gripe. 

Workshop strategy: Maximising your time with the trainers

If you're attending the Monday workshops, treat them as intensive learning experiences with the training team. Workshops offer a completely different dynamic compared to the 700+ main conference crowd. The people who invest in workshops are serious about product growth and often become the most valuable long-term connections.

The Mind the Product trainers bring world-class expertise to these sessions. Stephanie Musat, Ryan MacCarrigan, Oji Udezue, Ezinne Udezue, and Trace Wax each offer different perspectives on product leadership, AI, and communication strategies that you can apply immediately back at your organisation.

Here are our INDUSTRY workshop topics on 8 September:

• Intro to AI at the edge vs AI at the core
• Prioritisation and opportunity assessment
• Communicate, Align, Deliver: Stakeholder Management for PMs

If you haven’t got your workshop ticket yet, find out more about getting one here!

Don’t forget to follow up and apply

The real INDUSTRY magic happens after you return to your product org:

• Apply insights to your product practices: Share your notes or our key takeaways with your product team. Look out for our post-event content, where we’ll share what we learned from the conference as a reminder of the sessions you missed. This is important to ensure you are applying the learnings to your daily craft. Make some notes of the best speakers you need to follow or talks you need to revisit when facing challenges in your work. 
• The long game: Add genuine connections you met at INDUSTRY to your LinkedIn. Set reminders to share relevant product insights with them. 

Making the most of relationships

The Cleveland advantage: Attendees travel worldwide, so people are committed and engaged. The three-day format allows for deeper relationship development than typical conferences.

Speaker accessibility: INDUSTRY prides itself on speaker accessibility. Don't be shy about approaching Elena Luneva or John Cutler during breaks. They're there specifically to engage with attendees and share their expertise.

Wrapping up

Approach INDUSTRY not just as an attendee but as a participatory product management community. Share your ideas generously, be curious about others' product challenges, and be strategic about building relationships that extend far beyond Cleveland.

Most importantly, remember that everyone else is as eager as you are to connect with fellow product people who "get it." Be the PM who makes others feel heard, validated, and inspired, and you'll never lack for meaningful professional relationships.

There’s still time to get your INDUSTRY tickets here!


See you in Cleveland!