Attending events, festivals, and other corporate gatherings should be part of the itinerary for any company that wants to accelerate growth and network with potential partners, investors, associates, and affiliates. There are so many valuable connections that can be made at these events, so if you haven’t been hitting the road or booking flights to get your team the kind of in-person networking that can really make changes, you might be missing out on a significant amount of opportunities. On the other hand, these events can be costly to attend, and it can be difficult to manage a schedule that has your team attending multiple different events throughout the year. If you’ve taken up the wise goal of attending at least one relevant industry event per quarter or every month, here are 7 tips you can use to simplify the process of scheduling and funding those trips:

1. Earn Additional Credentials to Gain Access as an Expert

Many times, you can gain access to an event as a speaker or guest guru just by having an established portfolio of relevant credentials and achievements. If you’ve already been looking for ways to expand your education and put more prestige on your resume, try choosing a degree that will provide a broad range of expertise in business, as those will not only help your reputation, they’ll also serve a practical purpose in helping you become a more knowledgeable entrepreneur. For example, earning an MS in operations management from an online school like Kettering University would not only make you an ideal candidate to be invited or accepted as a free guest at many events, it will also teach you how to optimize every area of company operation within the context of any business model.

2. Use a Scheduling App

Using an app or software to keep track of your scheduling is something that every entrepreneur should already be doing, so if you aren’t doing it yet, then this would be a perfect reason to start. These convenient scheduling interfaces will make it easier for you to keep track of all your obligations while you’re on-the-go and can be set to issue notifications leading up to the event via email, text, or your smart phone’s notification bar.

3. Book Reservations Months in Advance

One great aspect of corporate events that makes them easy to plan for is that they’re usually held on a fairly regular basis (i.e. – once per year or once every quarter), so you have plenty of time to get ready and set up the necessary hospitality and travel accommodations. By booking in advance, you’ll not only be giving yourself a scheduling advantage that will help you avoid lapses, you’ll also be securing the lowest possible transportation fare and hotel stay costs because most airlines and hospitality venues will provide significant discounts when you book far in advance.

4. Consolidate Events to Save Time

Instead of spreading your events out over the course of the year, try to look for several events that are close to each other temporally, as that way you can knock it all out during one part of the year. Many corporate events take place during the summer, and since there are thousands happening every year all across the world, you should never have a problem finding a time during whichever season is most suitable for you.

5. Make a Vacation Out of It

If you’re an accomplished corporate leader, chances are you already go on vacation at least once or twice out of the year. One way to do something productive yet enjoyable without actually burdening yourself with work is to search for any local corporate networking events or workshops that will be taking place at your vacation destination. By researching this well in advance, you might even find a way to become one of the event’s guest speakers – a gig that could wind up paying for the cost of the vacation itself.

6. Create Comprehensive Budgets

It’s wise to create a budget for each individual event that you attend as well as setting an overall budget for how much you can afford to spend on attending events throughout the year. Ideally, you should be spending no more than 20% of your profit or income on attending events. Thus, if you were earning $100,000 per year, you could theoretically justify spending a total of $20,000 on attending events throughout the year, which brings us to our next point.

7. File Event Costs as Tax Deductions

Another way you can reduce the burden of attending multiple corporate events per year is by filing all of the expenses involved as tax deductions. These are applicable business expenses that can be counted against your overall tax liability, so by doing this you would be reducing the amount you pay in taxes, or potentially creating a situation in which you’re owed a tax return during income tax season.

How Much of a Return Can Attending an Event Provide?

The fact that there are never any guarantees is what usually keeps many entrepreneurs away from attending numerous events throughout the year. While you could wind up spending thousands to attend an event that does nothing more than provide a bit of edification and entertainment for a weekend, you could also wind up meeting business connections who have enough money and prestige to change your life, and the fate of your company, for the better.

Thus, while it’s certainly a toss-up in terms of what you can expect to gain in return, at a bare minimum you’ll be learning and staying in the loop in your industry, and in a best case scenario, you’ll meet an investor or partner who will take your business to the next level. Of course, by heeding the 7 tips above and following a schedule that has you attending numerous events per year will maximize your chances of running into those magical in-person connections that usually make for the most fulfilling and valuable partnerships.