Take a quick photo together when you meet, then send it as the first message of your follow-up.
The idea
Most people leave an event with a stack of business cards and forget who half of them are by the time they get home. A quick photo together fixes that. It feels personal, a shared moment on top of the contact swap. It puts a face to the name (we're visual creatures). And sent as the first message of your follow-up, it jogs both your memories and stands out from the generic "Great to meet you."
How to do it
When you meet someone you'd like to stay in touch with, ask for a quick photo. Most people are happy to oblige.
Later that day or the next morning, follow up with the photo and a simple message about how nice it was to connect.
Drop the photo into your phone's Notes (or your CRM) with a couple of memory cues.
Example
I picked this up watching someone do it a dozen times over a couple of days at an event. The habit takes seconds.
Script
At the event: "Hey, let's take a quick photo so we remember where we met!"
Conference Before, During, After: Before: goal, target list, booked meetings, host a dinner. During: scribble notes. After: half a day within 48 hours to follow through.
The 48 Hours After: Block half a day within 48 hours of getting home from a conference, list everyone you met with notes and next steps, and send the follow-ups.
The Post-Meeting Protocol: Right after a meeting, send a follow-up listing what you committed to, then block weekly time to process notes and act on tasks.
Remembering Names: Let four seconds pass, use the name later, build a weird association, and when it's gone anyway, just admit it and ask.