Conference-Going Tips for All Disciplines

I don't care if it's a writer's conference, a philosophy conference, or a comicon-type event. Conference-going is overwhelming and scary. Here are some tips, organized by time:

Before:

• Plan, but be flexible. It's frustrating to forget about an event or meetup you wanted to attend, but it's also frustrating to feel as though your time is 100% booked and you need to stick with your original roadmap.
• Be clear on what you want out of the conference. Are you going primarily to spectate and take it all in? Try for a holistic experience. Are you there to network? Make sure you hit all the social events.
• Book accommodations  and event spaces well in advance. If you're booking a restaurant for a lot of people, or looking to try that one restaurant (TM), know that thousands of people are doing the same. Hotels can get pricey in the weeks--sometimes, months--leading up to a conference
• Research good food and activities in the area. Again, you don't necessarily want to spend all of your time in conference mode, as that can be exhausting. Take advantage of the conference location and timing.
• Prepare your materials ahead of time. Remember to take business cards, resumes, writing samples, anything you think you might need. There's nothing worse than arriving at a conference only to find you've forgotten a key component of your networking strategy at home.

During:

• Stay hydrated and nourished. Just because the conference schedule doesn't leave time to eat doesn't mean you shouldn't! A lot of the busier conferences simply have too many activities ongoing to have discrete mealtimes. It's important that you are physically capable of focusing on this conference that you've paid money to attend. 
• Know your limits. Sometimes, your brain just can't take any more. This is why I often bookmark sessions as either "essential" or "interesting," because I know that I can only handle so much, and I don't want to burn out before that essential panel in the final timeslot. If you find your mind starting to wander, it's best to take a break.
• Record interesting or notable things. It could be a person you meet, an inspiring quote you hear, a new book recommendation or even something completely unrelated to the conference. There's a lot going on, and remembering it all afterwards is impossible, so make sure you capture it while it's fresh.

After:

• Follow up quickly, if you didn't follow up during. Sending a quick note to the contacts you meet, connecting with them right away, or, if it's more official, doing what they ask during the conference in a timely manner is important. First, you can't trust that you'll remember everything or that they will, and second, it's a lot less like a cold call if it's in the month after the conference than if it's a year afterwards. I've let a lot of opportunities run dry this way, to my later chagrin. (This also applies to random chance meetings.) 
• Organize your random notes. If you're like me, you might jot down notes in a journal or type small reminders on your phone. Try deciphering what you meant by, "Circle strategy for making outlines" six months after the fact. I dare you. So, it's still your brain, so you might have recorded the exact words your brain needs to remake the connection. Or, as has happened to me more often than I'd like, your brain scrambles to make new connections because your notes look like the scribblings of a madman.
• Plan for next year. No, really! A lot of conferences have early bird discounts and other perks--also, see above with hotel and event planning--that make it worthwhile to register as soon as possible. Also, wouldn't it be fantastic to benchmark your progress by returning the following year?

I got inspired to write this post because of AWP's annual conference. I was supposed to attend last year, but my thesis was due the same weekend, so that didn't work. I'm excited to share more about AWP in the upcoming days. If you're interested in attending, they have will-call and one-day passes for people in the LA area.