How can you get the most out of a data governance conference?

Verificando a programa??o e participando das conferências que você entende que seriam o seu foco de estudos. Nos intervalos importante aproveitar o networking que o evento oferece justamente para a troca de conhecimentos com os participantes.

Define what you want to achieve from the conference. It could be understanding new data governance trends, finding solutions to specific challenges, or identifying potential vendors. Having clear goals will guide your conference experience.

Research the Conference Define specific, measurable, and achievable goals for the conference Participate actively in Q&A sessions and discussions. This not only demonstrates your interest but also provides opportunities to connect with speakers and other attendees. Assess whether you achieved the goals you set before attending the conference.

I believe it's very right to define the goals of the conference before the event. After all, this changes the strategy of your interaction with other participants. If you want to offer your product (for example, a data catalog), the key time for you is the breaks between reports for free communication. If you want to find ways to solve a work problem, listening to reports on similar topics and their subsequent discussion with other participants will be key. In a word, conference time is a limited resource. After all, reports are given in several parallel streams. And you can't physically manage to communicate with all participants. Therefore, choosing goals and prioritizing seems a quite sound decision.

A lot of DG conferences list attendees and their titles. Seek professionals in your industry. This is a part of strategic networking and it shows that you are genuinely interested in improving the data that you steward. There will be many opportunities to vent and share war stories about this discipline of work. In addition, seek experiences with new colleagues at conferences that are doing what you want to be doing. Share your pitfalls in a real effort to find solutions. After the conference follow-up with these new colleagues on your progress. We want to hear about the growth data governance is experiencing industry wide and cross functionally. It's a real esteem boost for us all.

Before you go and attend a conference, reach out to some of your contacts to see how good the conference is, and who typically attends these conferences. You would want to pick a conference where you can connect with some of your peers in the industry who are on the same maturity as your current company. Otherwise, it will be harder for you to make meaningful connections and be able to get the insights that you can use.

I treat every networking event like an interview, because let's face it, you never know who you'll end up working for, or working with at some point in the future and first impressions count. So do your homework. Familiarise yourself with the agenda, speakers, and participants. Knowing the background of speakers and their areas of expertise can help you choose the most relevant sessions and will also allow you to craft the best way to approach someone for a chat and an introduction.

As an attendee of multiple conferences, I always reviewed the agenda, and the speakers. I would also research the speakers for popularity, and note how fellow professionals rated the speakers. Because everyone on my team could not attend the conference, it was very important to share the conference agenda with my teammates. I wanted to know what they were interested in, or what governance principals they wanted additional insight on. Knowing what my team needed, provided me with the sessions to prioritize. I also ensured that I reached out to the vendors that could answer a need my team may have. On my return to the office, I prepared a presentation for my team, with session ratings, and recommendations.

1. Networking is possible with the industry experts in conferences tailored to the topic of interest or work 2. I have met lots of fellow professionals, exchanged thoughts who have become a part of a close group 3. Choose to pick a session or two that can provide a direct impact on your area of work 4. Targeting all the sessions usually doesn’t help, and it’s better to choose a few 5. Conversations over lunch can be usually easy ones, as you might find professionals to be open & candid with their conversation

If you're going to go to a conference simply for a free lunch and a few drinks, then it's probably best to stay at work and do something useful with your time. Participate in discussions, ask questions, and share your insights. Active engagement not only enhances your learning but also makes you more visible to other participants.

Did you enjoy a session at the conference? DON'T BE AFRAID TO JUMP UP AND TALK TO THE SPEAKER! Every speaker I've ever approached was incredibly nice, thoughtful, and genuinely wanted to help. I still speak to many people I've met at conferences because I took the time to introduce myself, ask a few questions and get to know them. I know it can be scary, but take that leap, and introduce yourself!

Talking to speakers is perhaps the single most effective way to gain understanding and build relationships in this body of work. I talked to a speaker years ago (in complete and utter embarrassment). This encounter changed my career for the better. I collaborate with colleagues across industries now. At work, I am consulted on all things data governance. I am an army of one (no staff). Because I spoke to that speaker, even though I was embarrassed, I learned how to make data governance work at my organization.

Identify people who can add value to your work and make a conscious effort to connect with them. Remember, quality of connections matters more than quantity.

Develop concise and engaging elevator pitches about yourself and your work. This helps you introduce yourself effectively and makes it easier for others to understand your interests and expertise.

During a conference, you have the opportunity to interact with other professionals in your field. While a conference can be daunting, and you often feel like there is so much to learn, that you begin to question your knowledge level, you will be amazed at how many people will talk to you and find your input and insight valuable! Attending a conference is like going to a pot luck dinner; everyone brings a dish (something they are good at) to the table, and you get a chance to sample those dishes (talk to the chef and get the recipe!) to see which ones will feed your team the best.

In my experience, when I attended a conference I would always schedule a conference review meeting one week after my return to work. This gave me time to gather my notes, document my findings, recommendations, and ratings (yes, I rated the sessions, speakers, vendor products, etc.).

After the conference, review your notes and identify key takeaways that can be implemented in your organisation. Share your learnings with your team to multiply the impact. Sharing what you've learnt with your team will make them stronger as well, and they might have other questions that will facilitate more discussions and possible solutions to problems you are facing.

Develop a concrete action plan outlining the steps you'll take to implement the key learnings. Set realistic timelines and milestones to track your progress. This plan can serve as a roadmap for new strategies or best practices into your data governance processes. Schedule a debriefing session with team to share the insights gained from the conference. This not only valuable knowledge but also fosters a collaborative environment where team members can collectively brainstorm on how to apply these insights. Instead of making sweeping changes all at once, consider a phased implementation of new practices or solutions. This approach allows for smoother integration and provides the opportunity to assess the impact of each change.

To gain the most from attending a conference, commit in advance to learning at least one new thing each day of the conference and to making at least one new professional contact each day. Review the lessons learned each evening and spend time with your contacts (new and existing) to share perspectives and find possible solutions to current challenges in data governance, data management, metadata management, etc.

A life hack for conference participants. People offering their products at conferences are often persistent. They actively offer to exchange contacts, and after the event, they send an incredible amount of product presentations and repeated emails to your work mailbox. Сreate a separate email in advance and share it at the conference (instead of your real email). You can use public services like Google, Hotmail, etc. Or you can ask your IT department to create a separate email under a corporate domain (like something @ your_corporate_domain . com). If you need to study vendor offers, you can always refer to this box. If there is no such necessity, you can continue to work peacefully with your work email without receiving spam.