Conferences, Conventions, and Trade Shows -- Opportunities for Concentrated Enlightenment?

Attending conferences, conventions, and trade shows--whether in your professional field or in something that interests you--can help you to consolidate experiences and educational opportunities in addition to giving you a refreshing break from routine. Since these events usually provide break-out sessions, seminars, workshops, round-table discussions, vendor exhibitions, and chances to meet others interested in the same venue, consider these events as a way to fast-track your career, business, and education.

Conferences, conventions, and trade shows are held throughout the year -- including towns or cities near you (places such as Las Vegas, Nevada; New York City, New York; Hong Kong, China; Singapore; Tokyo, Japan; London, England; Maui, Hawaii; San Diego, California; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Denver, Colorado; Miami, Florida, or other interesting locations). Check with the various organizations and with your local conference and convention centers for upcoming events. You may get lucky and find one near you or at one of those locations you'd love to visit.

Many of these events will also schedule additional tours and side trips for sightseeing (for attendees and spouses--or even for attendee families) at discounted or special conference rates.?You may be able to turn this learning and growing opportunity into an additional vacation for you and your family!??

I've been to conferences, conventions, and trade shows for many, many years (even managed to plan, schedule, and coordinate some for organizations for which I was one of the officers) -- and I've always returned home from each with a renewed outlook, more knowledge, and appreciation for the topic of the event.

Conferences and conventions I've attended included those for teachers, international law, technical documentation, food & beverage services and equipment, travel writers, pharmaceutical and biotech, florists and floral design, lasers and optics, embedded software, robotics, medical technologies, forensic science, small business and direct marketing, alternate energy, insurance and financial services, hazardous waste control, and most recently, software development, IC design, and IT security. If there is an organized profession, trade, skill, craft, or even hobby, there's a good chance you will be able to find an event for it.

Each event I've attended has featured seminars, workshops, break-out sessions, round-table discussions, panel discussions, trade show exhibitions, keynote speakers, and off-hour and pre-session/post-session tours and activities in addition to breakfasts, lunches, and dinners at which speakers or discussions among those enjoying the meal added to the learning opportunities.

For some conferences, the beginning and ending keynote speakers draw a huge attendance.

This photo was shot at a financial services conference in Denver, Colorado.

Each time, I was able to visit with fellow attendees, attend a wide variety of specialized seminars, workshops, and break-out sessions, enjoy interesting areas, and learn new perspectives.

Work Related Conferences, Conventions, and Trade Shows

Professional and industry conferences generally have an opening breakfast or dinner that features a keynote speaker and perhaps a panel discussion.

For conferences and conventions and trade shows that were job related, I usually was not able to bring my wife and kids. It was WORK related, right??

Although some folks brought their families--especially if they came to the conference on their own dime--for me, my company usually paid for my trip, hotel stay, and conference fees, so bringing extra people wasn't something I could easily do.

For non-local events, I'd fly in a day or two before from where I lived and take the shuttle to the conference hotel, check in, then explore the surroundings a little. Maybe I'd walk around the general neighborhood and scout for restaurants or scenic areas.?

Or, if it had been a long flight, I'd explore just the hotel (for the in-house amenities) and then get some rest in my room before the following day's sessions.

Conferences such as these included the Society for Technical Communication (STC) International Technical Communication Conferences (ITCC) in Philadelphia, PA; Denver, CO; and Santa Clara, CA; and an international conference for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Professional Communications Society (PCS) held in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Dinner keynote event for a Society for Technical Communication (STC) International Technical Communication Conference (ITCC) in Denver, Colorado. Attendees were technical documentation professionals from around the world.

I've also attended smaller regional conferences and workshops for both the STC, IEEE-PCS, and (ISC)2. Most of these were in the states where I happened to be living at the time--California and New Mexico.

There have been a few conferences I attended just out of curiosity -- because I was interested in the topic of the event and had gotten a free pass to the exhibition part of the event, and because they might have had some pertinence to future career moves. These were always local (meaning, within an hour or two driving distance) and included a HAZMACON (Hazardous Materials Conference) and some BioPhex (Biotech and Pharmaceutical) Conferences. I had been a biology major and chemistry minor in college--therefore these topics have always interested me and if I could get a job as a technical writer in those industries, it would fulfill some of my dreams. So, attending and participating in these conferences gave me more experience--and even better, it gave me contacts to add to my network of possible future colleagues. (And one of them even led to a nice contract gig.)

One of the first conferences I attended was a week-long regional conference on the International Law of the Sea as part of my university studies. The conference featured breakfasts, lunches, and dinners -- each featuring a keynote speaker or panel discussion of various aspects of international law and fisheries preservation, conservation, and regulation. At the conference I was able to meet attendees from not only the island of Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands (including the Governor of Guam, the Governor of the Northern Marianas Islands, the Commander of the U.S. Naval Forces of Marianas, Guam-based Coast Guard representatives, University of Guam Marine Laboratory staff [where I was working at the time], and Guam Department of Game and Fisheries staff), but also the Maltese Ambassador to the United Nations, the Counsel General of the Philippines, the Counsel General of Japan, and representatives of the governments of the many other Pacific Islands and countries affected by fisheries and their exclusive economic zones (Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti, Palau, Truk, Pohnpei, and so on). It was a fascinating conference, and, after writing a paper on the conference for my college credits, I repurposed much of the paper to become a 3-part article series for our local Sunday newspaper's week-end magazine.

Then, my next exposure to a conference was with the New Mexico Outdoor Writers and Photographers Association (NMOWPA) when I was just trying to get a break into freelance writing in the U.S. Mainland. I subsequently became newsletter editor and then vice-president of that organization. As an officer of the organization, I actively participated in planning, scheduling, and coordinating some of the conferences in tourist destination areas of New Mexico (Red River, Raton, Alamogordo, Mogollon, Socorro).

Because I have always loved traveling and I also love writing, I attended a Travel Writing Conference put on by the American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI) in San Francisco. I had a great time learning from working travel writers, publication editors, and fellow enthusiasts some of the tricks and techniques of the profession. In addition to having wonderful breaks that allowed us to explore the streets (and piers) of San Francisco, we had pleasant breakfasts, lunches, and keynote-speaker dinners and receptions during which we had a chance to meet new friends and contacts. The break-out sessions, workshops, and seminars were all well-worth what I paid for the conference!

One of the panel session workshops for a travel writing conference held in San Francisco. Attendees had a chance to write a quick and short blurb about some place they've traveled to and the distinct impressions they got from the experience. The results were then critiqued as part of the learning experience.

My wife was considering switching careers and had gone through training to be a floral designer/florist--and we found a Florist and Floral Design Conference coming to San Francisco. We signed up to attend the conference--well, actually, my wife signed up for the conference and I just came along for the ride (and stay in the hotel and enjoy a little "down-time" with my wife). While my wife was attending the workshops and seminars, I was out and about exploring in San Francisco. I'd return to the conference hotel for the lunches and dinners. And now my wife has started her sideline floral design business. We have since attended additional floral design conferences in both San Francisco and Las Vegas, NV. She enjoys the workshops and seminars as well as the exhibition hall, and I enjoy the exhibition hall and touring the area while she is in the training sessions.

Entrance to The Pavilion at Las Vegas, where my wife and I attended a World Floral Expo (she's the florist/floral designer -- Although I did wander through the exposition for a while, I just came along for the ride and to enjoy the sights of Las Vegas while she was in the workshops and seminars).

Along the same lines, when my son was a new college student and was tentatively interested in becoming a chef or cook .... (he showed a lot of aptitude in the kitchen) -- we learned that there would be a Food and Beverage Conference and Convention coming to San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center. My wife and I decided to take our son there as a "field trip". For paying $30 per person exhibition-hall-only fee, we were able to explore the huge variety of booths featuring all sorts of culinary goodies (and enabling us to sample as many of the goodies as our tummies would allow). The conference was sponsored mostly by the Food and Beverage Institute (FBI) and Culinary Institute of America (CIA) (probably a reason for a lot of jokes). It was a great "crash-course" for our son -- he had a chance to talk with working chefs and other food workers. He met chefs who owned their own restaurants and also chefs who worked for corporations. He met specialists who worked with food and ingredients manufacturing and shipping. He met kitchen equipment manufacturer representatives. And, he met folks who were kitchen design and architecture specialists. A great way to condense education. If we had spent a few hundred dollars more, we could have attended special certification classes in food preparation, kitchen sanitation, kitchen safety, and other interesting topics. This type of education is available with most specialized industry conferences and conventions.?

Conferences and Conventions that are Not Work Related - But maybe are more in line with hobbies, interests, or passions!

If you are interested in Star Trek (and want to go to a Star Trek Convention) or you are a comic book fan (and want to go to a ComicCon), you have a lot of things you can do to enhance your experience at these events. Some folks go all out and dress up as characters from their favorite Star Trek episodes or comic books. So, if you want to dress up as a Klingon, Vulcan, or Romulan... or if you want to dress as a cousin of Spiderman, Batman, Robin, Aquaman, Thor, Kato, or a throng of other characters -- and you don't want to wait until the annual Halloween costume party -- then these conferences and conventions are your chance!

Other local (within a few hours drive) conferences, exhibitions, and shows include those for sports-cards and memorabilia, automotive industry new model introductions, reptiles and amphibians, bird-owners, tattoo enthusiasts, anime, landscaping and gardening, model railroading, radio-powered aircraft (now including drones), and a myriad of others to enjoy.

Tips to get the most productivity from your conference, convention, or trade show experience:

If you received a preliminary schedule or program catalog of the conference presentations, seminars, workshops, panel discussions, and other breakout sessions, read through the schedule and, if their times/days are indicated note the ones you want to attend on a day-planner or on your schedule or appointment book. If some have parallel tracks and timing, then prioritize and schedule your first choice, second choice, and third choice for those you want to attend.

For events applicable to my work and to my interests, I select my scheduled sessions based on the following priorities and criteria:

• 1st are the workshops -- where you can get hands-on and classroom-style instruction that are an excellent way to get concentrated learning and experience. Usually only a brief description of the information to be covered will be in the proceedings, so you have to actually attend the workshop to get the benefit of the information.
• 2nd would be the panel discussions -- where material will also not likely be available in the proceedings other than the names, titles, and companies of the panel members and a brief paragraph or two on the topic of the panel discussion. Attending a panel discussion will be the only place to get further information on this topic. The panel may offer insights that you would not learn anywhere else.
• 3rd would be the seminars -- where you can still get classroom-style focused instruction. The seminar materials such as notes and presentation slides may be in the proceedings for reference.
• 4th and last-priority would be the paper presentations. If the paper is in the proceedings, chances are good you probably won't hear or see anything different during the paper presentation. In fact, many times, the presenter will just read their paper. These presentations can be boring as hell -- and besides, you already have this in your copy of the proceedings (if you haven't gotten a copy of the proceedings, get one -- it's easier, however, to order the proceedings when you register for the conference).?And now, you can get a PDF version of the proceedings via the conference website or via email (if you registered and paid for the document).

Note the tours and side trips made available at the discount prices for attendees and families. If you see any you'd like to attend, schedule them in your day-planner or appointment calendar. Sign up for these relatively early because they might be limited with the size of the tour bus or venue.

Be sure to wear comfortable shoes. If you must have dressier shoes, be sure that they are somewhat comfortable and break them in before wearing them to the event. By all means, don't try to wear brand new shoes to one of these -- you'll be miserable.

Bring plenty of business cards. Although nowadays the exhibitors at their booths can just scan your badge into their database (which you may or may not want to do depending on your tolerance of being overwhelmed with sales calls, sales emails, and other possible annoyances), you may meet people you'd like to keep in contact with and the business cards can expedite the exchange of information.

Bring a notepad, a camera, and perhaps a voice recorder (or, with the way technology is nowadays, just bring your cell-phone [in silent mode] -- it can at least do the photos and the voice recording, if not also capture your notes)!

Bring an extra, fold-able bag or light backpack to carry off the materials offered at the event! There's a good chance that they'll provide bags at the event. But just in case they don't, having a bag makes life easier.

Before going into the exhibition hall, stop by a convenience store or supermarket and buy some bottled water and maybe a sandwich or protein bar and stash them in your bag or backpack. The food and beverages inside the conference area will be ridiculously priced. If you have paid the full-amount for the conference (seminars and workshops as well as the exhibition hall), your meals may already be covered by that fee so you might not need to worry about this problem.

If you are a long distance from home (if you had to fly across country or to another country), you may want to pack up the goodies you got at the conference and arrange to have them shipped by UPS or regular mail to your home for later review. This could be cheaper than the excess-luggage-weight charge at the airport and will also spare you from having to cart all that stuff around. Or, you could just decline to pick up stuff at the conference. It's your call.

When you get home from the conference, go through your notes and materials and write up a trip-report. You can attach some of the pertinent literature, such as white papers and presentation handouts to your trip-report package. Not only will this be helpful for revisiting what you saw and learned at the conference, but it will also be helpful for your boss and colleagues, establish you as a candidate for future attendances at upcoming events, and update your knowledge base.

----------------------------------------

Dave Gardner, of Pacific Consultants Group, is a documentation professional with extensive experience in analyzing, scoping, planning, scheduling, budgeting, researching, organizing, writing, editing, and producing scientific, technical, and regulatory compliance publications. He is available for quick-turn-around and long-term documentation projects. For more information on how he can help you with your documentation needs, contact him through LinkedIn messaging.