Mastering The Conference Shuffle

The Conference Shuffle
Somewhere, after surviving the “Does this guy actually have a license?” airport shuttle, the co-worker collaboration on where to meet for group dinners, and the pre and post per diem and travel paperwork to even get there, you finally arrive. It’s the professional conference you’ve been looking forward to for months. A chance to network with the best and brightest of your colleagues and peers, learn about all the latest and greatest initiatives in your field, connect with programs and companies that are offering new services that could potentially make your professional work life a whole lot easier and more effective. But then it happens. You’re scurrying through security, hoping you grabbed your wallet off the hotel bathroom sink, and hurriedly grabbing your seat on the flight home.
Where did the three days go? What did you get out of them? You sigh, trying to establish ownership of the arm rest in the dreaded middle seat you ended up with. You consider unclipping your properly secured safety belt and grabbing your iPad you mistakenly left in your carry-on bag, but the flight attendant is already cross with you for not turning off your phone when she first asked so you could make that last Words With Friends play. You consider asking your seatmate to the left for a piece of paper so you can start writing down all the thoughts, ideas, and new initiatives you’ve promised yourself you’re going to enact just the minute you return to the office on Monday. Monday, when those 250 emails about late registration are waiting to be answered, not to mention the fifteen voicemails you thought about answering before you left last week and the additional ones that have surely trickled in while you were away. You can feel your chest pounding as the pilot has powered the engines up and your aircraft is heading down the runway. The idea of submitting your post-travel goals and outcomes to your supervisor is overwhelming, topped off with a case of even greater anxiety about doing everything you felt so inspired to achieve/become/enact at the closing session with that powerful keynote speaker who made you forget about the cardboard tasting chicken salad you were munching on while eyeing that extra piece of cherry cheesecake at the unoccupied seat at your table. Taking a deep breath, you resolve to do the only reasonable thing any good professional would do. As a matter of fact, based on the familiar snore from two rows behind, you are pretty confident that Joe from Accounting has already done it. And with that, you doze off to la la land and forget about the conference shuffle.
Sound familiar? While budgets in today’s economy have had some impact on decreasing the quantity of opportunities for travel to professional development conferences, many of us are still lucky enough to carve out the time and resources to attend at least one conference per budget year. With the intensified financial scrutiny of measuring the return on every dollar invested, there is that much more pressure to make certain each travel venture is time well-spent, providing transferrable knowledge and best practices that exceed beyond the individual employees able to attend the workshops. So, how can those of us who are given the privilege and opportunities for individual and organizational development associated with conference attendance and participation maximize the experience and avoid dancing the dreaded conference shuffle? Here are a few tips to help you prepare, conquer, and leverage your conference engagements this year and beyond.

1. Read your emails. No, really read your emails. Pay special attention to the emails coming from the conference organizers, especially those in the final few days before take-off. Often, they include information on changes, updates, additions, parking/construction, directions, local area activities that may impact your travel, and more.
2. Download the smart phone app for the conference if available. Typically these apps are free, interactive, and the most up to date opportunity for things like cancelled sessions, room changes, and networking opportunities. If you are low on storage/space on your phone, remember, it’s just for a few days and you can always reinstall Candy Crush for the plane ride home. Don't forget to like and follow the conference's social media pages and post photos/thoughts and use their # to stay connected!
3. Attend the newcomer/first-timers meeting if they offer it. Just like our students don’t want to attend orientation, but appreciate it afterward, so will you! You’ll find out important pieces of information, potentially connect with others who are also just experiencing the conference, and maybe learn some insider information those who skipped it didn’t find out about.
4. Consider signing up to volunteer. This will connect you with the conference organizers, the professional organization, and help you feel more connected! You may even score a free ticket or registration fee out of it for an upcoming conference.
5. Send a targeted, intentional, and personalized pre or post email. Of course, pay attention to the rules on attendee lists if they are shared. Many organizations require you to send a copy of any communications thru the conference organizer. Others limit how many communications you may have. Still, if you craft your message correctly, you can definitely make an impression on individuals who are trying to decide between your presentation or another one, your exhibit table or a competitor’s. Including information about prizes, specifics about how the connection will directly impact/facilitate the other conference goer’s professional achievement, and what the top incentives are for attending/engaging.
6. Don’t forget to pack your business cards and make a point to quantify how many you’ve packed, how many you hope to distribute (all of them), and how man you hope to collect. Manage the new connections you’ve made quickly – on downtime each day back in your room or on the return trip home (unless you are driving – the steering wheel and typing on your laptop aren’t conducive to safety standards!). From taking photos of them with your smart phone to installing some of these top business cards apps, there are plenty of quick, easy ways to continue to build your network.
7. Follow-up FAST. Remember, your colleagues and peers you’ve connected with didn’t just meet you and your sparkling, unforgettable personality. They met a lot of cool people. How will YOU stand out? One of the easiest ways to do so is to email them quickly (I’ve been known to email them almost immediately after meeting them to quickly cement the connection and so I don’t forget!) and effectively – reminding them of the connection, highlighting the next opportunity for engagement, and reviewing the opportunities for strengthening one another’s business goals and achievements.
8. Get an old-fashioned binder, folder or notebook. There will be hand-outs, you will still take notes even if they promise to post the Power Points from all presentations immediately after the conference concludes. Review them all on the trip home, summarize main points into actionables, informational, and referrals if they’d be great for a colleague or co-worker who didn’t attend. Identify next steps and set goals for implementation/follow-up.
9. Put it on your calendar that syncs to your phone! The sessions you want to attend, where they will be, what time they are, and the time line for your follow-up goals and next steps. Let’s be real – you are always on it and that’s okay. You’ll have it with you the entire conference reading emails from back at work when you should be fully present at the conference, which brings me to…
10. Be fully present at the conference. Put your phone away, keep the laptop in your room, and ease back in to student/learner mode. Don’t always sit with your “team” – consider lunching with others from other institutions and organizations. Attend some educational sessions and workshops out of your area so you can learn something entirely new.
11. Have some fun! Smile. Ask questions. Bring a backpack. Pack your best and brightest college/organization polo or t-shirt. Wear your dancing shoes (aka sneakers) and get ready to master the Conference Shuffle!

*Bonus recommendations:

*Invite your co-workers to join you for lunch the week you return or ask your supervisor if you can present at the weekly team meeting and provide a brief overview of what you've learned and new ideas for improving your team!

*Start planning to submit a proposal to present at the next conference you'll attend. Now that you've been to at least one conference, why not you? Why not now? Every conference presenter had to start somewhere,  so now is your chance. Consider what's going on in your area, at your institution, in your community college system or field, and create a dream list and outline. Partner up with a co-presenter and get ready to wow the next conference and jazz up your resume!