By: Chris Lowe
Conferences are a rite of passage for graduate students and post-docs. Crammed into just a few short days are endless sessions of technical talks, poster presentations, mixers, and all the standard hustle and bustle of a scientific meeting. With everyone gathered in one city for a few days, the networking opportunities are substantial and you can stand to gain a lot by expanding your network. Most students put a lot of pressure on themselves during conferences, particularly if they are presenting, to stand out and make those critical connections that will help to further their next career step. This is much easier said than done, but there are a few things to try and set yourself up to make the most of your time at the conference. And who knows? You might be able to enjoy it in the process.
Utilize the conference app: Most conferences nowadays are rolling out apps that you can download to help you navigate the conference on site. While most of the data in the app is captured in the program book, the app typically has added search and sorting capabilities that make them easier to pull information out of. Plus, this saves you from endlessly flipping through pages to find that session you had seen earlier in passing. You can search by technical topic, or sort by special interest events to find events specifically for graduate students, post docs, or young professionals. Any changes to the schedule or conference wide announcements will also be published in the app so you can stay up to date on the latest happenings on site.
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The conference app allows you to sort and search for sessions with a wide variety of criteria. Save yourself from flipping through the program book![/caption]
Probably one of the most attractive capabilities offered by conference apps, is the ability to build your own schedule. You can scroll through sessions in the app (even before you get into town if the app is uploaded in time) and add them to your schedule. That way when you’re running between sessions, all you’ll need to do is open up your personalized schedule and grab the room number for the next talk you wanted to see. This can help you to maximize your time at the conference and ensure you don’t miss out on that cool session you flagged.
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Keep an eye out for ticketed events that may allow you to network in a smaller, less crowded setting.[/caption]
Register for ticketed and off site events: Sometimes when you register for the conference, you’ll be given the option to register for ticketed or off-site events. Sometimes these can include luncheons or mixers targeted to a specific group, or tours of the local area, local labs or industry who have partnered with the meeting. These events, even if they are non-technical, will often afford you an opportunity to network and interact with a much smaller group. Compared to the opening receptions or marquee events throughout the meeting that attract big crowds, ticketed events can offer the opportunity to mingle in a more manageable setting and foster more meaningful conversation and connections. Additionally, it’s likely that you’ll have something in common with these people right away, since they signed up for the same interesting tour or the mixer for your target group.
Get out and explore the city: Chances are if you’re attending a conference, you may be heading to a new city or at least one that you haven’t spent a lot of time in before. If you have sometime either when you fly in, or before you fly out go out and explore! Additionally, running the gauntlet of technical topics can be completely exhausting especially for longer meetings, so scheduling some time for fun to let yourself recharge and refocus during the meeting isn’t a bad idea. If you’re interested in art or the local music scene, go check out local museums or live music venues in town. If you’re a foodie, go look up some of the top rated restaurants in the area and sample the cuisine for yourself. Love craft beer? Go look up some local breweries and take a tour. No matter what it is you like to do, you can find options in almost every new city you’re visiting. Even better, if the place is nearby the conference center, there’s a good chance you may run into other conference goers, and wouldn’t you know it? They probably share some of the same interests as you.
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Take some time to explore the city during down time in your meeting![/caption]
No matter what meeting you attend, or what city you end up in, conference travel can be exhausting and stressful. Taking some time to get organized with the meeting app, taking advantage of special conference events and branching out into the local area can help to make your trip more enjoyable, more rewarding and open up some networking options you’d otherwise miss!