6 Tips to Get the Most Out of a Conference

Attending conferences is a crucial part of academic life. A conference offer unparalleled opportunities to meet other researchers in your field, present your research, and disocver new ideas. But how do you make sure you really take advantage of all that a conference has to offer? Here are our tips.

Think About Your Goals

Consider your priorities for a conference. Are you looking to connect with new people, communicate your work, or learn about new developments in your field? While you can do all three at most conferences, setting some conference goals will help you determine which conferences are best for you and help you allocate your time once you’re there.

Choose the Right Conferences

There are several different types of conferences and they each have their own strengths. Every field has an annual meeting which is quite broad in scope. This type of conference gives you a good overview of the current state of the field and major developments of the year. However, you may prefer a smaller conference about your specific research topic. Smaller conferences make it easier to connect with other researchers and get valuable feedback about your work. There are also conferences aimed at graduate students and postdocs which are useful for gaining presentation experience.

Plan Your Time

The schedule of a major conference is jam packed with numerous sessions and panels. In order to make sure that you don’t miss any key presentations it’s a good idea to review the program at the start of each day. Decide which sessions you don't want to miss and then fill up the rest of your day with sessions that either fulfill an educational goal or a personal one (such as meeting or supporting the presenter). If you have the time, try to attend a few wild card sessions that seem interesting but aren’t related to your work. Everyone has a different level of endurance, but don’t forget to leave yourself some downtime to socialize and recharge.

Networking

For most academics, especially PhD students and postdocs, conferences are the main way to build a network. They’re a great way to connect with people in your field that you may not normally have the opportunity to meet. If you’re still early in your PhD you may not know many people outside of your university, however, your colleagues and supervisor will. Stick with them and you will be introduced to the people in their network. If you’re attending a conference solo, strike up a conversation with a fellow solo conference goer. When in doubt, asking what the best paper they’ve seen so far is an easy icebreaker. Utilize the coffee breaks and conference dinners to get to know your new contacts better.

Don’t Neglect Twitter

Twitter has become essential part of science communication and the conference-going experience. Most major conferences and even several smaller ones have their own hashtags you can follow and use. Searching the conference hashtag is a great way to find out who else is at the conference and learn about panels or sessions that might not otherwise catch your eye. Live-tweeting the conference is a way to connect with other attendees, discuss sessions in real time, and share information with people who weren’t able to attend. Through Twitter you can even follow a session happening in another room if you have a scheduling conflict.  

Take Notes

Taking notes is a good way to remember things you learned during the conference sessions, who you met and any thing requiring further action. Take a moment at the end of each day to summarize the key takeaways. Did you get an idea for your research at a panel? Did you discuss a potential collaboration with another researcher? Write these things down so you don’t miss the opportunities.

Follow Up

When you get back from a conference, send a quick follow up email to the new people you met and any potential collaborators you talked to. Then, keep in touch! There’s no reason someone you meet at a conference should  be a one-time-only contact. Send them a quick message to see if they’re going to the next annual conference rolls or a congratulate them on a new publication. Over time, they can become an integral part of your network.