Conferences can be fun, exciting places to be! Rooms and halls filled with people roaming about, random conversations breaking out left-and-right, and people catching up with old friends. But there’s a lot more to a conference than (hopefully) tasty snacks, uncomfortable seats and presentations.
I am fortunate to experience conferences from three different angles: as an attendee, as a presenter and as an organizer. This gives me a pretty well rounded insight into how to get the most from a conference. There’s a lot more to it than simply turning up, listening and watching, and then going home. No. Much more.
As a conference attendee, like any other event, you should plan your participation. What sessions are you really looking forward to? What answers are you seeking? What kind of people might you gravitate toward to strike up a conversation to help you find these answers? A conference is as much about what you put in, than it is about the speakers dazzling you with their expertise. People are sometimes surprised that I am a natural introvert. With my wife, I run a networking organization – surely I must be this outgoing, confident person, right? Well, yes and no. Networking is a skill, and a conference is the perfect place to exercise that skill. So, I’ll quite often adopt a character at a conference. I’ll try to connect to people, strike up conversations with random guests, all just to overcome my natural tendency to sit, listen and observe. That has its place, but the biggest benefit of a conference should be obvious. Other people are there and you should interact with them!
As a presenter, it’s helpful to know what the attendee might be feeling and expecting. Some presenters can get a little carried away with the sound of their own voice occasionally I think. As a presenter, it’s our job to convey our key points, but do so in a way that inspires and educates, not whitewashes you with data, or demonstrations of how ‘cool’ we think we are. I try to make my presentations a little humorous, knowing that helps to draw the audience to you and make them feel more comfortable. With that comfort, comes the greater absorption of what I’m there to share. I’m a big fan of telling stories, versus throwing facts at you. Above all this, however, is the interactive component. I strongly encourage attendees to connect with me; ask questions, challenge me, explore related opinions, etc. Not everyone wants to do that whilst you’re on stage, so I always leave time for private conversation afterward – and be sure to smile as I walk around to encourage those spontaneous interactions.
In my role as a conference organizer, the attention is devoted to the balance between the needs of the presenters, and the attendees. The sessions must be practical and applicable to the audience, whilst also being challenging—simply presenting on things that are common knowledge is a fast way to help your audience to sleep! Logistics also play a huge part. Most attendees have no idea that as an organizer, you’re constantly tweaking, improvising and reacting to rapidly changing circumstances. Speaker hasn’t arrived? No problem. Sound not working? I have that covered. Running over time? I have pre-planned for that and have ‘buffer’ space in the agenda. The list goes on, but no matter how much you plan, there is always something that creeps past.
No matter your role at a conference, there is one uniting thing. I call it ‘post-conference euphoria’. The state of excitement and feeling you can conquer the world you get when you get inspired at a conference. The trick here is to take that feeling, and stretch it out over time. Don’t just get super excited for a few days, and then go back to doing exactly what you did before the conference. Make plans in the immediate hours following the conference, of what you will change and do differently as a result. Make sure you stick to them and help make the good times last.
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