16 TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL CONFERENCE

  1. Make your airline, hotel, and car rental reservations as much in advance as possible -- six month's time is not a bad idea. This is a good way to be assured of hotel rooms and possibly lower air fares.
  2. Use credit cards for payments on major purchases or travel expenses. These charges can be disputed later if you have cause to do so.
  3. Pay registration fees in advance (if offered), since advance bookings are usually cheaper.
  4. Photocopy all registration paperwork and receipts, and take these copies with you to the conference. You may need them at the registration desk if there are questions about your registration status. Observe the same caution for your hotel and car rental reservations -- if you have printed receipts showing promised hotel and car rates, you can avoid being charged higher rates.
  5. Pack with the host city's weather in mind, but dress comfortably (if conference dress codes do not prevail).
  6. Always wear good shoes -- you won't be thinking about your feet unless they hurt, and then it is too late.
  7. Read the conference program from start to finish. Good programs will have loads of valuable local and conference information that will make your stay easier.
  8. As you read the conference program, highlight or circle meetings you would like to attend. This is a good way to plan your conference days. Copy this information onto one sheet of paper, and carry it with you in a pocket for quick reference. Don't forget to include meeting locations and/or room numbers.
  9. Be patient and flexible during the conference with planned events -- both your's and the conference's. Be ready for any time of change, cancellation, or lost booking at any point during your stay.
  10. Don't be late for conference events, programs, and meetings if you can help it.
  11. Be a mentor to a first-time attendee or a new professional. Your rewards will be respect, loyalty, and satisfaction for a good deed done.
  12. Network, network, network. Strike up conversations with people whom you have never met. This is a good way to meet a friend, a lunch or dinner partner (especially nice if you are alone), or a future professional contact.
  13. Meet the vendors, and thank them for coming to the conference. Remember that many conference costs are supplemented by vendors, sometimes heavily, therefore reducing your conference registration costs.
  14. While at vendor displays, take only the freebies you can use. Leave some for other attendees.
  15. Enjoy the conference city by touring as if you were a tourist (actually, you are). Get a tour book and take an afternoon off from the conference.
  16. Above all else, enjoy your time! Conferences are serious work to be enjoyed with a fun attitude and a sense of humor!