By Janelle Hail
It’s an all too common story. When you first arrive at a conference, you're fresh and filled with excitement. Once there, you fill an extra bag with tons of material, attending so many sessions that you have brain overload. Once you get back home, you are physically and mentally exhausted, and you toss that thick stack of papers you’ve amassed in a corner, planning to sort through your notes and materials when you have time. But, somehow, you never have the time.
Having attended dozens of conferences myself over the years, with similar results, I finally designed an organized action plan that will help you regain the energy and enthusiasm you had when you first arrived at the conference.
Step #1: Advance Planning
Familiarize yourself with the conference agenda. Go online and decide which sessions you wish to attend. Look at last year’s conference information and order some of the tapes/cds to acquaint yourself with the best speakers in your areas of interest. Observe who returns each year as speakers. Those are the tried-and-tested ones who everyone loves to hear. If the current year’s speakers have books, go to the bookstore and see if they pique your interest. Some Websites offer the names of attendees from last year. If you have access to their e-mail addresses, contact them and ask which sessions were the most valuable to them. By the time you get to the conference, you will be in control of what course of action you want to take.
Step #2: What to Take Along
Travel as lightly as possible, but don't forget to throw in an umbrella and raincoat. Check the weather forecast online before you leave. Take your laptop if possible—it will be useful in transcribing your notes while you can still decipher them. Be sure to take a supply of medications should you run into a little difficulty. A small flashlight in your travel bag can come in handy in unusual circumstances. Take a bottle of water on the plane. It will help with jet lag. And, drink water all during the conference instead of coffee and sodas. This will keep your energy level up. Throw in a few energy bars for emergency. Your mind gets stimulated at a conference, so pack a journal to write your thoughts. And, two pairs of comfortable shoes. Alternate wearing the pairs from one day to the next and your feet will thank you. Did I say travel light?
Step #3: Travel Day
Arrive at the conference a day early, if possible, to recover from jet lag and to get an early morning start on the conference the next day. Upon arrival, settle into your room as soon as possible. Get the unpleasant task of unpacking over with quickly. Then strike out on a mission to acquaint yourself with your surroundings. Pick up your registration packet and identify the rooms where meetings will be held. Also, find nearby restaurants, pharmacy, shopping, sightseeing highlights and other places of interest for your off-time and in case you want a diversion from conference activities. I have heard so many conference attendees lament on the last day, “Oh, I didn't know that place was so nearby.”
Step #4: First Day of Conference
Make a beeline to the freebee table to collect everything you even think may be of interest. Before leaving the conference, you can sort through everything you collected, and decide what to take home. Take some Post-it Notes to attach to key information and a yellow highlighter to capture key thoughts. Check out the book table early for books you know you want to take home and pick them up right away. Make careful notes of tapes/cds you want to purchase. These materials will give you long-lasting take-home value. It may be easier to have these materials mailed to you instead of carrying them home.
Step #5: How to Take Notes
Write your notes on the right side of a spiral binder and reserve the left side for your “To Do” list. Jot things down on your list as your mind is stimulated by notetaking. At the end of each day or near the end of the last day of conference, accumulate your To Do lists into one compact one, assigning an A list for most urgent short-term projects, B list for important short-term projects, C list for research, D list for long-term projects. By the time you get home, you'll have a concise plan of action.
Step #6: Take a Break
The biggest problem you may face at a conference is trying to attend every session from early morning to late at night. It is impossible to pack it all in. If you can, stay at the hotel that sponsors the conference. When you hit a lull in your energy level, excuse yourself for an hour. Go to your room, take a hot bath (yes, in the middle of the day, even though you had one that morning), then take a power nap. This respite will refuel you for several hours beyond your normal limit. Take walks outside, if possible. Go to the hotel health club daily. Anything to keep your body revived. And do allot some quiet time for reflection each day.
The Conference Is Over
What a satisfying feeling to end the conference knowing that you have increased your skills and source of knowledge. You can now return home refreshed mentally, physically and spiritually and with a clear action plan to propel you forward.
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Author Bio: Janelle Hail is founder and CEO of the National Breast Cancer Foundation and is an award-winning freelance writer and speaker. Contact her through her Website at www.nationalbreastcancer.org .
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