Hey guys,
So it seems I’ll be going to a conference about online advertising in June and to be honest I have no idea what to expect. I won a seat at the conference and I’m excited about going but I’ve never attended anything like this. The conference is Future of Online Advertising.com.
Any input for a conference neophyte?
And this thread sort of started out as a poll idea but then magically morphed to more of a general “give me advice” so it may belong in MPSIMS, my apologies guys.
– IG
Beware, the value of the prize counts as taxable income for you. If you don’t know what the prize is valued at, ask before you accept it. If the prize is valued at 10k, add 10k to your gross income, calculate how much extra tax you’ll have to pay, and decide whether you want to pay that much. If not, ask for a cash alternative as your prize, or decline the prize.
Otherwise, as you have no professional or any other type of responsibilities regarding this conference, go to whatever seems interesting, and have fun.
Conference expert here. I’ve gone to the major conference in my field 27 years in a row, and I ran it last year. I’ve founded two, and am in the process of starting another. I also wrote a well-received column on how to get the most out of going to a conference.
The first thing is to figure out what you want to get out of it. I assume you are interested in the subject. If not, sneak out to fun things in the area.
Second, the most important information you will get at a conference is not from the talks, or from the exhibit area, but from talking to people during coffee breaks. Speakers are usually honest, but will slant their talks. It takes years before you get experience enough to see what they are leaving out. (Then you can become a reviewer.) Exhibits will let you see the range of stuff available. But real people, just like we do here, will tell you what is really important, and what worked and what didn’t. I listen for the chatter in the halls, and what paper or subject people are talking about. You should go with a list of questions, or at least things you want to find out, introduce yourself, find out where the person is from, and, if it seems they know something, ask. Doing this at lunches works also.
Finally, going to a conference the right way is exhausting. I hate, hate, hate people who consider a conference a junket. It’s a lot harder than working.
I see from the prices that this is a for-profit conference. Speakers at these things are trying to sell themselves or their company. They are often chosen to draw attendees, and sometimes from sponsors. No peer review here! That doesn’t mean that their talks won’t be valuable - just use your critical judgment.
I am on the way back from a conference.
I totally agree with the ideas behind the conference, but 50% of the people you meet there are bat shit crazy (others probably include me in that category). Networking is worthwhile- it is not often that you are surrounded by people who have chosen to investigate a shared interest in a way that has financial and personal costs.
Every conference ends (for me) in rapid flight back to the real world (I can only stand so much intensity).
Have just spent today reminding myself that the whole world is not included in the conference.
Flying back to my reality tomorrow!
Score as many tote bags as humanly possible! (In fact, since it’s a conference for people who actually make money instead of librarians there might be way better swag. Score it all.) You should get enough pens to outfit yourself for years, man!
Go through the schedule carefully before you go and make sure you know which sessions you really really want to attend. Look at the speaker bios and such and if there’s anybody you really want to hear, make sure you get in to hear them. (Everybody you want to see will present at the same time. I promise.) Remain flexible enough that you feel free to attend sessions you weren’t planning to based on, say, location or rumor that it’s going to be good or whatever. Come to terms with the fact that you’ll never get to see everything you want to and don’t cry about it. Get the most out of what you do see.
Since I’m the only one in the department who ever asks to go to the Charleston Conference every year, the whole department gives me lists of things I’m supposed to go to and people I’m supposed to meet with. Find out if you’re expected to do the same, or write it up, or anything.
Want some of my tote bags? I’ve got a closet shelf full, and I get boxes of extras from the conference I’m on the steering committee of. Pens I get from hotels, I haven’t bought a pen in decades.
Go through the schedule carefully before you go and make sure you know which sessions you really really want to attend. Look at the speaker bios and such and if there’s anybody you really want to hear, make sure you get in to hear them. (Everybody you want to see will present at the same time. I promise.)
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Usually good advice, but this particular conference only has one track. When we plan a program, we try to avoid conflicts, but they are inevitable.
Usually good advice, but this particular conference only has one track. When we plan a program, we try to avoid conflicts, but they are inevitable.
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You need the tote bags 'cause you gotta carry the rest of the swag away. Last time I went to ALA I was in a horrible job where they wouldn’t even give me any office supplies! They’re probably still working off the stuff I snagged there in Orlando. Also I like the tote bags for organizing my needlepoint. But you never want to bring last year’s tote bag to this year’s conference - don’t be “that guy”. 
All the conferences I go to just accidentally have all the stuff I’m interested all stacked against one another. Happens all the time, and it’s always the way that I don’t care much at all about the general sessions in the main hall but want to hit all five concurrent sessions in tiny little meeting rooms. The way of the world, I guess. The main one I go to has started putting tons of PowerPoint slides and such on the website afterwards, though, which is really awesome, especially if you’re responsible for getting to eight different sessions for all of your coworkers - you just give them your login instead. It’s really quite wonderful.
Wear comfortable shoes…I can’t tell from the website if this has an exhibit floor, but if it does, be sure to have shoes that you can be on your feet in all day. Nice massaging insoles can help.
Dress the part. As idiotic as it seems a lot of people that attend a conference as both an exhibitor and as an attendee will judge you on what you’re wearing. In some circumstances I can understand that, but in others it’s a mistake. So I’d play it safe and have a nice shirt/tie combo for most days, with a jacket for the first day.
Spend some time researching before you go. Some of the conferences I’ve attended give a nice package on registration that has the short white paper briefings for all the sessions. This gives me a bit more information to go on aside from just the title of the session. So try and do a bit of reading ahead of time and figure out where you’ll want to spend your time. It doesn’t always work, so be prepared to abandon a session if you can tell it’s not something you’re interested in.
Have a good time!