Making conferences work for you

Compiled by Karen Gravett, Academic Liaison Librarian, University of Surrey
k.gravett@surrey.ac.uk

Conferences are ideal opportunities to gather information solutions, new ideas and contacts so inevitably you will want to ensure you get the most out of your conference experience. Just a little time spent preplanning can help you to shape the event to suit you, ensuring you leave with the information that you need.

1. Do your homework

Before the conference, consider your main goals from the event. List key learning outcomes you plan to achieve by attending. You and your organisation may be facing specific information problems that you wish to address, or there may be specific information developments you are keen to find more about. With these in mind you will be able to input as much as you can to the conference and to make the most of any breakout sessions. Likewise, it can also be worth thinking of specific questions you wish to ask during the conference and attending with at least three questions you want answered.

Read around the topics/themes of the event. For example, reading the UKeiG blogs and utilising the UKeiG website for support and documentation is a great way to keep up to date with current issues on e-information.

Consider what you can bring to the event. You have experiences and ideas that are of interest to others and sharing these will help you to look at your work from a different perspective. Perhaps you have found solutions in your organisation to issues others are facing.

Prioritise the sessions you plan to attend. Expand your knowledge by attending at least one session on a topic that is new to you. Make a note of any delegates or speakers attending you will want to make time to speak to.

2. At the conference

Ask questions wherever possible. Either use the presentations as an opportunity, or catch speakers later if your questions are less widely applicable. Don’t leave until your questions have been answered!

Use Web 2.0 tools (for example Twitter) to blog or tweet your experiences. This can help you to reflect on events and share your responses in ‘real time’. Conferences will usually use a hashtag e.g. #ukeig2009 so that tweets/posts on the same topic can be grouped and searched. Microblogging/blogging in this way can also be a good opportunity to take time out to reflect on what’s been covered.

Start conversations. The most important people at the conference are sitting next to you. The people at the event are facing your challenges (and maybe even solved them). They are like you. They can help you. Ignore them at your peril.

Use networking opportunities to make new contacts. Conferences which bring together practitioners from a range of fields, such as UKeiG’s 2009 conference, are great for meeting people from different sectors and widening networks.

Finally: fill out the conference evaluation forms to feedback your thoughts on the event. This is your opportunity to input into how future events are planned. Your feedback will be appreciated.

3. Back at your information service

Reflect as soon as you can on the event. Follow up your thoughts by writing up the notes and looking at some of the suggested readings. Take time to follow up any interesting contacts that you made and pass on what you gained by offering to train/present to others what you have learnt.

Think about your next learning opportunity. Check with UKeiG if there are additional courses, training or events that can help with the issues raised.

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