How To Prepare When Attending Your First Conference

Whether you are a student, intern, changed careers or just haven’t engaged in this form of professional development and education before there’s plenty to see and learn by attending an industry conference, congress or meeting.

For most people, first time experiences can be daunting. With a conference you might be thinking there are lots of new social interactions you need to prepare for, individuals attending you may look up to, and many new faces and names to remember.

We’ve created a handy guide to refer to before attending your first business event, or as a nice reminder if it’s been awhile. It has been broken up into Personal, Networking, Venues, Program, Exhibition, Eating & Drinking, and Technology.

Personal

What do I wear?

Although you will want to present a certain way it is important to keep in mind that you will on your feet most of the day, particularly if the Welcome Reception or Conference Dinner is on that day. Dependant on the type of conference you are attending you are best to wear smart casual attire that you are comfortable in (both inside and out). If you feel good on the outside, you may feel that bit more confident when engaging with professional connections and colleagues.

Remember to take a lightweight coat or jacket. Even if it’s hot outside most conference venues will have the air-conditioning on and you don’t want to feel chilly while trying to concentrate on sessions and take in new information.

Comfortable shoes are also a must-have!

What do I take with me?

A reusable water bottle, a tablet or laptop, pen and paper to take notes or jot something down, chargers, business cards (if you use them). Some snacks like trail mix or a protein bar are a good idea even though there will be catering on site you may feel you need something in between meal times to get you through.

Will there be a cloak room?

Most larger venues will have a cloak room but quite often there will multiple events happening at once and therefore there may not be enough room to cater for all events and its delegates. It’s always best to check the conference website or enquire with the conference office about how this will be managed.

Do I need my laptop or is a notebook sufficient?

This is completely up to you. Some people use their downtime at a conference (though usually there isn’t that much!) to get extra work done so take their laptop. But we would recommend using the old pen and paper, why so? You’ll undoubtedly have to transcribe these notes to your computer meaning you get another chance to go over all the important things you jotted down at the time.

Networking

Think Ahead 

Before attending the conference make sure to take note of all the speakers listed on the website as they may impact who you would like to approach. Most speakers will also be attending the conference so it’s a great chance to spark up a conversation about their expert subject and follow up on any questions you might have from their presentation.

Closer to the conference you can check the event hashtag on social media. At many of our conferences we use social media tiles to encourage pre-conference collegiality so you may see that someone who is of interest to you has posted their intention to attend. This is a great chance to reach out early and potentially set up a coffee ‘date’ in one of the event’s refreshment breaks.

How do I approach people to start networking? 

Firstly, be prepared to introduce yourself and consider having some small talking points prepared beforehand to ease any anxiety. This might be something to do with your job, home city or area of interest.

A lot of networking happens serendipitously either by being introduced by a mutual connection, standing in line for the buffet or at an exhibition booth so having these talking points ready to go can be helpful. Try and be pro-active in these situations and find common ground, remember most delegates are also there with an aim to network so don’t be afraid to make the first move.

Will there be dedicated networking opportunities available?

Technology: There are now ways to engage in networking that the conference will facilitate for you via technology. Apps like Braindate are set up so you can pre-select times either one-on-one or in small groups to sit and discuss a particular topic or subject matter. This allows you to bypass the intimidating process of approaching someone cold and hoping they will have time to chat.

Social events: Some bigger conferences will host a mixer or small get together early in the event to allow ‘first-timers’ to meet each other in a devoted but still casual setting. This may be integrated in the Welcome Reception or be a standalone event. Regardless of whether one of these dedicated events has been organised the event’s social program is the time to network, socialise and generally have a bit of fun. People will have their guard down and be much more inclined to converse.

Make sure to follow up

Business events can be a whirlwind for even for those most experienced of delegates so make sure to follow up with any connections after those initial conversations. You might connect with them on LinkedIn, or send an email thanking them for the discussion.

Venue

Convention centres are huge! If you are going to a large conference or congress, you may become overwhelmed with the labyrinth of rooms and floors. Most hosts will provide a floor plan of the venue and some newer representations include 3D maps and interactive versions so you can get a really good feel for the space.

In saying this, we recommend getting to the venue a little early on the first day to get your bearings. Keep in mind there will always be venue and conference management staff and volunteers on site to help you find your way around so don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Program

Aside from the networking opportunities, the main act of any business event is the program content. The program may be made up of an academic program with concurrent sessions, a poster program, workshops, meetings, and the social events.

We strongly recommend to keep up to date with the program by signing up to the conference mailing list and checking the website in the weeks prior to the event. Concurrent sessions mean you may need to prioritise what presentations you would like to attend so it’s handy to highlight how you want your individualised program to look like.

Nowadays lots of events will include a conference app where you will have access to the program on your mobile device. If need be, there is no issue printing out your own hardcopy. Usually, the program will also be shown on screens around the venue with rooms showing the timetable.

How do I manage concurrent sessions?

Head to the session you want to hear. Sometimes rooms have capacity and if it is a particularly popular session, you may miss out if you don’t get there on time.

Workshops

Book and book early to avoid missing out. Workshops make up part of the conference program that is provided in addition to the main program and can be an excellent way to drill down into a particular subject matter or hear from a particular speaker you are interested in.

Is the conference hybrid? If so, do I have access to the virtual/recorded sessions after attending in-person?

Most likely yes, most conferences with a virtual element will provide the recorded sessions to those attending in person. This means you won’t miss out on have access to any sessions running concurrently and can watch back at your leisure to take additional notes. On-demand content is usually made available for around 3 months from the completion of the conference.

Social Events

The Welcome Reception is a fantastic way to ‘welcome’ in the conference, meet new people and get a gauge of how the next few days and going to go. Whereas the Conference Dinner is usually a time to ‘let your hair down’ so to speak and socialise, enjoy entertainment, maybe even have a dance!

Tickets for social events may be included in your conference registration but it’s always best to double check that you don’t need to purchase an additional ticket as these are usually required for the dinner at a minimum. Occasionally tickets will also be available for guests so if you have travelled interstate or internationally with a family member or friend they may also be able to attend.

Exhibition and Sponsors

Do I need to visit every exhibitor?

Not necessarily but you never know what you might find plus, the exhibitors are a large part of the reason the conference can go ahead so it is always appreciated to make the effort to visit. You will naturally find there are certain booths that are of more interest to your line of work or profession so take the opportunity to converse with those manning the booth and find out what they have to say.

Why should I explore the Exhibition Hall?

The Exhibition Hall tends to be the social hive of a conference or meeting. This is where morning, afternoon tea and lunch is usually served and there is space for people to mingle but also take a chance to sit down and rest their tried feet! Exhibitors will often have new products or research on site so you might come across the latest innovation in your field that you can take back to your colleagues or share across social media.

Swag bags/freebies, will I get one?

Lots of conferences and organisers are veering away from physical swag bags for the sake of sustainability but there may still be eco-friendly and useful products that hosts and sponsors want to promote.

Eating and Drinking

What will be available to eat and drink? Will there will enough?

All the information you need regarding food and beverage service at the conference will be available on the conference website (usually in FAQs) or in the registration form. It’s important you state any dietary requirements when you register, although many venues can cater to different requirements you may be stuck with whatever can be created on the day if you leave this important information out or assume there will be something suitable for you.

Where do we have lunch?

The Exhibition Hall usually doubles as the dining space as there is plenty of room to set out the buffet and have adequate tables and chairs.

Technology

Is there an app I can download before the event begins?

Most likely, yes. These days in very common for a conference to employ a mobile app that takes the place of a hardcopy booklet. Information about the app and how to download will be made available on the event website and in the final delegate information document that is usually sent a few days before the conference starts. This will be where you can find information like the program, list of speakers, sponsors and exhibitors, and WIFI details of the venue.

Interactive features like Q&A and Polling are sometimes included in this app, if not there will be information on other apps or websites you might need to access to take part is these activities. Frequently these will be accessible via a QR code at the registration desk, on the website and on other conference collateral.

What about social media?

If you feel comfortable doing so then absolutely! You can get involved early as lots of conferences will provide delegates with a social media tile to share their involvement on their social profiles. This also allows you to notify your network of your presence at the event, and you never know who might also be attending.

Using the conference hashtag means you can become involved in the conversation before, during and after the event. You might even like to tweet at one of the speakers if you have a burning question or to simply say you are looking forward to hearing their presentation.

Watchouts

Although conferences will appreciate the engagement keep in mind privacy and protection of your fellow delegates by confirming they are happy for you to post a photo on them on your social media.

Finally

All in all, attending a conference or business event is meant to be an enjoyable experience and keep in mind, everyone is there for the same reason! Make the most of your involvement, have fun and keep an open mind. You never know what you might learn or discover.

And when in doubt, contact the conference organisers, they can assist you with all your curly conference queries.

Got questions? Contact us for more information and to discuss your upcoming event.

Think Business Events Director, Kim Stevenson, recently headed off to Geneva, Switzerland to attend an IAPCO EDGE Seminar. These seminars are an educational opportunity to development professional skills, converse with international colleagues and hear from industry experts about the current and future of the global Meetings and Events (MICE) industry. The theme of the seminar was Reflect, Reconnect and Reimagine.

We asked Kim about her time in Geneva attending the event…

What made you decide to leave the sunshine of Melbourne to spend a week in <5°C temperatures?

2023 is the year of trying new things. Looking at the theme – Reflect, Reconnect and Reimagine and the program outline the topics really resonated with me. Having never attended an IAPCO seminar I thought why not, and there is no way later in the year when things are busy, I will get a chance to do something like this.

What was the most enlightening thing you heard or ‘aha’ moment you experienced?  

There were two ‘aha’ moments. One on a personal level, was hearing that the PCOs from other countries also went through such a hard time in 2022 “post COVID”, this made me feel it was OK to feel conflicted about the year.

Everyone was saying, 2022 is going to be a great year now that we are back to normal post COVID. Well, it wasn’t, it had some major challenges, this might sound bad, but it was nice to know it wasn’t just us having these thoughts. 

The other ‘aha’ moment was – The Why. Bringing it back to why, why are we organising this event, why are we doing what we are doing, why is this important to the client and the delegates, sponsors and other stakeholders, why is this important to our business…

Read More of Our Event Thoughts

The A-Z of Conferences

A for Acronyms – Anyone whose been in the MICE industry for even a short while knows just how prevalent acronyms are. Even though they are sometimes hard to keep track of, when you have quite long conference names, acronyms are very helpful. They’re also ideal for using as your event or conference hashtags (see H). 

B for Breakout sessions – You’re never going to have hundreds of individuals attending a conference interested in all the same things so breakout sessions allow smaller groups to get together and discuss niche topics or ideas. You can either present these as casual networking opportunities or as formal groups sessions that use a specific presentation type such as Rapid Fire and Fishbowl. You can read more about these here. 

C for Committee – scientific, organising, chairs and reviewers. The conference committee are the representatives of the client and organisation in the conference management process and assist the organisers in reviewing abstract submissions, putting forward speakers, developing the academic program and providing insights into the demographics of the event. This helps to create the right tone that reflects the profession and its stakeholders. 

D for Delegate – where would any conference or meeting be without its delegates? They are the customer in this relationship and it’s important their journey is taken into consideration each step of the way. From communication, registration, accommodation and feedback all touchpoints should be carefully considered in the planning stages of your conference journey.  

E for Early bird – originally a marketing tactic and pricing strategy used by businesses to drum up excitement and offer discounts to those who are committed to purchasing much before the date of launch or wider promotion, early bird registrations are now part and parcel of any event. You can read a little more about this strategy here. 

F for Face-to-face – still the most desired format of conference delivery particularly after a few years of wondering if it would be possible again. Face-to-face events offer something special in the way of speaker/presentation delivery and networking. Although there are benefits to having a virtual component, we’ve seen in the past few months how much F2F conferencing is it. 

G for Grants – grants are a great initiative offered by many local, state and federal governments and industry groups. Whenever you start the management process it’s always worth keeping an eye out for current grants on offer. Just like tender writing it’s worth spending some dedicated time on the submission process.  

H for Hashtag/hybrid – both these Hs are just as important as one another so we couldn’t just use one. Hashtags are a requirement for any conference wanting a presence across social media channels. Not only does a specific hashtag mean a way for stakeholders to engage with one another in a consistent manner but at the end of the conference you are able to collate and report properly on the level of impressions and engagement the conference received online. 

Hybrid – if we’d written this piece a few years ago it would be doubtful that hybrid would make the cut, but now it’s just as much a part of the conversation that registration, speakers or entertainment is.  

I for International speaker – Now more than ever having an international speaker grace the stage (albeit virtually) at your conference is always a highlight. With the magic, and acceptance, of virtual presentations, including internationals as part of the speaker line-up is expected. Although we still recommend having your keynotes presenting in person if possible.  

J for Juggling Tasks – literally everything referenced in this article is a job that a conference manager or coordinator has to oversee. We came across this formula for juggling an event called B.A.L.L by Jen Slaw which we thought was an accurate and helpful method to follow when you’re juggling many balls (tasks) in the air.  

K for Kit – how do conference managers manage without their conference kit? The kit includes helpful items such as chargers (all kinds and inputs), pen and paper, band-aids, comfortable shoes and much more. Check out what our team have in their conference kits here! 

L for Live Polling – no longer does the MC or speaker need to hurriedly count hands in the air. With live polling a standardised feature of event apps and virtual attendee hubs you can increase real-time engagement by involving the session audience in questions and queries related to the program content. 

M for MC – the feel and tone of a conference gala dinner can rest on the shoulders of the Master of Ceremonies (MC) so it’s important you find the right fit for the type and theme of event. Booking someone via an agency can help cut down search time and gives you and your client a group of individuals to choose from who are competent, experienced and pre-screened. 

N for Networking – A prime reason our delegates attend a conference is to socialise and network with one another. Meetings, conferences and congress’ are a prime opportunity for delegates to make connections with others in their field who live interstate or overseas, or locals who simply don’t get a chance to interact with each other in everyday life. Most of the time this is where the magic happens, and probably how a lot of new ideas and concepts are generated. 

O for OH&S – insurance, warranty, first aid, CPR, you can’t run an event without these occupational health and safety things covered. Most venues will have their own procedures and policies in place but we would recommend that all conference organisers have internal risk management processes in place before embarking on any event. 

P for Program & Abstracts – another primary component of a meeting, conference or congress. The program along with the associated speakers are the main drawcard for business events and usually what delegates are most looking out for in pre-event communications. Delegates are looking for content they can’t find anywhere else, and all being concentrated in the one place. The program should be robust, forward thinking and cutting-edge in regard to the industry or profession of the conference.   

Q for Q&A – what’s attending a conference without having the opportunity to ask that burning question you’ve had bubbling away in your brain for months. Or maybe something presented within the program has sparked a new thought. Although the old microphone passed around the audience is the standard for facilitating a Q&A, with the introduction of mobile event apps delegates can now ask all the questions they like (whether attending in-person or online) and go through a democratic process of having their questions upvoted to decide whose question is asked (within the usually very limited timeframe). 

R for Registration – usually the first thing to consider and discuss for your conference management timeline is when registrations will open, when will early bird close, and what types of registrations will be on offer. From fellows, students, single and full, these decisions will impact your capacity limits and the all important bottom line. 

S for Sustainability – although sponsorship and speakers/speaker management are important cogs in the conference machine the relevancy of sustainability in our industry is at an all-time high. We are seeing our venues lead the charge with a focus on structural change in the way waste is managed, catering is locally sourced and the huge amounts of energy used are coming from renewable sources. Some initiatives we’ve seen implemented over the last few years include; reusable cutlery, water stations, digital signage and virtual swag bags.  

T for Tenders – alongside existing relationships, submitting a tender is the primary process of how a PCO can gain the management of a conference, meeting or event. Tender writing is a skill unto itself and should be completed with care and consideration. Including case studies and highlights of previous conferences is important but make sure to focus on what the potential client is looking for and create the tender around how your services will address their needs. 

U for Understanding (your audience) – like the above re. Tender writing, this is imperative for the organisation to consider and must be communicated to the PCO so they can plan their marketing and promotion accordingly. Whether it be an association with members, a medical college with fellows or an industry group with many different stakeholders your event must provide VALUE to their professional and/or personal endeavours.  

V for Venue/volunteer/virtual – a surprising number of V words are appropriate to use here and none of which are less important than the other. Where would an event be without a great hotel or convention centre? Depending on the size of your event volunteers are an absolute must-have and just a few short years ago, the concept of virtual conferencing was saved for extreme situations but is now always part of the conversation when planning a conference. 

W for Wayfinding – anyone attending a new conference centre or venue can find themselves wandering around aimlessly without a little help. The sometimes-cavernous nature of convention centres can throw off even the most experienced delegate so with either staff, volunteers or robots(!) you can offer wayfinding services in a few different ways. 

X for eXhibition – Yes, I know we’re cheating a little bit here but we couldn’t possibly leave off Exhibition in the A-Z of Conferences. The exhibition and its exhibitors are imperative to the financial support of any successful conference and over the course of the pandemic we all saw how important it is for promoting sponsors, advertising new products, and allowing delegates to engage with industry representatives. Exhibitions have come a long way and now it’s normal to see booths embracing and showcasing new technology with things like robots, and augmented and virtual reality.  

Y for Yodelling – because we couldn’t think of anything else for Y! If anyone has had a yodeller at your event, we’d love to hear about it! 

Z for Zzz – Get your sleep! Conferences and meetings can be exhausting for all involved. Not only are you socialising and networking, but thinking and consuming all that new information can be very tiring in itself. Make sure to get plenty of sleep before and during the days of the event. 

Got questions? Contact us for more information and to discuss your upcoming event.

We asked our team ‘What’s in your conference kit?’

There are always bits and bobs on-site that as conference organisers we need to get the job done. Basically everything needs to come on-site with us so we asked some of our team what they usually (or always) bring with them in their conference kits. There’s all the usual technology assistance items like chargers, laptops and cords but here you’ll find other great tips if you’re wondering what to take with you on your next conference outing. 

6 important things to remember when planning an international conference

We’ve been lucky enough to manage a number overseas conferences in the past, most recently the World Federation of Occupational Therapists Congress in Paris. Here we consider all the do and don’ts of planning an international conference.

Working alongside a local PCO 

Working with a local PCO or event manager is imperative to the success of your international conference. Using their expertise, guidance and knowledge of the area, venue, local volunteers and staff, and native language will assist in supporting the abovementioned challenges that are included in the task of executing a F2F event overseas. 

Like working with any new client or organisation there are bound to be idiosyncrasies and differences in ways of working and this can be even more apparent with people from another country or culture. Having the local PCO on board can help guide you through this, for example in the USA coffee is ordered by the gallon not per head so you need to calculate how many gallons the average delegate drinks or you may end up with more than you bargained for! 

Government regulations 

This might be one of the most complex elements of managing an international conference. Government documentation and regulations can be confusing at the best of times so dealing with a whole set of guidelines and things such as VAT/tax obligations can be difficult. This connects back to the aforementioned importance of having a local PCO on side as well as a good working relationship with your venue who may be able to assist you with such procedural issues.  

Time zones  

Although conference management always includes working outside the regular 9-5 workday, working with people in international time zones doesn’t just mean scheduling meetings after dinner or very early in the morning. An understanding should be made early on around deadlines and feedback, and what the general expectations are in the working relationship between PCO, planning committee, scientific committee, and suppliers.  

Looking for advice on running your next event?

Read More of Our Event Thoughts

Looking for advice on running your next event?

Read More of Our Event Thoughts

Need advice running a virtual or hybrid event?

Read More of Our Event Thoughts

Need advice running a virtual or hybrid event?

Read More of Our Event Thoughts

18 months of  virtual and hybrid conferencing – these are our top 5 takeaways

What can we take from the past 18 months of virtual and hybrid conferencing that will drive us into the future?

With the exciting prospect of our society and industry opening up, the horizon for 2022 looks promising. Although a number of items on this list were already part of the conversation pre-pandemic, the forced entry into hybrid and virtual-only conference models have given us a clear understanding of what’s required to keep moving forward, hand-in-hand with technology, and the wider events community.

1. Hybrid all the way

Although a small number of our delegates over the past few months have suggested that they are happy to continue with virtual-only events due to convenience, the overwhelming majority are looking to return to face-to-face to events while still having the option of attending virtually. The positive feedback around the hybrid model of business events is due to:

• Business and association delegates from international, rural or remote locations who would not have traditionally been able to attend events are now a realistic target market and can be catered to.
• A larger pool of international keynote speakers and presenters become available within a hybrid or virtual model, and this will continue as people are slow to take up travel opportunities again.
• Pre-recorded presentations can be incorporated into a live programme, and the technology for this will only get better and more seamless over time.

2. On-demand content

Before the pandemic, if you couldn’t attend a conference you had to rely on colleagues or peers to relay all the important material presented well after the conference is over. With archive programme content now available online, whether you’re unwell, can’t travel or are simply too busy spending time catching up with other delegates, content can be available to watch for some time after the conference has finished.

This is not only meaningful for virtual-only attendees but for hybrid events with concurrent sessions running. Delegates won’t miss out on a topic of interest or there may be a live speaker who wants to see another presentation that is happening simultaneously to their own. The technology is not quite there yet in terms of being in two places at once!

 3. Sustainability

Although this important social issue has been on the events industry agenda for many years now, the forced halt of in-person events have given organisers and suppliers pause for thought about the environmental implications that large-scale events can have on the wider community and planet.

Here at Think Business Events, we’ve begun to incorporate digital processes. This means moving to paperless registration and transferring the majority of our programme information online event mobile/tablet apps.

Another significant element of the conference experience is swag bags or gifting packs. Transitioning this value-add from tangible to non-tangible items is quite simple and many items can be offered in a digital format. Things like gift certificates, charitable donations, discount codes and pdf brochures or white papers can easily be distributed and accessed via email or app.

4. Integration of AR and VR technology

All stakeholders of a conference can experience the power of this new technology. For presenters and keynotes, the ability to enhance static slideshow presentations with moving and realistic content means audiences become more deeply engaged and stay that way for a longer period of time. With conference programmes becoming increasingly swamped with content, any way to keep delegates switched on to what’s directly in front of them is a win.

For sponsors and exhibitors, the transition to virtual events has been particularly tough, so this technology really is a gamechanger when returning to in-person events. New innovations and products can now be presented to delegates in an interactive and highly engaging way, no more wasting paper on brochures that will be long forgotten once the conference is over. This type of interaction will be more memorable too as experiences can be recorded, and the tests or trials that a delegate participates in can easily be shared to email, and if suitable, over social media channels.

As conference organisers, this not only aids the sponsors and exhibitors in creating a longer lasting interaction but can be leveraged as bonus social media content for use during and post-event as part of the wider marketing activity.

5. Extension of Event Apps

Working as the bridging between virtual/hybrid and in-person events, the evolution and more permanent take-up of event specific apps will be a key feature used across business events over the next 12 months and beyond. The use of QR code check-ins and digital vaccination certificates during the pandemic means most delegates will be more familiar with using their device to connect with their environment.

Things like gamification, having been used sparingly at in-person events in the past, but heavily in a virtual format, will become more dynamic and have better integration with live areas of the program; see it included in some social events, workshops and within the exhibition hall.

Other features of an event app will allow delegates to connect with one another prior to the event, cutting down on the time needed to set-up networking opportunities. And for the conference convenors, sponsors and exhibitors more branding opportunities arise as well as venue mapping for both navigation and social distancing requirements.

Got questions? Contact us for more information and to discuss your upcoming event.