Navigation

by Evan Kramer

Two photographs showing a sunset over islands and snow-covered mountains.

Sunset over Croatian islands and snow-capped peaks in Montana. Obviously, these photographs were taken while attending a conference.

 

There’s a conference* taking place in a few months in some far-off land. You may or may not be planning to submit an abstract of your latest and greatest work. Either way, as a first-time conference goer, you’re wondering how the experience will go. Will I know anyone there? Will anyone come to my talk? Will I make connections with future collaborators? How can I get the most out of my conference experience? All of these are common questions a first-time, or even a seasoned conference-goer has on subconscious repeat.

To answer these questions thoroughly, let’s first understand what a conference is. A conference is any sort of gathering of individuals to exchange ideas about a predefined set of topics. While one of the main functions of a conference is to share your own ideas with relevant communities, engaging with other individuals with similar or competing ideas is just as central to its purpose. At conferences, members from academia, industry, government, and the public who work towards similar end-goals are able to engage with one another. These gatherings may take place in exotic locations that require a day or more of travel, or they may take place at your home institution requiring no more than a 10 minute walk from your apartment.

Success at a conference looks different for different people. Generally speaking, success can be defined as achieving favorable answers to the questions milling around in your head before the conference. For example…

 

Q: Will anyone come to my talk? 

A: Yes, several people came thanks to my efforts in inviting other conference attendees with overlapping areas of interest to my talk. 

Q: Will I know anyone there?

 A: No, because none of my labmates will be attending, but I already have meetings scheduled with people I’d like to meet thanks to the effort I put in to reach out to them. 

 

A common theme in achieving favorable answers to common conference questions is the requirement to put in effort. In this regard, success at conferences can be viewed to abide by the old adage: you get out what you put in. So, what kind of efforts are worthwhile?

We can categorize the types of efforts into three chronological groups: before, during, and after the conference. Much of the required effort takes place up-front before the conference even begins. Included in this up-front effort is the most important of all – deciding exactly what it is you want out of the conference. As mentioned before, listening to the questions milling around in your head is one place to start. Using these questions to motivate the creation of a list of goals that is as detailed as possible can set yourself up for success. For an early career graduate student, example goals could be:

  • Gain experience creating and delivering a technical presentation to experts.
  • Receive feedback that identifies the strengths and areas for improvement in your work.
  • Understand the current state of the art in a field.
  • Discern the future trends in a field.
  • Establish collaboration / internship / job opportunities.
  • Gain exposure to new ideas that inspire and motivate.
  • Explore a new place with people you do and don’t know – fun!

 

Your goals list can be tailored by drawing a subset of goals from the list above and adding others that are specific to your desired outcomes. Once you have formulated a list of conference goals, you can proceed to the next steps. Two related formats are used to present the next steps: a timeline and a more detailed checklist. The conference timeline and checklist presented below describe the recommended efforts for achieving success at a conference in chronological order. It is suggested to use the timeline as a high-level organizational tool for orienting yourself while the checklist provides a more detailed set of activities relating to steps in the timeline.

 

Conference Checklist

Before

Handle logistics

  • Determine who is covering your conference travel expenses. Make sure you know how much funding is available for your travels so you can book transportation and accommodations accordingly. Note: Consider applying to MIT (e.g. Graduate Student Council conference grant) and/or conference-sponsored travel grants to offset some of your travel expenses.
  • Consider where to stay during the conference. Check for accommodations recommended by the conference as they may offer discounts. Note: Staying with a friend can both reduce travel expenses and alleviate logistics-related stress. Also, be sure to double check the distance of your accommodation from the conference venue.

Define goals

  • Define a list of goals

Prepare for your presentation, if applicable

  • If presenting, prepare and practice your presentation.
  • Have a concise elevator pitch of your work and interests on hand.

Create your schedule

  • Determine if there are any optional events you’d like to attend such as tutorial workshops and socials. Note: Optional events at conferences may sell out months in advance, so checking this aspect of conference scheduling as early as possible can help reserve your spot ahead of time.
  • Research the conference to identify keynote speakers and session topics of interest.
  • Identify individuals you would like to speak with and attempt to arrange meetings via email or LinkedIn.
  • Create your own schedule that accounts for not only professional events, but meals, exploring exhibit halls, and free time. Building in flexibility is important. Note some conferences offer apps with all session schedule information built in that can be used for scheduling.
  • Share your attendance and advertise your presentation on social media.

During

Attend conference based on schedule

  • Attend keynote presentations and presentation sessions according to your custom curated schedule.

Be an active conference-goer

  • Be an active listener during presentations by taking notes and asking questions during Q&As. This can be useful to get a feel for what experts in the field think about your own ideas.
  • Be open to unforeseen invitations to networking sessions, for example, going to lunch with people you meet at the conference.

After

Summarize your experience

  • Summarize your conference experience by writing down or creating a couple slides about what you learned, who you spoke with, and what actions you’d like to take based on your experience.
  • Download full papers for presentations you found most interesting. There may be a finite time window after the conference before papers go behind a paywall.

Follow-up

  • Follow up with people you met at the conference by sending an email or LinkedIn message. Schedule a future meeting with collaborators you’d like to pursue.

Reflect and plan for the next time

  • Reflect on your overall experience. Did you achieve all of your goals? What went well and what can be improved for next time?

 

Conference Timeline

Timeline figure with three chronological categories indicating recommended activities to achieve success at a conference.

High-level timeline/Gantt chart for achieving success at conferences. Effort required to achieve success is divided into three chronological categories: before, during and after the conference.

 

The success at conferences timeline and checklist can be used as a starting point of crafting your conference experience. Remember that for the most part, you’re in control of how you spend your time at a conference. Referencing the success at conferences timeline and checklist can help you set a clear set of goals and have a plan for achieving them in place before even showing up to the venue. Conference stress and anxiety, no more! 

 

*List of common conferences: