Sometimes attending or presenting at a conference
can be overwhelming if you are not prepared!
So here are some tips for to help.
USE THE GRAY SCROLL BAR IN THE BOX TO SCROLL DOWN TO SEE VIDEOS. RECORD A TIP OF YOUR OWN TO ADD TO THE COLLECTION.
Click the Flip icon to login to see tips from educators!
Tips for Attending
- Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. You want to dress professionally because you do not know who you may meet, but you also want to be comfortable. Jeans and a t-shirt are fine if you still look presentable. Tennis or other comfortable shoes are a MUST! You will be walking a lot depending on the size of the conference.
- Bring snacks and water/drinks yourself. Sometimes convention centers and hotels are not the best places to find food...especially healthy or less expensive options. So, if you can, try to bring a water bottle or drinks and little snacks yourself. It will help you in the long run. Also, look for a restaurant within walking distance from where the conference is held. That can save you money in the long run.
- Take your time and hurry up! Take your time getting to places as to not wear yourself out. However, some sessions have a line outside the door well before the doors open. So if it is a "can't miss" session, you want to get their ahead of time. If it is "can't miss" for you, it is "can't miss" for others as well. Many conferences do not let attendees sit on the floor anymore, so if there is no seat left, they will not let you in. So give yourself plenty of time to get to the other side of the world to get to that session early. And remember, you may bump into people you know on the way, so allow time for that too. :-)
- Planning is everything! When they tell you to download the app, do it! Many conferences are no longer giving you a paper copy of sessions. And if you do get a paper copy, it is often just the titles of the sessions. You want to plan your sessions either for the whole conference or per day. Give yourself time between sessions to travel to the next session. Read the DESCRIPTION of the sessions you want to attend! Titles cannot tell you everything about a session, so read the description to see what this session will be about.
- Don't forget your badge. Make sure you have your badge because most conference scan your badge for everything! And if you do not have your badge, you cannot get in.
- Have a Top Ten List (see below for a template). This allows you to put what you REALLY do not want to forget and what you want to incorporate IMMEDIATELY in a special place. You will take a lot of notes and get a lot of resources. It can be very overwhelming. So have a top ten list where you know these are things to look at when you get back to work. The rest you can look at as needed and when you have time to do so.
- Use your feet. This one is hard, but if you go to a session that is just not for you, you can politely walk out. As a presenter, I would want someone to leave rather than sit and look bored the whole time. Also, don't be afraid to go talk to the presenter ahead of the session to see if your questions will be answered during this session...then you can decide to stay or go.
- Visit the exhibit/vendor hall. Honestly, sometimes I have learned much more from talking to companies than I did in sessions. Many vendors have sessions going on at their booths, announcements about product updates and giveaways. Many will want your information and you have to fill out something to enter for door prizes. Bring labels (see below for template) and business cards (Vistaprint is perfect for these) that you can quickly use to enter giveaways and give your information. They will be huge time savers. Be respectful of vendors and the things they giveaway...companies remember you more than you think. Also, if you feel disrespected by a vendor, move on.
- On the topic of vendors, have two bags with you. Have a bag for things you are interested in and things to recycle. Some vendors can get a bit pushy with giving you their information if you decline it. So I have learned to carry a bag for things I actually want to keep and things I don't want (things I later recycle of throw away). Try to decline those items first though (don't try to be nice and take it and waste their products...), but they insist, it goes into the recycle bag. Also, if you start getting WAY more goodies than you expect, think about checking a suitcase at the convention center the next day. Ask them if they have in and out services. That means when your bags get too full in your hands, you can go unload in your suitcase and then go back to attending the conference instead of having to run to your hotel. If you are taking the conference buses, they all have an area underneath the bus to store your suitcase.
- Look through the conference bag (if you get one). Oftentimes, vendors put freebies and deals in the bags. Don't just dump the papers out and forget them.
- When booking a hotel for the conference, be very careful to see if they have a shuttle bus to the convention center. Many conference offer their own bus service, but some hotels also have a shuttle. Checking on these two shuttles can help you save money in the long run.
- Take naps. Don't feel shy about taking time for yourself throughout the day. Most educators are not used to sitting and getting for as long as you do at conferences and it can take a toll on your body. Plan a midday nap or a midday lunch to sit and decompress.
- Charge your devices. Just like at airports, sometimes plugs are hard to find at conferences.
- When registering for the conference, look out for any discounts, membership pricing or early bird pricing. It may be less expensive than you think.
Top Ten List
When you go to conferences, you learn SO MUCH new information that it can be overwhelming!
That is why I always carry a Top Ten List. This is NOT a place to take notes; however, this IS the place to remind yourself about the I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT tools and tricks you learn that you are on FIRE for that you want to put into place AS SOON AS you get back to work. Here is a template for a Top Ten List you can use and modify as you wish.
That is why I always carry a Top Ten List. This is NOT a place to take notes; however, this IS the place to remind yourself about the I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT tools and tricks you learn that you are on FIRE for that you want to put into place AS SOON AS you get back to work. Here is a template for a Top Ten List you can use and modify as you wish.
Vendor/Exhibit Hall Labels
When you go to conferences, you will want to visit the vendor/exhibit hall where companies have tables and spaces to showcase their products. Many of them have contests and will ask for your contact information. If you are not prepared, you will find yourself filling out your contact information over and over again. Instead, bring labels that you can stick on entry forms and give to representatives. Here is a template for labels you can use and modify as you wish.
It uses Avery 8160 Labels.
It uses Avery 8160 Labels.
Tips for Presenting
- Create a list of sessions beforehand. As you present at your campus, district or at conferences throughout the year, start creating session titles and descriptions in a Word or Google document. Even if no one asks for a title or description, create one and add it to your running list. That way, when conference call for proposals come out, you already some ideas of sessions you have already done ready to go!
- At the beginning of the school year, go to conference websites where you want to present. Find out when the conference is and when call for proposals come out. Leave yourself a reminder to check on it during that month so you do not miss the call for proposals.
- Find a co-presenter. It can be daunting to present for the first time. Find someone who is passionate about the same topic and present together. It takes the edge off. You an also ask to become part of a panel or a team who are presenting. Don't be afraid to approach your favorite presenter and ask them for help. You can also put out a call on social media!
- Propose multiple sessions. If the conference is hard to get accepted, put in multiple sessions. Just make sure they are ones you actually want to present just in case more than one is accepted. You want sessions you will be excited to present.
- Look at previous conference sessions. You will see what was popular last year at the conference and you will see what type of sessions get accepted.
- Don't wait until the last minute. Some conference proposals are extensive. So make sure you know well ahead of time how much work you will need to put into the proposal.
- When your proposals get accepted, promote them on your social media before the conference. Let people know you will be there and what you will be presenting! Remember to use the conference # when you do. Sometimes when conference use the same hashtag from year to year, some attendees will create their own hashtag. So you want to put all of them. For example, FETC's hashtag is #FETC, but some may put #FETC21 and #FETC2021 so you want to use all 3 to reach as many people as you can.
- Really think about about the best way to present this topic that will help your audience. Do they need time to play, do they need time to collaborate, do they need to hear your experiences...all of these things are important. Different topics lend themselves to different ways to present them. Figure out what is best for your topic and go for it.
- Don't assume anything! Check exactly what they conference provides and what they do not for your presentation.
Do you need your own HDMI cord?
Do you need a HDMI/VGA adapter if they only have VGA projectors?
Will they have projectors and screens for you?
If you need sound, do they have speakers? Do you need to bring your own?
Can their WiFi handle video?
Do I need an extension cord?
If you need to mirror my phone or iPad, how do you do that?
- Find your room ahead of your presentation. It helps to know exactly where you are going and how far it takes to get there.
- When presenting, have fun! Make sure to show your enthusiasm for your topic. People are coming to hear your thoughts about the topic and they want to be excited.
- If you are comfortable with it, let your attendees know to ask you questions throughout the session and share their own experiences with whatever you are teaching.
- Have some way to get feedback from your attendees and listen to the feedback. Some stuff is out of your control (like the room was too cold), but listen to the things that you have control over (I wanted more time to play, for example) and revise for the next time. Some conferences ask you to have people fill out the session evaluation on the conference app. If they do, ask your participants to evaluate you using that. Many conferences use that to see how people felt about your session to see if they want you to present the next year. If they do not have that, then do a Google Form or Microsoft Form or an old school paper evaluation to ask what they thought about your session. Think about what you want to really know and ask those questions on the evaluation.
- Have a resource to give them. Whether it is a handout, a copy of your presentation or a place to get resources (like a website), have something to give them.
- Promote yourself. Let them know how to get in contact you, give them your social media handles, give out your website, and tell them about anything you have coming up.
- Promote your sessions! If you have more than one session, have a slide at the end telling them the rest of your sessions and give them time to take pictures of it. That way, they can find you easily at the conference.
- Have giveaways. This is something you do not have to worry about as you first get started presenting. After some time, think about getting business cards to hand out (I have used Vistaprint). Then, start getting swag. Stickers are always a fun option! StickerYou and Sticker Mule are two I have used in the past. If you get deeper into this, it may be time for you to think about Branding yourself.
- Take care of yourself. Even though you are a presenter, you are still a person. If you are feeling under the weather, take a seat. If you think you should, let your audience so they know this is not your norm. Give yourself time to eat, use the restroom, and get yourself together before the session. Take some time to deflate and reflect after the session (see below for template). The best time to get your thoughts together about what to change and update in your session is right after the session. If a link was broken, remind yourself to not use it next time. If something went well, maybe do that and even more of that next time.
- Everyone has a HORRID presentation. It is OK! We do not want it, but things happen. Technology goes bad, you are sick, the audience just isn't that into you...it happens. When this happens to you, talk to other presenters. We understand and can help you get over it and move on. Don't let it stop you presenting, but learn from it and get better and be better prepared.
Reflection After Presenting
The best time to reflect on the session you presented is right after presenting the session. You will remember much more of what you need to do next time. You can also use this during the session to jot down notes you want to remember (someone suggests a different website to use, a link is broken, etc.).
Here is a template for labels you can use and modify as you wish.
Here is a template for labels you can use and modify as you wish.