Some people may compare academic conferences and meetings with speed dating and, roughly said, they are correct. The relationships created in both cases can lead to something new and positive and in both cases if you are not prepared, there is a little chance to succeed.
Here we have collected some tips and guides what to do in order to do your best:
• Bring Band-Aids with you. Sounds like a joke, yes. However, it will be an essential part of your conference as you will forget about convenient sneakers and will have to wear something that will describe you as a serious person. Nice shoes are not the usual footwear of graduate students, so be prepared.
• Take different copies of your conference materials. Take paper and digital copies and do not rely on the devices you take with you. In the most cases, for example, campuses are not designed to handle Macs so take adaptors with you if you decide to take it with you.
• Practice the presentation for multiple times. And don’t forget to manage your time. Otherwise your presentation will be subdued and look unprofessional. You have to get a clear notion what, when and how you are going to say on the presentation.
• It is impossible to see everything on the conference – do not even try, it is hopeless. That is why it is essential to plan ahead every day on the conference. Dedicate full attention to something really important to you instead of running through the events without even noticing what is going on there.
• Retrench. Attending conferences is not cheap thing so you have to find ways to save money. For example, consider sharing room with students who also go to the same conference, stay in hostel for a night or take an advantage of the travel awards.
• Presentation is not the most important part of the conference. Communication – that is the main point. No one can underestimate the possibility to communicate with scholars who are interested in the same topic.