I attend a fair number of conferences for my job, say, 6-8 per year. And I see the same mistakes being made by attendees every single time, no matter what the conference or location. So I've put together a handy little list of helpful hints that may never reach the people it is meant for but will sure make me feel better for having vented.
(1) Before stepping foot outside the conference center or hotel, please take off your nametag or lanyard. Hasn't anyone ever taught you that when you are in a strange city you don't want to call attention to yourself as a tourist/outsider/clueless individual? I cannot tell you how many times I have seen people walking around blocks and blocks from the conference venue in full disregard of this rule. Why not just paint a sign on your back that says "Target for pickpockets and other unsavory individuals"?
(2) Maybe this should be (1b), but leave your free conference totebag--you know, the one with the huge logo on the side that announces to the world that you are in town for a conference?--in your hotel room next to your lanyard. Besides the same flaw of calling you out as someone who doesn't know the area, carrying your conference bag just makes you look like a dork and is a useless exercise. Were you really planning on reading the program while eating dinner? How about just grabbing your handbag, or putting your wallet in your (front) pocket, and walking out to dinner or sightseeing without this useless encumbrance?
(3) Do not give a presentation in an outfit you wouldn't wear to a job interview. Birkenstocks, flip-flops (God help us), Bermuda shorts, t-shirts, and other very casual wear does not look appropriate on people who are standing at the front of a room, talking about important research they have conducted. You lose credence when you dress like you forgot about your presentation until the last second and just rushed to the meeting from the beach or your backyard hammock.
(4a) Please practice your talk before the session starts so you can figure out for yourself that a 400-slide PowerPoint presentation does not fit into a 20-minute timeslot.
(4b) When the session chair gives you the look of death and the hand signal that means, "Cut to the end now, Bub, because you are out of time," please wind up your talk in 60 seconds or less. Do not just talk faster while trying to complete slides 283-400.
(5) Do not ask vendors in the exhibit hall if all their wares are complimentary. If they were free, we couldn't afford to rent the space in the exhibit hall in the first place. Think about it.
Thank you for your time.
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3 years ago
2 comments:
(5b) Do not just wander the exhibit hall grabbing and eating the Hershey's kisses on the vendors' tables. These, while free, are intended to get you to stop and chat...it's the least you can do, really, in exchange for all the free snacks and pens you've dropped into your tote bag.
(5c) Please be polite to the vendors in the exhibit hall. They are, after all, fellow human beings and citizens of this planet -- not three-headed monsters hoping to eat your face off. You don't have to invite them to dinner, but at least smile and acknowledge their presence.
(6) Drink less when you go out with your fellow conference attendees. You're making us all look bad with your wild cackling nonsense at the next table (because of course you are still wearing your lanyard and carrying your tote bag; see points 1 and 2).
Good ones, TallGirl!! I've stopped bringing candy for reason (5b). I just get irritated when people grab it and keep going, as if I were a broken vending machine.
And the drunken conventioneers? Just embarrassing.
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