Adapted by Judith Siess from "SLA First Timer's Hints: Getting the Most out of Your SLA Conference Experience and for Many Years to Come" by Stephen Abram [SirsiDynix, Toronto, Ontario, Canada] and "First Timers Package" created by Dan Trefethen [Boeing, Seattle, Washington, USA] Susan Klopper [Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA ] for the Los Angeles SLA International Conference in June 2002.)

Before the Conference
Put in writing what you want to accomplish at the conference. You'll probably have to do this for your manager in order to get funding for the conference, but even if you don't have to do it, do it!

Go over the preliminary program very thoroughly, marking every event that you might want to attend. You can weed it down later. If there is a version of the program on the association web site, use it. Make a chart with each day and time period and list all of these sessions. That way you'll have alternatives.

Don't be tempted to stay at a hotel far from the conference venue in order to save money. You'll spend all your time traveling and miss out on chance meetings with colleagues. Pick a close hotel and share a room with friends or colleagues. (You can find a roommate through some of the electronic lists.)

Look very carefully at the continuing education courses offered before and after the conference. This is a good way to justify to your management the expense of the conference. You can attend two or more CE sessions without additional travel expense or time away from the library. And most of the sessions are very worthwhile. Make advance appointments with those vendors-or anyone else-you want to see so you don't run out of time or miss them.

Pack a few file folders, lots of business cards (even if you have to make your own, you must have cards), an extra case to bring home the paper and souvenirs you accumulate, pens and pencils, a highliter (yellow is the best color), professional attire, and very comfortable shoes (two pair is even better). You should always wear a jacket with at least two pockets-one for your business cards and one for ones you are given. That will spare you the embarrassment of handing out someone else's card.

At the Conference
What should be your priorities at the conference? If it's your first conference, you should probably attend as many sessions as possible. You should also go to the association annual business meeting, just to see how it works. For veteran attendees your priorities should change to first, networking, then exhibits, and last, but not least, the sessions. After all, you probably have heard much of the information at the sessions before.

As soon as you register and get your final program, fill in the room locations on the grid you made before the conference. Be sure to include alternate sessions in case the one session you want to attend is cancelled or doesn't meet your expectations or is so crowded you can't get in. Put all the papers you need for each day in a separate folder and carry just that folder with you.

Don't be afraid to leave a session that isn't what you expected-we've all done it and the presenters will not be offended. Also, if the room is very crowded, you can usually sit on the floor or stand in the back-and don't forget that often there are seats in the front, even in a seemingly full room.

If it's your first conference, attend the first timer session and make a few new friends and get an orientation to the conference from an old hand.

At the INFO-EXPO
You can help to "pay" for the conference by getting free searches from exhibitors. Take actual reference questions with you. Vendors will show you their products using canned searches that they know will be successful, but you need to know if the products will answer your questions.
I have several rules for the exhibits.

1. Start at the left side of the exhibit hall. Most people will start on the right and you will get to vendors before others.
   
2. Never enter a drawing for something I don't want.
   
3. Take only the materials I really want to look at or take home. (The quantity of these decreases with the number of conferences you attend.) Yes, you will find the conference a wonderful source of office supplies (pens, pencils, sticky notes, etc.), but at least pretend to be interested in what the vendors are selling before taking their freebies.

"Write on the back of the business cards you pick up to remind you what you learned or what you'd like to follow up on later-even if it's just to visit an exhibitor's website or request a product trial." (Abram) But do not do this in front of the person?wait until you are somewhere else.

If you are invited to an exhibitor party of hospitality suite, go! At worst you'll get some food; at best you'll meet the movers and shakers in the library world.

Many vendors display signs saying they are sponsors of a particular program or division of the organization. Thank them for doing this-no conference can operate without vendor sponsorship.

Networking and Social Events
The conference doesn't end after the last session of the day. Dinner and the hospitality suites and open houses afterwards are just as much a part of the conference as the sessions or exhibits. After all, the most important part of any conference is the people you meet. And you won't meet people just sitting in sessions or trolling the exhibits. Spend some time in the lobby of the conference hotels, especially around meal time. See if you can find someone with whom you can go out to lunch or dinner. Many conferences have one evening of "dine-arounds" or "no-host dinners." You can choose a group and/or a restaurant and network your heart out.

Be sure to go to the hospitality suites of the various divisions of the association, even if you aren't a member. You'll meet people and make contacts and, who knows, you might even want to join.
Don't be afraid to walk up to someone and introduce yourself. Abram suggests these "Ice Breaker Questions:"

1. "Hi, I'm <yournamehere> and I'm from <yourtownorlibraryhere> Where are you from?"
   
2. "What's new at your shop?"
   
3. 'See anything new at the conference?' 'Attend any great sessions?' 'Learn something new?'

Network in lines (for food, for coffee, for meetings, etc.) "Don't hoard your business cards-they're like smiles, they only have value when they're given away." (Abram)

If you have questions about the city or want to find a good restaurant, check the local chapter's hospitality booth. "They know. They live there!" (Abram)

I usually plan at least one half-day to see the city or just to get away from the conference. Fortunately, at most conferences there is a time when there is nothing in which I am interested. You need a break to refresh yourself and remind yourself that there is more to life than librarianship.

Additional Tips
If you must have you cell phone with you, make sure you silence it or set it to vibrate. Better yet, leave it in your hotel room so you can concentrate on the conference. No one needs to be connected that much!

You will want to have a coat or sweater with you, since room temperatures vary widely. A bottle of water is a necessity. All that listening and walking is very drying. (My brother who sells water for a living will hate me, but buy water the first day, then refill it from the tap to save money.)

Nametags belong on your right lapel-so people can see them as you shake hands. Hanging your tag from the lanyard often provided puts it too low for most people to read. Take it off when you leave the conference venue. A nametag marks you as an out-of-towner and easy prey for muggers and pickpockets.

When You Get Home
Write a report or memo to your boss or team and explain the value of the conference to you and what you learned. Be specific. "I learned the first three steps I need to take to take our library virtual. I will begin the user survey in two weeks" is much more impressive than "I learned a lot that will help me run the library better."

If your boss does not require such a report, write it anyway. It is a great way to organize what you learned in your own mind. File one copy, take one home for your personal file, and send one to your boss anyway (and perhaps even to your boss's boss).

Now that you're all revved up and excited about your association, take this chance to get involved locally. (You may have already volunteered for something at the conference, but you need to meet people in your home area as well.) The best way to meet new people is to volunteer. You can start small, as a member of a division committee. Who knows, you may rise all the way to association president some day-making contacts all the way.