Wisdom Across the Ages

I had the opportunity to spend some time last week visiting our Nation's Capital and stood at the feet of some of the greatest minds to grace this Republic.Their vision, wisdom and words, meant to unify a people during times of great upheaval continue to resonate and inspire across the years.Below the Jefferson Memorial is a small gift shop and learning center.  I was delighted to find Jefferson quotes stenciled over each of the door ways and made my way around the small, crowded space to note each one.This one in particular caught my eye because it instantly reminded me of something the brilliant Brian N. Larson said about our industry a few years ago, "We are an industry driven too often by our fears and not enough by our dreams.", a perspective I think Mr. Jefferson would appreciate.And it made me wonder, what would someone see in our industry if they were intent on viewing changes as either merely new inventions which may or may not prove useful over time, or potentially as improvements that can create new opportunities?  Looking at the quote above, I think there is much to be excited about.

Conferencing Like a Boss

In a previous post I mentioned a couple of dos and don'ts to conferencing (yes, this too is a verb).  I wanted to use this post as a place to list out the best and most useful ones I have learned or figured out over the years.  Feel free to comment with any I have overlooked or didn't know about!

1. Sign up for the rewards programs for the hotels you will be staying in.  Increasingly, they will comp your room's wi-fi connection if you are rewards member.  Even if you never get enough points to get a free stay, you will save your organization money with the $5-$20 per day wi-fi access.
2. Create a packing list for those items you need to take on every out-of-town trip.  I use the notes function on my iPhone and it lists everything from each type of charger (iPhone, iPad, Macbook, FitBit) to audio books for the flights, headphones and workout clothes.  This list does double duty since you can use it again when it is time to head home to make sure you haven't forgotten anything in your hotel room.
3. Speaking of packing lists...Visine and Tylenol should be on your list.  Euphemistically called the 'Conference Care Package', they will keep you looking (if not feeling) fresh and rested no matter what your actual state of sleep deprivation might be.  This can be particularly important after your 5th straight day of all-day sessions followed by late nights at vendor parties.
4. Always pack 100 more business cards than you could possibly need.
5. When someone hands you their business card, grab a pen and jot down a note about what you talked about, which session you met them in or why you want to follow up with them.  When you get home with a stack of 100 more business cards than you ever thought you would pick up, it will make it easy to follow up in a personal and meaningful way.
6. Arrive at highly attended/anticipated sessions early and get a seat on the edge of an row.  Sitting at the edge of a row allows you to shift your chair over a couple of inches and buy yourself (and your neighbor) a little more elbow room.  This is particularly important if you are taking notes on a laptop or iPad unless you can type just as easily with your elbows on your navel.
7. Turn off your wi-fi and/or cellular connection on your note-taking device, particularly in conference rooms that have next to no connection.  Use your cell for email, texting and Facebook/Twitter during sessions and don't let searching for a wi-fi connection drain your note-taking battery, especially if you have back-to-back sessions.
8. Put your phone's camera to work!  I use mine to photograph printed agendas and handouts, registrations and event confirmations as well as presentation slides if the presentation will not be available after the session.
9. Don't over-book your schedule to the point that you cannot work in a single surprise lunch or after hours get together.  Sometimes the most interesting meetings/conversations to be had at convention are not the ones on the official schedule.