As you can see, a conference, by way of convention, is a gathering of people who share a similar interest. This inherently offers a multitude of opportunities because the raison d’être for the conference is to appeal to people like you. It accordingly makes it all the more easier to connect with other people at the conference because you’re all effectively part of the same crowd and so takes a bit of the pressure off trying to find common ground.
Conference season is well underway and it’s never been a better time to rejuvenate your approach using the enclosed toolkit to maximise your opportunities.
If you’ve ever been to a conference, you’ve likely experienced the heady sensory overload that these events bring. Whether it’s a small symposium, or a massive multi-day extravaganza, conferences can be a challenge to navigate effectively given the sheer volume of people and exhibited content. But before we enter the fray, I want to preface this entire post by stating that, despite having attended, exhibited at (sort of – I co-manned the British Orthopaedic Trainees Association stand at the British Orthopaedic Association Annual Congress), and organised conferences, I am not a huge fan of them. I often find them overwhelming and full of expectation that’s muddied by the aforementioned sensory overload. However, it is possible to gain a lot from them AND enjoy them if you nail the techniques described herein.
…despite having attended, exhibited at, and organised conferences, I am not a huge fan of them.
My experience of conferences started when I was at Medical School. I ran a Neurosurgery workshop at a TedX themed undergraduate medical conference organised by one of my friends and saw just how impressive such an event could be. I subsequently organised my own undergraduate medical conference through a University society I created in my first year of Medical School. This was an intense experience but very educational, and provided a springboard for many other leadership opportunities. I remember simultaneously feeling acutely surprised and humbled that anyone had even turned up to the conference! Fast forward a few years to 2023 and I supported one of my fellow Council Members at the Association of Surgeons in Training (ASiT) to co-direct the ASiT 48th Annual Conference in Bournemouth, which was arguably one of the most stressful endeavours thus far but an incredibly high yield learning experience.
Safe to say, this experience has afforded me a thorough insight into how a conference can be utilised to maximal advantage. As a starter for ten, I feel it would be useful to define exactly what a conference is so that we have a foundational understanding of the concept.
Here is the Oxford Languages approved definition, as formatted by Google:
As you can see, a conference, by way of convention, is a gathering of people who share a similar interest. This inherently offers a multitude of opportunities because the raison d’être for the conference is to appeal to people like you. It accordingly makes it all the more easier to connect with other people at the conference because you’re all effectively part of the same crowd and so takes a bit of the pressure off trying to find common ground.
Next, it’s important to understand the reasons why conferences exist:
- Education – the conference primarily aims to educate delegates on specific topics. These can include a showcase of novel concepts, the latest updates in a certain field, or a reinforcement of existing concepts. The main opportunity as a delegate will be to improve knowledge.
- Marketing – the conference primarily aims to advertise a variety of products and/or services to delegates. The focal point is the exhibition and the plenary presentations will likely showcase the products and/or services that are on display. The main opportunity as a delegate will be to discover a new product or service.
- Networking – the conference primarily aims to facilitate the maintenance and growth of your network. The conference provides a focal point for delegates to meet each other and discuss a shared interest. The main opportunity as a delegate will be to reinforce existing professional relationships and build new relationships to expand your network of contacts.
Ok, now the logical final step is to answer the following questions (writing the answers down can be really helpful):
Why am I attending this conference?
Is it for an educational reason / discover new products?
Are you a member of the faculty / on the organising committee?
Are you presenting an academic project?
Is it to build your network?
Identifying your motivation will dramatically help you to focus on the day and gain as much as possible from the event. By pre-determining what you are looking for, the opportunities will become more obvious and seemingly present themselves to you. Whether it’s a particular industry sponsor who could help you out in the future with an event or project, or if it’s a highly impactful plenary from someone who is an expert in their field, you will feel enabled to navigate the chaos of the conference and take away as much educational value as possible. Make sure you create a biography on the conference app or website if available and ensure your details are correct, especially if you are presenting. This is a brilliant way to get your name out there and allow people who may be inspired by your work to contact and connect with you. You’ll be surprised at how much your networking opportunities will be increased by creating a visible public profile!
Which events do I want to attend?
I can promise you that planning your conference schedule in advance is one of the best things you can do. Scrutinising the agenda and creating an itinerary pays dividends when you eventually arrive because you know exactly where to go and what you want to see. As I mentioned before, conferences can feel super overstimulating and often the jam packed agenda flies by. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve found myself checking the agenda for the first time halfway through a conference only to find most of the best talks have passed me by. I can testify that it’s terribly dissatisfying. So, before the next conference you attend:
- Make a shortlist of talks / seminars / breakout rooms / workshops that you want to attend.
- Write down this list or use the conference app if available. Sometimes there’s a nifty function where you can save the events and it populates a shortlist for you.
- Figure out what time you need to arrive by in order to make it to the key events you want to attend.
- Make sure you arrive at each event on time – it’s always really embarrassing trying to sneak into the talk halfway through. There’s almost always a creaky floorboard or door hinge that gives the game away and before you know it 100 people turn to stare at you.
- Sign up to courses and workshops. Some are offered by industry and free to attend so snap these up ASAP as they can be booked up in minutes! We hosted an educational suturing workshop with Ethicon (now Johnson & Johnson MedTech) at the ASiT Conference and it was very popular!
Who do I want to speak to?
Now, using conferences to network is not something that comes naturally to me. I really detest the idea of “networking” by going up to people and effectively “cold calling” them in person. It feels unnatural and I tend to freeze, convincing myself that the person I’m speaking to has next to zero interest in speaking to me, actively losing confidence by the second. I’ve found much more fruitful conversations taking place in more informal settings, either at a dinner or drinks, perhaps due to the nature of the setting. However, this has allowed me plenty of failed opportunities to reflect on and consider how I could do this better.
A great place to start is by reviewing the conference programme to see who is speaking. Often, their biography will be available on the conference app or website. Here’s what you should think about ahead of time:
- Have look at the programme for speakers or people you’d be interested in speaking to
- Look at their biography so you have some background about the person before you speak to them.
- See if you can connect with them on social media, e.g. LinkedIn, beforehand.
- Try and contact them in advance via LinkedIn/similar medium or the conference app which sometimes has a networking section.
- Set up a meeting at the conference with them – this makes it much easier to allocate time rather than hanging around them awkwardly waiting for them to become available.
- It’s important that you have at least one clear reason for speaking to them. Believe you me, it’s embarrassing having a deer in the headlight moment in front of someone you want to speak to but for no good reason.
- Remember, popular speakers are often pushed for time and you’ll be competing with lots of others to speak to them. Make sure you have a good question or something valuable to contribute during your conversation.
For more detailed tips on how to level up your networking game, look out for my guide to networking coming soon!
So that’s a whistle-stop tour of what you should be thinking about before and during a conference. It’s all about planning and executing the plan – conferences can be enjoyable after all! If you found this useful, share with your friends, family, and colleagues!
Here is a full conference checklist that you can download to help you maximise your experience:
Let me know if you have any other tips!
Vasudev Zaver 