Conference Dos and Don’ts

Most people like to write a “how-to” Blogher post leading up to the conference or maybe a recap post as soon as they get back. Not me. I like to wait until Friday afternoon when the internet empties out and then post something that won’t be relevant for another year. That brings me to my first point:

DO try to learn something. The sessions are the meat of the conference and most of us should be able to walk away with one or two nuggets of new information. (Although I am also a firm believer in aisle seating so you can make a break for it if the session is a dud. You owe to nobody to stay. See what’s going on elsewhere.) So now I will know when I’m posting things on the wrong day of the week and sabotaging my SEO with clever titles and crappy links. I won’t stop doing that stuff, but at least I’ll know why I’m doomed to remain in relative obscurity.

DON’T sweat the swag. If you happen to be invited to a nice party that’s giving out decent swag and it happens to fit your schedule, sure. But don’t spend any amount of time or energy maneuvering your way onto guest lists of parties just because you want to feel special. There is nothing anyone is giving away that’s worth stressing about. Don’t leave the hotel by yourself to go to some random party thrown by people you’ve never heard of to drink some horrible Kahlua concoction and talk with coupon bloggers* from Minnesota and then start to get antsy because you’re missing Sparklecorn and what the hell are you doing here anyway so you leave after 45 minutes and don’t even get a swag bag because you probably weren’t there long enough. Ahem. Don’t do that. And also, step away from the crazy ladies that were stealing display merchandise from the expo booths because they were so eager to get their greedy, grubbing hands on swag they didn’t stop to ask what they could take. Those aren’t your people.

DO find your people. This can be daunting when you’re dealing with 5000+ attendees, but it’s still possible. Work the introductions from people you already know and don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to others wherever you happen to be. Go to the sessions and parties and events that appeal to you and your people will be there. Shocker, I know.

DON’T rely on the hotel wifi. This is especially an issue if you are a Canadian travelling in the States. Roaming fees can be killer and I, for one, didn’t want to tempt the data fates. But the wifi sucked so bad it was actually almost amazing. Different parts of the hotel used different wifi networks so you were constantly moving in and out of them. Some areas had no coverage and the places that did were so overloaded as to be almost useless. I missed so many messages and moving around and then meeting up with friends was way more complicated than it needed to be. Never again. Next time I do my homework and either buy a roaming package or figure out how much some basic data usage will cost.

DO get away from the conference. Because you will have purchased a data package after all! Dinner out with a small group of wonderful ladies, breakfast on a patio with my roommate and an afternoon of wandering the streets of New York city by myself are definite highlights from my weekend. But no matter where you are, it’d be a shame not to get out and soak up the local flavour. Those memories will serve you far longer than the sample size packets of hand cream you might score at the expo hall.

DO ask if you can tag along. Don’t beg and whine and be all passive aggressive, mind you. But a simple, “Hey, do you guys have dinner plans?” scored me an invite to join. And being stranded at the airport would have been a lot less fun if I hadn’t asked CL and Dee if I could share a cab with them.

DON’T stay out until 4:30am partying it up in a Karaoke bar in Koreatown with a random assortment of awesome bloggers — unless you want to have the time of your life!! Fun and amazing things will happen if you push yourself past your comfort zone, say “yes” to almost anything and understand that having a good time is ultimately your own responsibility.