How to Win at Conferencing
/For those of us who follow the med tech world, it’s conference season. With Rewired kicking off in Birmingham, I’m going to give you the beginner’s guide to making the most of any conference you go to:
Grab a program, pen and paper
It may be sacrilege at a digital conference to suggest analogue, but sometimes you can’t beat pen and paper. At the start of any conference I grab a program and look at the different streams of talks and events. I circle the must-sees in one colour and the maybes in another and then use that to structure my day.
Do a recce
When it comes to exhibitors, I always start each conference by doing a walk round of the different stands, seeing what’s out there and what looks interesting (this also works for scouting out good freebies or competitions). Using my floor-plan I circle stands to come back to and tick them off between must-see talks.
Make use of the cloakroom
Wet umbrellas, winter coats and too much stash? Remember most conference venues will have a cloakroom, where you can dump your stuff. Don’t risk unnecessary shoulder ache from a heavy bag. Check it in.
Network
Conferences are a great way to meet new people and make connections with exciting companies and organisations. Have the Linkedin app downloaded and add new contacts there and then using the QR system.
Take breaks and know when to call time
You don’t have to see everything, everywhere, all at once (although do see the movie - it’s excellent). Know that you won’t be able to listen to every speech or visit every interesting stand. There may be an element of FOMO but that’s ok - there are always more conferences and other opportunities to connect e.g. reaching out online.
So those are my 5 top tips for conferences. Enjoy the chocolate miniatures and I’ll see you there!
Learn from my mistakes earlier at the best practice conference at olympia - check the bag in!