To continue from the previous article in this series, we will continue by looking into what one should consider when attending a tech conference as a first-time attendee. And yes, I am doing this with consideration to RenderAtl 2023.
Start Here
So as a professional, a student, or a hobbyist, a few questions I would ask myself to get the most out of this event would include:
- Where are you in your career/study?
- What do you need to learn?
- Who do you need to meet or network with?
All these questions would help me do the following: set clear goals to get the most out of this event. As a technologist, professional, or hobbyist, with constant learning being a core tenant of the craft there is a lot to be considered. Before attending the conference, determine your goals for attending, are you looking to learn new skills, network with other professionals, or discover new technologies and trends in your industry? Knowing what you want to achieve will help you focus your time and energy during the conference.
Make A Plan
Grab the schedule and review the conference schedule, remember that you came here for a reason. So make the plans accordingly, prioritize the sessions that align with your goals and interests, and also plan secondary sessions if the main ones are full ( I have seen it happen). Ensure to leave some time for networking and exploring the exhibit hall, the booths and to rest.
Bring The Right Gear
To climb Everest, bring the right gear, the same applies when attending a tech conference. Be sure to bring your laptop or tablet, chargers, a pencil or two, portable batteries, and a notebook for taking notes (sometimes as a backup). Some conferences may also require you to download a mobile app to access the schedule and address health concerns and other important information. At least, we forget.... please stay hydrated and energized, so please drink water and eat something. Just throw them all in a backpack or a messenger bag ... just ensure you have what you need for the event.
Comfort ...
Dress comfortably and appropriately, the dress code varies by conference, but it's always better to err on the side of dressing comfortably and semi-casual at best. Tech tends to loan itself to a jeans and t-shirt dress code. Thus wear comfortable clothes and shoes as you may be walking around and standing for long periods.
Stay Organized
Yes, remember that notebook we spoke about earlier, well use it or another tool of your liking to figure out all the things you need to do. Keep track of the information you gathered during the conference, such as notes, opportunities to follow up on, and resources. This will help you retain the information and follow up effectively.
Take Good Notes
Prioritize capturing essential insights and key takeaways rather than attempting to transcribe every single word in the sessions you attend. Focus on summarizing the main ideas, key statistics, actionable points, contacts, other reference materials and ensuring your notes reflect the most valuable information from the talks. Use a note-taking app or software on your device or make really good written notes (see the Cornell method ) to quickly jot down key points during sessions. This approach will save time and make your notes more concise and actionable so that you can review them easier.
Network, Network, Network
"How do we know each other ?" or "Where do I know you from ?" These should be a part of your "tech" repertoire or vocabulary as you quest to grow as a tech professional. Take advantage of the opportunity to network with other professionals in your industry. Introduce yourself to speakers, exhibitors, and fellow attendees during breaks and networking events. Look into using LinkedIn or Twitter tricks to digitally networking rather quickly as the technology community tends to reside on these two platforms. Remember that networking also be learning about podcasts to listen to, local meetups to go to, and online communities to join. Also look into collecting stickers, pins, and swag ... they can be great conversation starters.
Follow Up ... Yup, Seriously
After the conference, follow up with the people you met and the information you learned. Reach out to them on LinkedIn or on any other platform, engage with them and their content, send a personalized email or message, and continue to engage with the conference community online. Write the blog on your experience, and make notes on the stuff you learned and the new tech that you should follow up on. Practice or build something with the tech you were introduced to better familiarise yourself with the new tools you secured for your toolkit.
General Takeaways
To wrap up : create clear goals, making a plan, bringing the right gear, make good notes, staying organized, dressing comfortably, networking, and following up with people and information learned after the conference (create stuff). I have one more to cover in this series : the first time speaker as a tech conference.
Who Am I ( Currently)
Nerando is a software developer with full-stack training, team building, and a dynamic approach to creating realistic web, mobile, and executive hot takes. He has been a part of teams that have conquered broken code, patched legacy codebases, and stopped releasing on Fridays for the overall mental health of his team. When he is not saving the world from bad algorithms, implementations, and a lack of good documentation, you can find him coding and drinking his third cup of coffee.
Nerando is currently seeking new opportunities that align and grow with his skillset and experiences, especially with programming languages in React, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, DevOps skills, MERN and so much more. He can be found via his portfolio,
@nerajno (for now) and on LinkedIn.
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