Making sure each conference was a good experience as both a speaker and a participant required strategic thinking and advance planning. Here are a eight steps for getting the most from a writer’s conference\u00a0that\u00a0will make sure every conference you attend offers value, too.<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0Make sure you\u2019re selecting a conference that\u2019s a good fit for you.<\/strong><\/h3>\nDon\u2019t register for a conference that requires long-distance travel and related expenses until the sessions and speakers are posted. You don\u2019t want to arrive, look over the agenda, and think, \u201cThere\u2019s nothing here I need to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you write fiction, for example, you want to make sure that the agenda isn’t dominated by nonfiction topics and speakers. Or, if\u00a0you’re going to a\u00a0conference hoping to snag\u00a0an agent, make sure that the organizers offer that option\u00a0— not all writer’s conferences do.<\/p>\n
2. Plug in to any and all pre-conference networking.<\/strong><\/h3>\nThis will help you begin to develop online connections and relationships that you can solidify on-site and in-person. This is even more important if you\u2019re going to the conference solo instead of with a writer buddy because it will mean there will be friendly faces there waiting to greet you.<\/p>\n
Knowing who else plans to attend, whether it\u2019s through the conference Facebook group, listserv, or registrant list provided in advance by organizers helps you decide who you might want to network with, also.<\/p>\n
3. Create one or two goals about what you want to get from the conference.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\nWrite them down and make a plan for how you’ll achieve them.\u00a0Leaving it to chance won’t work — and\u00a0you might\u00a0leave town disappointed instead of rejuvenated and inspired.<\/p>\n
4. Don\u2019t even begin to think that this is a pleasure trip.<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhen I spoke\u00a0at an author\u2019s conference in Denver in May, I spent the evening\u00a0before the conference started with my sister and had dinner with a local friend one night. The rest of the time I was glued to a seat in as many sessions as possible, taking notes or meeting interesting people. That’s because I was fixed on my\u00a0two goals: learning and connecting. I couldn’t do that offsite, sightseeing or exploring the city.<\/p>\n
Lots of people plan vacations around a conference. The only way to make that work is to arrive early. If you vacation immediately after the event, you’ll forget what you learned by the time you get home or you’ll be so backlogged that you won’t have time to act on the \u00a0notes you took.<\/p>\n
5. Leave your introverted self at home.<\/strong><\/h3>\nThis can be difficult for me. I\u2019m an introvert who has learned to be an extrovert, so while I know how to step forward, introduce myself, and start a conversation, there are times during that lull between lunch and the next session when I\u2019d like to just sink into a comfy chair with a latte and people watch.<\/p>\n
But then I\u2019d be wasting my registration fee. (See point 4.)<\/p>\n
6. Pack\u00a0a conference tool kit.<\/strong><\/h3>\nAt a minimum, bring one or two notebooks, a couple of your favorite note-taking pens (I like a fine point Sharpie, myself), and business cards. Many conference goers taking\u00a0notes on laptops or tablets need extension cords when their batteries run low and power outlets are hard to find.<\/p>\n
7. Review notes and handouts at the end of each day.<\/strong><\/h3>\nAs you reviews those notes back in your room after dinner, highlight three key points from each of the sessions you attended, and label them according to importance. Then, when you return to your notes to take action when you\u2019re back home, you\u2019ll have a solid starting point.<\/p>\n
8. Act on what you\u2019ve learned and connections you\u2019ve made.<\/strong><\/h3>\nIt\u2019s not enough to learn or connect. You have to act on all of it. Send \u201cnice to meet you, let\u2019s stay in touch\u201d e-mails to people you met. Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Implement a few of the tips you picked up immediately. Schedule time to learn more about something that intrigued you at the conference. The worst thing you can do is to return to your computer and do nothing with the knowledge you acquired or the friends you made at the conference.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a list of writing conferences where you can put what you\u2019ve learned to use: http:\/\/www.newpages.com\/writers-resources\/writing-conferences-events<\/a> . Perhaps there\u2019s one on the list that\u2019s perfect for you, your career, and your location.<\/p>\nWhat’s your favorite writer’s conference, and why?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This will help you begin to develop online connections and relationships that you can solidify on-site and in-person. This is even more important if you\u2019re going to the conference solo instead of with a writer buddy because it will mean there will be friendly faces there waiting to greet you.<\/p>\n
Knowing who else plans to attend, whether it\u2019s through the conference Facebook group, listserv, or registrant list provided in advance by organizers helps you decide who you might want to network with, also.<\/p>\n
3. Create one or two goals about what you want to get from the conference.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\nWrite them down and make a plan for how you’ll achieve them.\u00a0Leaving it to chance won’t work — and\u00a0you might\u00a0leave town disappointed instead of rejuvenated and inspired.<\/p>\n
4. Don\u2019t even begin to think that this is a pleasure trip.<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhen I spoke\u00a0at an author\u2019s conference in Denver in May, I spent the evening\u00a0before the conference started with my sister and had dinner with a local friend one night. The rest of the time I was glued to a seat in as many sessions as possible, taking notes or meeting interesting people. That’s because I was fixed on my\u00a0two goals: learning and connecting. I couldn’t do that offsite, sightseeing or exploring the city.<\/p>\n
Lots of people plan vacations around a conference. The only way to make that work is to arrive early. If you vacation immediately after the event, you’ll forget what you learned by the time you get home or you’ll be so backlogged that you won’t have time to act on the \u00a0notes you took.<\/p>\n
5. Leave your introverted self at home.<\/strong><\/h3>\nThis can be difficult for me. I\u2019m an introvert who has learned to be an extrovert, so while I know how to step forward, introduce myself, and start a conversation, there are times during that lull between lunch and the next session when I\u2019d like to just sink into a comfy chair with a latte and people watch.<\/p>\n
But then I\u2019d be wasting my registration fee. (See point 4.)<\/p>\n
6. Pack\u00a0a conference tool kit.<\/strong><\/h3>\nAt a minimum, bring one or two notebooks, a couple of your favorite note-taking pens (I like a fine point Sharpie, myself), and business cards. Many conference goers taking\u00a0notes on laptops or tablets need extension cords when their batteries run low and power outlets are hard to find.<\/p>\n
7. Review notes and handouts at the end of each day.<\/strong><\/h3>\nAs you reviews those notes back in your room after dinner, highlight three key points from each of the sessions you attended, and label them according to importance. Then, when you return to your notes to take action when you\u2019re back home, you\u2019ll have a solid starting point.<\/p>\n
8. Act on what you\u2019ve learned and connections you\u2019ve made.<\/strong><\/h3>\nIt\u2019s not enough to learn or connect. You have to act on all of it. Send \u201cnice to meet you, let\u2019s stay in touch\u201d e-mails to people you met. Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Implement a few of the tips you picked up immediately. Schedule time to learn more about something that intrigued you at the conference. The worst thing you can do is to return to your computer and do nothing with the knowledge you acquired or the friends you made at the conference.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a list of writing conferences where you can put what you\u2019ve learned to use: http:\/\/www.newpages.com\/writers-resources\/writing-conferences-events<\/a> . Perhaps there\u2019s one on the list that\u2019s perfect for you, your career, and your location.<\/p>\nWhat’s your favorite writer’s conference, and why?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When I spoke\u00a0at an author\u2019s conference in Denver in May, I spent the evening\u00a0before the conference started with my sister and had dinner with a local friend one night. The rest of the time I was glued to a seat in as many sessions as possible, taking notes or meeting interesting people. That’s because I was fixed on my\u00a0two goals: learning and connecting. I couldn’t do that offsite, sightseeing or exploring the city.<\/p>\n
Lots of people plan vacations around a conference. The only way to make that work is to arrive early. If you vacation immediately after the event, you’ll forget what you learned by the time you get home or you’ll be so backlogged that you won’t have time to act on the \u00a0notes you took.<\/p>\n
5. Leave your introverted self at home.<\/strong><\/h3>\nThis can be difficult for me. I\u2019m an introvert who has learned to be an extrovert, so while I know how to step forward, introduce myself, and start a conversation, there are times during that lull between lunch and the next session when I\u2019d like to just sink into a comfy chair with a latte and people watch.<\/p>\n
But then I\u2019d be wasting my registration fee. (See point 4.)<\/p>\n
6. Pack\u00a0a conference tool kit.<\/strong><\/h3>\nAt a minimum, bring one or two notebooks, a couple of your favorite note-taking pens (I like a fine point Sharpie, myself), and business cards. Many conference goers taking\u00a0notes on laptops or tablets need extension cords when their batteries run low and power outlets are hard to find.<\/p>\n
7. Review notes and handouts at the end of each day.<\/strong><\/h3>\nAs you reviews those notes back in your room after dinner, highlight three key points from each of the sessions you attended, and label them according to importance. Then, when you return to your notes to take action when you\u2019re back home, you\u2019ll have a solid starting point.<\/p>\n
8. Act on what you\u2019ve learned and connections you\u2019ve made.<\/strong><\/h3>\nIt\u2019s not enough to learn or connect. You have to act on all of it. Send \u201cnice to meet you, let\u2019s stay in touch\u201d e-mails to people you met. Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Implement a few of the tips you picked up immediately. Schedule time to learn more about something that intrigued you at the conference. The worst thing you can do is to return to your computer and do nothing with the knowledge you acquired or the friends you made at the conference.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a list of writing conferences where you can put what you\u2019ve learned to use: http:\/\/www.newpages.com\/writers-resources\/writing-conferences-events<\/a> . Perhaps there\u2019s one on the list that\u2019s perfect for you, your career, and your location.<\/p>\nWhat’s your favorite writer’s conference, and why?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
At a minimum, bring one or two notebooks, a couple of your favorite note-taking pens (I like a fine point Sharpie, myself), and business cards. Many conference goers taking\u00a0notes on laptops or tablets need extension cords when their batteries run low and power outlets are hard to find.<\/p>\n
7. Review notes and handouts at the end of each day.<\/strong><\/h3>\nAs you reviews those notes back in your room after dinner, highlight three key points from each of the sessions you attended, and label them according to importance. Then, when you return to your notes to take action when you\u2019re back home, you\u2019ll have a solid starting point.<\/p>\n
8. Act on what you\u2019ve learned and connections you\u2019ve made.<\/strong><\/h3>\nIt\u2019s not enough to learn or connect. You have to act on all of it. Send \u201cnice to meet you, let\u2019s stay in touch\u201d e-mails to people you met. Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Implement a few of the tips you picked up immediately. Schedule time to learn more about something that intrigued you at the conference. The worst thing you can do is to return to your computer and do nothing with the knowledge you acquired or the friends you made at the conference.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a list of writing conferences where you can put what you\u2019ve learned to use: http:\/\/www.newpages.com\/writers-resources\/writing-conferences-events<\/a> . Perhaps there\u2019s one on the list that\u2019s perfect for you, your career, and your location.<\/p>\nWhat’s your favorite writer’s conference, and why?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s not enough to learn or connect. You have to act on all of it. Send \u201cnice to meet you, let\u2019s stay in touch\u201d e-mails to people you met. Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Implement a few of the tips you picked up immediately. Schedule time to learn more about something that intrigued you at the conference. The worst thing you can do is to return to your computer and do nothing with the knowledge you acquired or the friends you made at the conference.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a list of writing conferences where you can put what you\u2019ve learned to use: http:\/\/www.newpages.com\/writers-resources\/writing-conferences-events<\/a> . Perhaps there\u2019s one on the list that\u2019s perfect for you, your career, and your location.<\/p>\n What’s your favorite writer’s conference, and why?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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<\/a><\/p>\n