The Savvy Conference-Goer Does SLA: 2002

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by Dan Trefethen
SLA Fellow

The conference follows a fairly strict daily format. Each day has its individual focus. You can get the flavor of this by studying the Preliminary Conference Program and SLA’s web site, but it's hard to know how to get the most out of an SLA conference until you've been to a few. Let me share some tips I've picked up after attending many conferences.

1. Use a Daily Planner with Plenty of Space

You can use the Conference Planner on SLA’s web site to create a personal itinerary, or create your own. I highlight "must attend" items, but always list interesting options in advance. (Add the room assignments from the final program you receive when you register.) It's worth the time to create a well-organized planner. Programs overlap, and you don't want to spend a valuable fifteen minutes huddled in a corridor examining the program book. If you're in a program that's not right for you, check your planner for an alternative and go. It's not rude to walk out of these sessions; people with overlapping commitments do it all the time.

2. Don't Try to Take In the Exhibits in One Marathon Session

It will probably take half a day to do the exhibits justice; more if you're actually shopping for a software system or some other large expenditure. This is your chance to try all the library computer products, and to ask the vendors important questions. To be fair to yourself you should break up exhibit-going into smaller sessions that can be squeezed into blank spaces in your planner. The exhibits are usually adjacent to most of the programs in order to accommodate this.  And if a vendor you really need to talk to is swamped, come back another time. (A good bet is right after exhibits open or just before they close each day.)

3. Attend the Divisions' Open Houses

I know they're late and you've been up since 6:30. Resign yourself to being sleepy some of the mornings and go to a few. Some of the hottest networking is available here. Sunday and Monday nights are liveliest, since everybody goes to see everybody from last year, and all the Well Known SLA Personalities party-hop from suite to suite (sometimes in a group). You may feel like an outsider at a party where you don't know anybody, but remember that these are all special librarians or friends of special libraries, and have more in common with you than any other roomful of strangers on the face of this planet. So step right up and introduce yourself. Be sure to hit the "Big Division" open houses - Business & Finance, Library Management, and Information Technology. It doesn't matter if you're not a member. Just go. Trust me. (One helpful strategy, though, is to use the "buddy system" in hopping around; you always have someone to talk to, and you can introduce each other throughout the evening.) Also, look for chapter open house announcements on the message boards.

Next I'll discuss each day's pattern of events.

Saturday: Continuing education course day. In addition to the course material, there is great networking here with others who share your same concerns. This also gives you a weekend night in the Big City, if you want to take in some local entertainment.

Sunday: More continuing education options. In 2002, the Exhibit Hall is opening for a ‘sneak peek’ from 4:00-6:00 pm. This would be a good time to scope out the hall to plan your exhibit-going activity. Also, the best vendor freebies get snapped up right away (although some sharp vendors restock later in the week). The first-time attendees' reception is today, and is a good bet for you first-timers. Today is Leadership Day, with the Leadership Development Institute open to all interested attendees from 9:00 am – 12:00 noon, although it is targetedto Chapter and Division officers. While the institute is free, the lunch is a ticketed event ($39.00).

Monday: Getting into full swing, starting with divisional breakfast meetings. I'm not much of a morning person (especially after the open houses), but these and the business lunches give you a captive audience. Make sure you talk to the people across the table from you, not just next to you. And ask for business cards. (Speaking of business cards, bring plenty. Better to take a lot back than to run out.) The breakfasts are scheduled to end in time for the programs, especially the General Session on Monday. It's an impressive sight to see almost half the members of SLA in one room, but you won't have time to talk to anyone. Go if the speaker sounds appealing to you (in 2002 it is Peter Drucker). Keep in mind that most of the popular programs (usually including the general session) are audiotaped, so you can buy or borrow tapes later for something you have to miss. The final program book tells you which programs are to be taped.

Tuesday: Monday II (The Sequel). Breakfasts, lunches, and programs. All programs are open to all SLA members, unless otherwise indicated in the program book. When you examine your Preliminary Conference Program you should look for ticketed events you will want to pre-register for. You ought to attend the meals and business meetings of those divisions that most interest you. If you realize you'd like to go to something you didn't pre-register for, all is not lost. You can advertise for a ticket on the community bulletin board if your event is sold out.

Wednesday: The last real conference day. Please note that the blocks of time are different from the previous two days. The Closing General Session and Annual Business Meeting is in the morning. Attend if you want to hear the featured speaker (in 2002 it’s Doris Kearns Goodwin) and find out what the Board has voted to do during all those meetings earlier in the week. It's especially interesting if there's a hot topic on the agenda (in 2002 we’ve got the proposed changes to the bylaws). Exhibits close at 2:00 pm today. Some vendors sell their display stock at a discount during the last few hours. Mail the literature you've gathered back home so you don't have to lug it on the plane. There is usually a shipping station on the premises for this.

The Big Ticket item today is the Awards Premiere (otherwise known as the banquet). Unpack your formal wear. Arrive early at the pre-banquet reception and connect with people you'd like to sit with. Claim an entire table if you've got enough people. Then relax, order champagne or wine if that's your pleasure, and enjoy yourself with a lovely dinner and live music for dancing. You'll see SLA's Illuminati arrayed in their finery, learn who they all are, and get to trade conference yarns with your tablemates. Some people wouldn't be caught dead at this event, and others wouldn't miss it. When I go, the degree to which I enjoy it largely depends on whom I'm sitting with. Banquet tickets are usually advertised on the message boards, so you can pick one up (or try to sell one off) if you change your mind.

Thursday: Today is Field Trip Day. It’s a chance for the host city to show off its resources. Remember, however, that if you go on an all-day field trip, you don't want to schedule an airline flight too soon after the field trip is due to return. I've seen people stewing on the bus while caught in traffic as their plane is taking off.

A few final tips:

The SLA website http://www.sla.org  offers information about the conference in advance, including which ticketed events are sold out. They usually offer a hotlink to the host chapter’s website, which is an excellent source of local information. The host chapter usually runs a discussion list, too, which is a valuable source of developing news and probing questions about the conference. Instructions on subscribing to the discussion list are available on the SLA web site and/or the host chapter’s site.

An important source of information during the conference is the message center near the registration area. Leave messages for your colleagues, pick up a copy of the daily newsletter with late-breaking news, look for tickets to buy or sell, check the room numbers of chapter and division open houses, and ask questions about restaurants and local attractions at the host chapter's booth.

Let's talk money. There are all kinds of tricks to save money, but some of them can be a false economy. For instance, you can save on hotel bills by staying at a cheaper place further away, as long as you don't need to keep returning to your hotel during the day. Time is quite valuable here.

• Another method that sounds good is to fly in on Sunday rather than Saturday, since most of the major programming doesn't start until Monday. The problem with this is that airlines often give great price breaks for Saturday night stays, and you'll lose more on your airfare than you'll gain on your hotel bill. Also, Sunday is a great day for networking and exhibit-going, and you'll lose all or part of this day.
   

• In order to maximize your time and minimize expenses, consider this option: fly in on Saturday, then check out of your hotel Wednesday morning, stashing your luggage at the hotel desk or in a friend's room. Then have a full conference day and fly out in the evening. This "stash now, fly later" gambit can work for Thursday field trips, too, although remember what I said about field trips running late.
   

• While on the issue of money, remember that some expenses that aren’t reimbursed may be deductible on income tax, so save your receipts. Carry an envelope marked "receipts" that you can use for meal stubs, cab fare, et cetera. (Remember to ask for receipts from cabs or airport vans - they don't automatically give them.)

Finally, have fun! You may think this article should be entitled "How to Exhaust Yourself at a Conference", but I encourage you to pace yourself so you don't "over-conference". It helps to do things that get you away from the convention center: hook up with people for dinner (some of whom advertise on the message boards), and take some time to see some local sights. And if somebody offers you an invitation she can't use for a private party sponsored by a well-known vendor, take it. You’ll have a good time.

Good luck in making your SLA conference a fun and worthwhile experience!