Introduction
If you’re not a social butterfly, conferences can seem like a bit of a circus, giving people an excuse to get away from work and party.
Which is partially true.
But conferences are also places to go and talk about your work with people who immediately understand you, to be blitzed with new ideas and interesting work, and to form real relationships with all the fish swimming up your same stream.
Conferences are where people all bring out their coolest work, and where you see academic discourse happen in real time. And you get to be part of it.
You have an easy reason to introduce yourself to specific individuals you want to know, and a go-to topic lined up. Conferences are a chance to make things happen, if you plan them right. In this section, we’re going to:
- Find conferences that interest us and ways to get there
- Go through the conference documents and plan our attendance
- Develop a few interesting concepts to start conversation with
- Make sure to follow up on connections made
How many Hawaiian shirts should you bring?
First thing’s first: what conference would give the highest return on value for your career? There are always more conferences than you would expect, and more than a handful of scam conferences preying on young academics. There are also a few underground conferences that may surprise you, like The BioPunk Unconference. After you pick the conference, other problems pop up. Like who are you going to talk to when you get there, what are you going to say, and how are you going to stay in touch? This section makes sure you’re getting the most from your brief escape from your thesis.
Exercise: Conference Opportunity Optimization
Exercise Components:
- Event Selection
- Pre-Event Strategic Planning
- Target connection research (10-15 specific people)
- Presentation/contribution opportunities
- External event options
- Scheduling strategy (which sessions to attend/skip)
- Event Engagement Tactical Plan
- Following Up with Intention
It all starts with picking the right event and finding the resources to get there. A broad search might help you find some golden nuggets, and to uncover resources you weren’t aware of. Additionally, it helps to consider organizations like your school, professional orgs, or even the conference itself for finding funding.
Enter the following prompt into your chosen internet search-enabled LLM:
I'm a PhD in [discipline] at [your school] targeting career opportunities in [sectors/roles]. Help me find conferences and professional events to attend, which may further my goals. Additionally, try to help me find resources, including but not limited to: scholarships from my school, grants from related organizations, or volunteer opportunities at the conferences, to help me fund the trip. For the selected events: 1. Create a relative score based on career advancement potential 2. Ballpark costs to attend the event 3. Summarize the highest leverage type of connections to make at each event
Planning is going to be the difference between being overwhelmed and being at ease. Most conferences publish panel speakers and sponsor organizations early, and you can use LinkedIn to see who announced they were attending a conference, or who attended last year and likely will again. With this info, you can develop a pre-event planning checklist with:
Also of note, many sponsors host events that are invite-only. Go to each sponsor’s page and see if they mention the conference. Chances are, they have a mailing list you can get on to hear about after-hours events.
It never hurts to have a few key talking points, because the last thing you want to happen is to get in front of someone interesting and get stuck talking about the weather. Let’s try to prepare some top of mind go-to’s for sparking conversation, without writing out a script. After all, we still want to leave room for organic connection.
Try this open-ended prompt and see if anything sparks your interest:
I want to maximize my effectiveness during the [conference]. As an introvert/extrovert [choose one] PhD in [discipline], I want tactical approaches for making fruitful conversation that can lead to meaningful connections. Please search for current context about my field and help me develop: 1. A set of 3-5 strategic questions I can ask in sessions to initiate insightful conversation and gain visibility 2. Natural conversation starters and transitions tailored to different contexts (sessions, meals, receptions) 3. Specific tactics for approaching and engaging high-value connections I've identified 4. An efficient system for documenting interaction details for effective follow-up 5. Approaches for managing energy and focus throughout the event 6. Strategies for positioning myself physically in spaces to maximize connection opportunities
So now that you’ve made some friends and shared some laughs, how do you stay in touch? How do you build on brief engagements to create real connection?
Here is a chance to brainstorm a bit and think of ways to continue adding value:
I've just returned from [event name] with new connections, including several high-priority relationships I want to develop. Help me create a systematic follow-up approach that: 1. Suggests specific value I can offer to each category of connection 2. Includes strategies for converting these connections into actual opportunities Here is a brief summary of the connections that I made: [List connection details]