I missed a day. Zero words written yesterday. But I’m back in the saddle now, coming at you live (-ish) from Toronto for the Human Proteome Organization’s annual conference.
The conference has been, of course, my top of mind, and I thought I’d give a whack at the trite, over-done “conference advice” content. So here’s my take on that, trying to both add something new but also reiterate the common yet important bits.
First, bring comfy shoes. Big conferences like HUPO and the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) and JP Morgan Healthcare (well, the BIO partnering part at least) are so spread out that having uncomfortable shoes is going to ruin your whole week. Comfy shoes can still be cute, but break them in before the conference at least. This was the very first advice I got when I went to my first ASMS and it’s still true. I think about it every time I pack for a conference.
Second, survival kit! I like to have some minimal first aid (bandaids, pain killer) in my work bag all the time, but for conferences I also stock my hotel room with water, granola bars, and some treats either from a grocery store or a convenience shop. Conference venue food is almost always overpriced and under-nutrition’ed, so having (somewhat) healthier options in my room keeps my costs down and helps make sure I’ll get through the week with a somewhat functional body and mind.
Third, mental health. To people who know me, it might be surprising to hear that I’m actually pretty introverted. To the people who _really_ know me, it’s not a surprise at all. I think there’s a two-by-two matrix: introverted vs extroverted, socially skilled or not. So some people are the stereotypical extroverted and socially skilled; some are introverted and not so socially skilled. But there’s also people who are extroverted and not so socially skilled. I’m thinking of people who don’t pick up on when the conversation has moved on or talk way too close in your personal space, stuff like that. And I’m maybe socially skilled but get quickly drained without quiet chances to recharge. So if you know you’re introverted (either the socially skilled or not so skilled) then make sure you’re intentionally scheduling some recharge-time for yourself so that you can show up for social events with the right energy.
Other things for mental health might be packing some exercise clothes to get in a run and making sure you schedule intentional times to get that run or gym session in. You might schedule a sight-seeing break. You might schedule some calls home to talk to friends or family during a quiet moment. Maybe you even take a nap. Which leads to my last thought –
Finally, make sure you’re getting the full value out of the conference. The main value of a conference is the in-person meetings and connections.The networking sessions and the happy hours, the poster sessions and the coffee line chats. Maybe this is controversial, but in the age of preprints and webinars, I’m not so sure the value of a conference is going to oral sessions. Not to mention how packed and overwhelming conference schedules like HUPO and ASMS are, where every hour is filled with content. If you spend all day running from one session to another, it’s unlikely you’ll have the energy to show up fully for the networking parts of the conference that count the most. So if your mental health is going to be better with a quick nap or reading a few chapters of a book, then by all means skip that afternoon oral session so you can recharge for the poster session. Conferences like HUPO and ASMS are marathons, not sprints.
Putting in “face-time” is of course the main point, but you also want to build on those initial connections. Having physical business cards or at least an up-to-date LinkedIn profile will help you instantly exchange contact information with the people you meet. If you’re like me and have trouble remembering names and faces, you can write a quick email or LinkedIn message to the people you meet as soon as you can, and note in your message how you met them and what the next steps might be – “Hey, Bob, it was great meeting you at the ABC happy hour, I really enjoyed talking with you about sample prep. I’d love to get the link to the paper you mentioned, please send that over when you get a chance after the conference!” Something like that.
Some of that last paragraph starts to veer into another topic, “PR”/branding/”reputation” for scientists or other professionals, but that might be another topic for a different day.
There’s a few things I specifically have been doing that help me. Some are kind of silly. For example, I like to get to the conference at least one full day before the conference itself actually starts, and use this time in the physical conference setting to get myself in the mental mindset for the conference. I usually finish up some slides or scout some quiet 1-1 meeting spaces, and I get my “conference persona” on – I do my nails, put on a face mask, and lay out my clothes for the week. Once I’m all organized, I feel “ready” to take on the week, and usually I end up getting a chance to grab coffee or beers with someone else who arrived early, and I can kind of get in a “warm up” socialization event before the rush of the conference really starts. This is also my chance to schedule some grocery delivery or hit a store to stock up on my essentials: water, electrolyte mix, protein bars, and some kind of gummy candy. A girl needs a treat to look forward to when she gets back to her hotel room after a long day of socializing, okay?!
Lindsay K. Pino 