3 tips for attending conferences and events

There are lots of exciting events and conferences going on all the time, and it’s often difficult to pick which ones to attend and then convey the importance to your supervisor to get permission to attend.  Here are questions to ask yourself when assessing conferences and events:

Why should you attend?

You need to be able to make it clear to your supervisor (and yourself) why you would like to spend a day (or two) away from your usual activity.

• Who will be presenting and what can you take away from their presentation?
  • are they an expert in the subject area?
  • do they have an interesting take or experience to share?
• What topics are going to be covered?
  • Are these relevant to you?
• Who is likely to be attracted to the event?
  • These kinds of events are a great opportunity to network.

Making the most of a long journey

• What else is on in the area?  Is there another conference or event that interests you or your university that could make travel and time seem more worthwhile? This could provide the final push to attend.
• Could you organise a professional visit with someone?  This could be with a vendor, a university/college/local library with something to show off (eg. technology, library refurbishment, etc.).

Preparation for the event

In the lead up to the conference, it’s important to consider what you could prepare to make the most of attending.

• Note down any questions that you or your colleagues have about the topics being presented.
• Look to see if there is any engagement on Twitter – some events share pre-reading or questions to prompt discussion. You could even use this opportunity to ‘meet’ other delegates before the event.
• Look for content on the company or institution website that could inform you what will happen during the event and help you prioritise the discussions or talks you want to go to.
• View the delegate list (if available) and make a note of other guests that would be useful to meet and talk to.
• Make sure you pack your chargers – phone, tablet, laptop, etc.

This February we are bringing Talis Insight to Melbourne, Australia to give Higher Education professionals a chance to network with peers and learn more about technology in teaching and learning. We will be hearing from thought leaders in the Higher Education space on topics such as copyright, embracing the digital change in education, learning analytics, student engagement and managing resources in a cloud learning environment.

Members of the Talis team will also be giving a keynote, to give you an idea of what to expect from Talis in 2016. Click here to find out more about the event, view the agenda, or to register.

We will also be running Talis Insight Europe in April, you can find out more here.