8/100 Ways to Save a Bad Time at a Conference

For about a decade I was a regular at the gaming convention scene. I made a real effort to be busy over the entire weekend. Before we started Crucible Design this was a bit more challenging; not so much at the local convention because I was an organiser but at the conventions in Cork and Dublin, you had to make an effort to have fun sometimes. This meant either booking yourself into games or running them yourself. It meant, despite being sober as a judge, you’d ignore the awful smell of urine in the entranceway to the bars and your realisation that drunken nerds are actually more annoying than sober ones.

We learned quickly to make sure to book what we could, bring just too many books for comfort so we’d have choices recognising we could always pick up another game at the trade stalls and give that a go. Over time our sophistication increased as we included card games like Lunch Money in our backpacks and turning up at conventions became more of a social experience. I remember playing some memorable games in Cork and Dublin – SLA Industries, MERC2000, Traveller with the same people every year for a few years. It was really our only contact with them.

Without the safety net of friends or pre-packaged games, such as at IT conferences, you’re left with some conundrums but my suggestion is the same: make your own fun

We’re going to have to assume that you’ve done your preliminaries. You’ve gotten accommodation, you know where to get potable food and water and you’ve got some sort of access to the internet. You’ve made some sort of attempt to meet up with like-minded sorts beforehand but we’re in one of the days when your friends could not attend and so you’re left to your own devices.

• Find somewhere safe to leave your baggage
  • Not metaphysical/psychological/emotional baggage here but the fact that most of the time I find myself tramping round conventions and conferences with a bag on my back. This was especially painful at gaming conventions as I was toting probably 20 kilos of books. At IT conferences, like Apple Expo, I’d have a packed bag with laptop. It wasn’t terribly heavy but it was wearying. And more importantly if you do hook up with like-minded fellows later on in the day, they will all have somewhere to ditch their stuff too before they go to the pub. Don’t be the guy with the huge heavy bag at the pub. Don’t be that guy!
• Be curious
  • Seriously, what do you have to lose? If you see a group of people in a heated discussion about something interesting then listen in. If you see a notice asking for people to attend something then go to it. If there’s someone sitting behind a trade stand at the conference, then there’s going to be a 80% chance they’re bored too. Go and talk to them – you’ll learn a bit about their product or, if they’re just filling in, you should end up just having a chat. Even at Apple Expo with the language difficulties I’ve had some cool chats. And even a bit of flirting. Which is fun when you don’t really understand French. (At least I think she was flirting – she may have been threatening me with pepper spray, who knows!)
• Set yourself a goal
  • Don’t just amble about aimlessly and give yourself blisters. Also – don’t just bury your head in a book. Conferences are social events, especially if it’s an Unconference. Make yourself some simple goals
    – talk to five people;
    – get five reciprocal swaps of business cards (or emails if that’s too old school);
    – attend three panels and ask one question at each
• Don’t be afraid to leave
  • I know you’re there for the conference but don’t feel that during the open conference hours you have to stay where you are. For example, last time I attended Apple Expo I took 36 hours out and visited my friend Waleska in Lyon. It’s a 2 hour train journey from Paris but it’s the gastronomic capital of France and therefore will definitely be worth it. Likewise in Dublin or Cork, take time to pop out to the local shops, pick up a gift for your SO, eat somewhere nice.
• Buy something you shouldn’t
  • I know, it’s not fiscally responsible to advocate this and in my case it meant me buying an iPod touch. And this then made me crave an iPhone. And as a result, my SO wanted an iPhone. So it quickly became a very expensive proposition. But it is an option and it’s worked at nearly every conference I’ve been to that has trade stands.

That’s it, these are my tips for making an unenjoyable conference into something to remember. I’m sure that others would come up with much more constructive ways – the obvious one being that if you’re not involved in something, start something! But if you’re the sort of person who does have a bad time at a conference then you’re unlikely to be the sort of person who can strut out into the crowd and make a bit of noise to start something.
[Chris Brogan’s 100 topics]