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S2: E63 Designing Your Conference Experience

Season Two
Episode 63
Designing Your Conference Experience


 I just arrived home on Sunday morning from the AOSA National Conference.  This is the annual Orff conference that is held in a different location in the United States each November.  This year it was in Salt Lake City, Utah. I’ve never been to Utah before and loved being able to go somewhere new.  It was gorgeous!
In episode 62 I shared ideas for what to pack?  Essentials to bring to conferences. In this episode I’m going to focus on how to choose sessions within the conference as well as how to find time to experience life outside the convention center and take in some of the sights.
Let’s face it - there are so many choices in terms of great sessions to attend during conferences.  It can be difficult to figure out which sessions to go to because they all sound amazing. Here are a few ideas for how to choose which sessions to attend:

CHOOSING SESSIONS
1- research the presenter if you’re not familiar with their work
If I’m trying to figure out which session to sign up for, I like to get an idea of the style of the presenter and sometimes will look them up online.  With social media presences on instagram and facebook, youtube videos of work, websites, and twitter posts, it’s very likely that you can find out information about the presenter ahead of time.  In a way it allows you to connect with them before the session and have an idea of the style of the presenter.
2- support a friend who is presenting
3- go to a session that fits with what you do - don’t tag along with a friend - even if you’re alone, go to what speaks to you
4- go to a session involving one of your weaker areas
5- go to a session involving one of your strengths
Over the years I’ve made it a priority to spend time in the city wherever the conference is held.  There are several ways you can make time for this depending on your role at the conference and the schedule you want to set.
GETTING OUT OF THE CONVENTION CENTER
1- research a local gym, yoga studio, crossfit
2- get to the conference the day before or stay a day later
3- find a time during the conference to get out and take a few hours out of the conference to see the sights (especially fun with a group of teacher friends)
4- eat at local places that you can’t find back home
5- ask locals for ideas
No matter how you design your conference experience, make sure that it supports what you want to learn, who you want to spend time with, and a balance between sessions and relationships.  Too many sessions can be overwhelming and stressful and make you more tired, but too much downtime doesn’t capitalize on what you could learn. I hope this gave you a few ideas for your next conference and until then - thanks for listening and have a great day!

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