4 Strategic Ways to Maximize Attending a Conference for Professional Development

I recently had an excellent weekend that consisted of pizza, an 80s themed birthday party, and a writer's conference.

Now, you need to know: I love a conference.

I love a live, in-person event whether it’s Broadway, church, or a marathon. In fact, I wrote my master’s thesis on maximizing the opportunity of handheld devices at live events (back then it was pretty iPhone focused, so in a way, I guess not much has changed in 11 years.)

At the conference, I was reminded of four ways to squeeze the most juice out of live, in-person events as possible. There really is a way to do it wrong, so here are my top four tips on how to make the most of the opportunity.

1. Be prepared.

Research the top three people you want to meet, then schedule time with them or go locate them. Research ahead of time so you can recognize them and know where to find them.

Conferences and live events are useful for professional development, but so much more. They’re for strategic relationship building.

2. But be open to serendipity.

I spent 20 minutes chatting with a random woman I plopped down next to for the lunch keynote.

We were polishing off dessert before we discovered our mutual love of the The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; she’s on the board of the Washington National Opera. And if you know me well, you know there’s no place I love in DC more than the Kennedy Center.

On top of that, my new friend lives about ten minutes down the road from me. I didn’t expect to find those commonalities at a writers conference in Rockville, Maryland!

3. Don’t feel obligated to sit in sessions all day because you paid for them.

Go to the ones that you expect to glean value from. Warming a seat while checking your email is not the best use of your time. Instead, maximize it by focusing on your strategic goals and plan your time accordingly.

And this last one hit me the most...

4. Use the shakeup in your normal routine to connect dots and look at your work and life with fresh eyes.

I last attended this same conference six years ago. Back then I was emerging from my first trimester of my first pregnancy and I remember noticing that I could actually bear the smell of coffee for the first time in 11 weeks. Being back in the same space took me right back to that sensory experience. Back then, I also met with some agents who told me "I like you and you’ll sell a book but maybe not now."

6 years later, walking the same halls, I couldn't help but think about what's changed. I returned with more confidence and clarity. I’ve put work in, gotten published in places like The Washington Post and HuffPost, built a business, and had two kids.

And it was a weird thing, thinking about how more than half a decade has gone by.

I was just telling my therapist I’m not used to not being ‘young’ any more.

On my birthday a friend told me I was in my prime. The child-rearing, business-building, weight-lifting, goal-realizing prime years.

What a fantastic reframe. It’s one I needed.

And being at the writers conference reminded me of that too.

The passage of time, the lessons learned, the experiences added, the maturity built—all of that is a precious gift. It’s a precious gift to be here now. One I won’t take for granted.

So go to the conference, the marathon, the theatre, or church. Soak up the here and now, the clamoring with throngs. It’s a precious gift. Do it strategically and maximize the most of the opportunity.