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Are Records Management (or any) Conferences Useful?

By Roger Poole posted 09-16-2010 12:33

  

***views expressed in this blog are my personal views and not those of my employer. Any reference to a living person or organisation, past or present, is entirely co-incidental.***

How many of us attend conferences relating to Records Management and/or other, related, disciplines? For those who do, how many a year to you manage to attend, and, are you happy that you are attending the right number of conferences?

What are the advantages of attending conferences - here are some of my thoughts (in no particular order):-

  • Opportunity to meet with presenters who are (or should be) subject matter experts. This will give you the opportunity to access free information/advice/consultancy!
  • Opportunity (away from the office environment) to meet with peers and exchange views/ideas and undertake some subtle benchmarking
  • Have "time out" to review/update your ideas and future plans for your organisation
  • Speak to vendors showcasing the latest, relevant, technology and/or consultancy offerings
  • Meet with independent "non-profit" organisations to learn of their work (if there are any!)
  • Obtain publications at a  discount!

What are the disadvantages - some thoughts:-

  • Some are quite a distance from your office and require travel
  • Some do not live up to one's expectations and lead to disappointment
  • Sometimes you come away thinking "I have learned nothing from this"

Some thoughts as to how you can get the most out of a conference:-

  • Plan, plan, plan....planning in advance is critical to ensure you meet the people you wish to and attend the right break out sessions etc.
  • Research the presenters before you go and prepare your questions
  • Arrive in plenty of time - get into the conference, have a coffee and review your plans - this is a military operation!
  • Take notes to review later - about the content and presenters
  • Avoid vendors whose products have no interest to you - don't waste your time!

I and, no doubt, event planners will be interested to hear your feedback and suggestions for future conferences/events. Please also provide some feedback of your experiences, good and bad!



#Collaboration #ElectronicRecordsManagement #conference #events
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