***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):-
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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!
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Opportunity (away from the office environment) to meet with peers and exchange views/ideas and undertake some subtle benchmarking
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Have "time out" to review/update your ideas and future plans for your organisation
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Speak to vendors showcasing the latest, relevant, technology and/or consultancy offerings
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Meet with independent "non-profit" organisations to learn of their work (if there are any!)
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Obtain publications at a discount!
What are the disadvantages - some thoughts:-
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Some are quite a distance from your office and require travel
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Some do not live up to one's expectations and lead to disappointment
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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:-
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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.
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Research the presenters before you go and prepare your questions
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Arrive in plenty of time - get into the conference, have a coffee and review your plans - this is a military operation!
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Take notes to review later - about the content and presenters
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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