Last year, all conferences were virtual. And while it seemed convenient to attend from the comforts of your home, everyone learned that virtual conferences can be as draining as in-person ones. The term ‘zoom fatigue’ was often used to describe a day when a person attended too many virtual meetings.
According to researchers at Stanford staring at a Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Goggle Meets or any other type of computer camera can definitely be exhausting. Part of the reason is that it’s intense to see so many close-ups of other people. In-person conferences, on the other hand, are often packed with events from morning to evening.
Perhaps you already registered for the 6th Annual Health IT & Revenue Cycle Conference this September. Or, maybe you are going to the 75th HFMA Annual Conference in November. It doesn’t matter if you are attending your next conference in-person or from your computer, these tips can help you get the most out of a conference.
With preparation, you can return from a conference full of knowledge and new connections. The best approach is to do your homework before the conference starts.
The first step is to read the agenda and decide what sessions you will attend. As the Harvard Business Review points out, you should choose sessions based on two criteria: Is this presentation educational? Or, do you want to meet or support the person who’s presenting?
If you are attending in person, consider emailing the presenter before the conference, saying you are looking forward to the presentation. You might even go up after the presentation and start a conversation. If it’s a conference you’ve attended in the past, email colleagues who might be attending prior to the event and arrange the best day to meet.
Looking at the agenda beforehand and setting up meetings in advance are two ways to get the most out of the conference.
If you are attending virtually, reviewing the agenda in advance enables you to block off time for the most important sessions. Refrain from multitasking, as tempting as that can be. Block out the necessary time to give each session your full attention and remember to take notes.
Networking is a little more challenging during a virtual conference. And, both introverts and extroverts sometimes struggle to network in person. It doesn’t matter if you’ll be attending in-person or from behind a computer, email colleagues ahead of time. If only to give you a reason to reach out and catch up with them. Here is advice for both scenarios:
Take advantage of small breakout sessions. Keep your camera on and be ready to engage with others. This is the best way to get to know people. After the conference, connect on LinkedIn to have a way to keep in touch.
No one enjoys the three days of small talk that often accompanies an in-person conference. In an interview with Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, she shares this advice for both introverts and extroverts:
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