Ready, Set , Conference!
Mastering the Logistics
by Margaret A. McGuire
PLANNING TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL NAEYC ANNUAL CONFERENCE EXPERIENCE is
similar to preparing for a day of bargain shopping. You want to find the best values, at the
lowest prices, with the least amount of hassle. When going to a national conference, you must
analyze your goals, come prepared, and be flexible. Everything must be thought out so you can
make optimum use of your time and get the most from your experience. As a veteran
conference attendee, I have learned from my mistakes and from others' ideas.
Deciding to attend
Deciding to go to the Annual Conference can be a huge decision. You must consider how
much time you can afford to take off from work. Will your employer absorb some or all of the
costs, or will you have to finance travel, accommodations, and registration yourself? If you
are responsible for costs, what resources may help cover them? Some schools hold fund-raisers
so teachers can attend and bring lessons learned back to the classroom and to other teachers. I
wrote a local professional development grant to fund my travel and hotel for last year's
conference. Attending with a group can help cut costs for everyone.
You must also ask yourself, what do I want to gain from attending a national conference?
Consider your professional development goals and the needs and interests of the children and
families you serve. You will want to focus on information that you cannot easily find at home.
There will be presenters from all over the country and the world, from a vast array of
backgrounds. Take advantage of this richness.
Any conference can be overwhelming, and a national conference is no exception. The following
are some ideas to consider as you make your plans.
Choose your traveling companions wisely
Make sure that the expectations of those in the group are compatible with what you want
to accomplish. If you expect to hit the conference when the doors open, will your companions
be ready? Do they tend to stay up until the wee hours, while you need your sleep? Do they
look at a conference trip as a vacation, an opportunity for learning, or both? Are they
independent, or do they expect you to stay with them the entire time? Be clear and honest with
one another before you leave to ensure a good learning experience for everyone.
Choose a hotel with several criteria in mind. Price is a consideration, as is the number of
people who can stay in a room. I prefer sharing a room with the maximum number of people to
lower the cost. If amenities (gym, sauna, pool, and so on) are important to you, factor that into
your selection. Staying at conference hotels will minimize on-site travel time, because many
sessions are held in these hotels. If you choose a hotel farther away, make sure there are
shuttles available if the distance is too far or too time-consuming to walk. If you are flying to
the conference, investigate the most economical means to get from the airport to the hotel. For
your return, arrange departure transportation as soon as possible. Most shuttles require 24-
hour notice. Missing a flight is a terrible way to end your experience!
Begin your "master plan"
As you review the preconference materials, first consider which sessions you would most
like to attend and any meetings in which you plan to participate. Who are the featured
speakers or intriguing presenters, and when are they scheduled? Also consider the unique
attractions of the area you are visiting. Which tours are of special interest to you? Must you
order tickets in advance, or can you purchase them on site? Are there receptions sponsored by
groups to which you belong?
I have found that preparing a schedule of events for the sessions I need to attend and the
things I want to see keeps me focused and on track. I usually use a legal pad—one page per
day, organized by time. Having this initial plan helps me use the final program to complete my
session choices.
Complete your plan using the final program guide
At every conference I see attendees sitting in the lobby, missing sessions, as they try to
decide their course of action. When they finally choose a session, often it has already started and is full. It's best
to plan ahead so you won't feel overwhelmed, irritated, and constantly rushed to find a session to attend.
If you did not receive your final program by mail, pick it up at the registration desk as soon
as possible. Arrive early so you can complete your planning before the first session starts.
Take the time to read the program thoroughly and mark those sessions you wish to attend. You
should already have an idea of what subjects are of greatest interest. Focus on those areas, but
keep your options open. I always look for sessions about topics I had not previously
considered but which really pique my interest.
If you are participating in the Annual Conference for the first time, plan to attend the
Newcomers' Orientation session on Wednesday. There will also be welcome and orientation
sessions for students at the Student Networking Center on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of
the 2006 Annual Conference.
In the first read-through of the program, I mark my choices with sticky flags. Going through
the entire schedule tells you when or if sessions are repeated, and if there are any "one of a
kind" sessions you don't want to miss. With my second review of the program, I plot my
strategy for preferred attendance. Using my master plan (my legal pad with time allotments), I
mark those must-see sessions that fit into my schedule; then, I go back to the program guide
and determine what is available in the slots that are left (I may also schedule those blocks as
exhibit times). I use a high-lighter to mark my second choices in the conference guide in case
I cannot attend my preferred sessions. This is a real time saver if I have to choose another
presentation quickly.
Be sure to identify the location of sessions, to see if your choices are in rooms close to each
other. Before I truly understood how important this was, I spent an entire day at the Annual
Conference in New Orleans running from area to area, never gaining admittance to what I wanted because
I failed to allow enough time to travel between sessions. Needless to say, I was not a happy
attendee.
Explore the exhibits
In your master plan, be sure to block out time to go to the exhibit hall. At the Annual
Conference, I always allot a full morning or afternoon and sometimes even longer. Visiting the
conference exhibits is one of my personal favorites. I look at them as a form of adult trick or
treat—I give exhibitors my name and they give me valuable stuff!
I routinely seek specific types of vendors who are likely to have products that support my goals
for children and their families or my own professional development. I also make sure that I visit
vendors with whom I have previously spoken or corresponded but have never met in person,
helping them put a face with my name.
There will also be exhibitors from nonprofit and government-funded groups, such as the National Child
Care Information Center (NCCIC); they can provide a wealth of information about services for
children. Corporate and Department of Defense centers are also represented and offer a variety
of information and employment opportunities.
Regardless of what catches my eye first, I start at one end and work my way up and down the
aisles. You will be amazed at the people you meet and what you see. If I take a break or run
out of time, I note where I stopped and resume there when I come back. I also leave time on
the last day for the "specials." Many vendors sharply discount items so they don't have to
pack and ship them. At the conference in Anaheim, I bought a $29 resource book for $10.
I always try to speak first and make eye contact. Many vendors have information I can use in
my classes or give to my students (playground safety tips brochures, room arrangement grids,
and so on), which they will mail to me. I have gotten enough pencils, pens, and highlighters to
stock a classroom. Remember that this is a national conference and vendors may have products
that have not come to your area yet, and they are looking for new customers.
If you are a fledgling author, you might want to make an appointment with one of the many
publishing companies that will be there. They will look at your manuscript and who knows? There are
always several sessions about writing children's books or publishing professional works if you
are interested. Higher education publishers will also be there. They will have content lists
available, seeking reviewers. If you are in higher education, you may often order review copies at the
conference.
If you are interested in buying books or materials, ask the vendor to mail them to you rather
than taking them with you. Rarely have I had a vendor deny the request, as they want the sale and are
happy to oblige. Often, vendors do not charge shipping on conference items.
Leave the catalogs behind. They are heavy and only get heavier as the day goes on. At the
conference, you will receive a scan card with your registration packet. Swipe the card through
a machine at an exhibitor's booth, and your contact information is stored so the exhibitor can
send you catalogs and other information. If an exhibitor does not have a scan option, leave
your contact information another way.
Bring business cards and address labels
I bring my business cards with me by the bagful and distribute them to vendors,
presenters, and other people I meet. This is a time-saver and much more professional than
scribbling on a piece of paper. I use a small envelope for all the cards that I collect; by
keeping them in one place, I am more likely to find them after the conference. I jot a quick
note on the back of the card about the person. This helps later when I try to remember who
someone was and why I took the card.
Sometimes exhibitors holding drawings or giveaways do not take the scan cards. Rather than
fill out coupons, I pop my business card into the box. Address labels work well also; however,
make sure that you add your e-mail address and phone number to them. I usually preprint these
at home especially for the conference. Both of these options are time-savers and keep you
moving along to the next session or exhibitor.
Get yourself some wheels
When packing for conference, I take a small rolling bag (the size that will go inside the
cabin on an airplane) to serve as my conference bag. My wallet and business cards go in a
zippered outside pocket, and my master plan and conference book in the larger outside pocket.
I take a plastic bag to hold sticky flags and any highlighters, pencils, and pens that I collect.
Using a rolling bag preserves my energy and leaves my hands free. It will also help you be
selective about which items are truly useful for you.
I also pack in snacks and water in my main suitcase so I can snack at the conference. Food at
the conference is often expensive, and I don't want to waste time between sessions looking for
something to eat.
Pack lightly and remember what you will need to bring home
Everything you pick up at conference must get home. If you are driving, this may not be a significant
consideration; however, if you are flying, remember that security concerns limit how much you can take on the
plane.
I bring only comfortable, low-maintenance clothes to the conference. Comfortable shoes and
a sweater are a must (I keep a sweater in my conference bag because sometimes the session rooms
are cold enough to make polar bears cuddle up, even in the summer).
The main thing is to pack light and use a suitcase with wheels and extra space for bringing
home the items you collect or purchase. When flying home, I plan to pack my clothes in the
rolling bag I take on the plane and stow my conference treasures in my checked bag to prevent
security complications. If you plan to take a bag you received at the conference on the plane,
make sure your name is on it. In California, thousands of conferees received a large yellow
bag from a vendor. I took mine on the plane—and so did 30 others. I worried about getting the
right bag back the whole flight!
After you get home
If going to conference is overwhelming, returning is nothing less. It helps to have some
decompression time to think about what you have learned and how you might apply it on the
job. I keep my conference notes and handouts together and go back to them after I have been
home about a week. That week gives me time to take care of business at work and at home.
When I was a center director, I shared what I had learned at staff meetings, made copies of
handouts and put them in a resource notebook in the staff lounge, and developed files on
various topics. Sometimes I did not immediately need the information I had brought home but
was careful to organize it so that I could find it when the need arose. Organization is critical
when you have so much information to absorb.
Be realistic
You will never be able to see, do, or attend everything. If you come back with new ideas
and fresh resolve, then you can count your experience a success. Remember, enjoy what you
can and use what you've learned to help you in your work and to prepare for the next
time.
Margaret A. McGuire, EdD, is an assistant professor of early childhood education at Sam Houston State
University in Huntsville, Texas. Maggie has been a frequent presenter at NAEYC Annual Conferences. She was
honored as the Texas AEYC Early Childhood Trainer of the Year in 2003.
This article originally appeared in the September 2005 issue of Young Children on pages 68–71.
Copyright © 2006 by the National Association for the Education
of Young Children. See
Permissions and Reprints online at www.journal.n
aeyc.org/about/permissions.asp.
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