Today’s guest post is by Nancy Lublin, the CEO and Chief Old Person of DoSomething.org – the largest organization in America for young people and social change (and one we’re particularly fond of here at TILE). She is also the founder of Dress for Success, an organization that helps women transition from welfare to work. Nancy received her BA from Brown University, an M.Litt. from Oxford University, and a law degree from NYU. She writes a column for Fast Company and is the author of Zilch: The Power of Zero in Business. Nancy is proud to have been selected a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and to be the mother of two young children who love broccoli.
So I’ve just returned to American soil after attending a conference. Who would have thought that a volcano in Iceland would force me to contemplate the financial worthwhile of conferences?! When is a conference even worth the dough, anyway?
Bottom line: conferences are about networking. Being out of your office, out of your state, and even out of your country allows you to shake up your daily routine – meet new people, think about new ideas, and look at other people’s bad PowerPoints.
But how do you know whether a conference is worth the money, the time, the plane ride, the risk of being trapped in Europe for a week by a volcano? Here are some things to keep in mind:
1. Are you speaking at it? If so, its worth it. Especially if you have something remotely interesting to say, it’s worth it. You will meet a ton of people just because you’ve been visible.
2. You’re not speaking, but the panel you’re sitting in on has tough moderators. Moderators can make or break a panel. If someone is really pushing conversation, then you might actually learn something, so go. People leading panels or interviewing subjects serve to limit grandstanding and puffery, getting to the heart of some truth and pulling out juicy bits of knowledge along the way.
3. How was it last year? Watch the video clips online. Check out the # on twitter. Or go old school and actually call somebody and ask what the highlights of last year’s conference were.
4. Who is sponsoring it? One of the reasons that TED gatherings are so great is that they don’t have to pander to anyone, so the content itself is king. Sometimes conferences turn into love fests for the fatcats who sponsor them. Avoid those conferences. You can buy yourself a tote bag at Whole Foods instead.
That said, attending conferences on issues or industries you care about is a great way to immerse yourself when you’re just getting started. If you’re in college and you think you want to get involved in fighting AIDS in Africa, get yourself to a conference to find out what’s going on in the community, plus who you might want to meet/ read/ work for. If you’re a budding inventor or entrepreneur, there are countless conferences for you (and countless online reviews to help you separate out the good ones). So while I don’t recommend throwing your money away on unworthy events, I do encourage you to get out there and… you know, do something.
- Nancy