Making the most of conferences

Going to an academic conference is an exciting opportunity to share your work, make new connections and learn from others.

It’s also a major investment of time and travel – so a little planning and forethought can help ensure you get the best long-term benefits for your work and build your circle of peers and potential collaborators.

The following simple actions are the latest tips we are sharing to build on our recent success in the Times and Sunday Times rankings – which was achieved in part by all our efforts to boost the University’s academic reputation and profile.

Before you register

Rather than just submitting a paper, offer to convene a panel – either with people whose work you already know or an open call.

This will give you greater profile than simply presenting your own work, and can be a great way of finding new collaborators.

Prepare before you travel

Write your presentation with time to spare. Keep your slides short and simple and don’t forget to acknowledge your team and funders.

Include your contact details and the University logo, at both the beginning and end. Contact our Creative Print Studio to get a copy of the logo.

Add a DOI so you can track potential engagement and upload your presentation to your Academia.edu or ResearchGate page. You don’t need to tell anyone it’s live until you start talking, but it means that people can read and share your slides.

If you are on social media, prepare a few posts in advance, particularly to let people know you will be presenting. Make a note of the conference hashtag and use it to engage with others. Post highlights from talks and share your presentation slides.

Don’t forget to take your business cards or make a QR code with your contact information.

If attending as a team

Consider whether it would be better to present as one panel (to draw ideas together) or on different panels (to maximise the potential audience for your work).

Produce a simple leaflet giving the time and location of all your team presentations – which you can all share with people you meet to encourage them to attend your sessions. You can include some general information about your research and a few of your most recent or significant publications.

Make sure the design is simple and attractive – and don’t forget to include your contact details/website and the University logo.

When you arrive

Look carefully at the programme and participant list to see if there is anyone you particularly want to hear speak or who you would like to meet. Try to set up meetings with them or take time at the end of a session to say how much you have enjoyed their presentation. Hopefully a follow-up conversation will ensue.

Say hello to people you already know and use the opportunity to meet new people. Connect with them on LinkedIn.

Ask thoughtful and constructive questions during sessions. It’s a good way to stand out and show engagement.

After the conference

Follow up quickly with the people you met and those you would have liked to meet. Send an email saying how much you enjoyed their presentation or thanking them for any feedback, and include a link to your paper.

Do any actions you said you would, such as sending a reference or putting people in touch.

Share your presentation and what you learned with your colleagues. Either write a ‘back-to-office’ note highlighting interesting people and ideas, give a brief presentation on what you learned (particularly if several people from your team attended), or write a post for your departmental or project blog.

Thank the conference organisers – and share with them your blog post or reflections on what you learned.

Take time to reflect and learn. Think about what went well and what you might do differently next time.