This December while I was doing my annual year in review, I wrote out a gratitude list.

At the end of each year, I go through all of my old journals and find themes in everything I’m grateful for (I journal about what I’m grateful for every night before bed — and I highly suggest it).

I found that I had plenty to be grateful for. The things I appreciated daily were my loving family, the roof over my head, and healthy, fresh food to eat.

Additionally, I found myself expressing gratitude for the friendships I’ve developed with co-workers and fellow board members since moving to St. Pete two and a half years ago. And of course, I’m grateful for a job that allows me to do meaningful work with a team full of coworkers who push me to be my best every day.

This year especially, I was grateful for all of the conferences I got to attend while working for Presence. I learned so much through these experiences, and had the opportunity to meet so many people who I’m lucky enough to now call friends.

These conference experiences, while mostly positive, haven’t been without the occasional point of frustration.

As someone who is more introverted than most people believe, I often found myself craving silence and alone time. I also found that when I didn’t prepare enough ahead of time, I felt flustered, or missed out on sessions and opportunities that I would have benefitted from.

By sharing my learnings from the fall 2017 conference season, I’m hoping that we will all be more prepared for the professional development and networking that 2018 has to offer.

Looking back at 2017

This year, I was lucky enough to attend several conferences — NASPA in San Antonio, CCCCSSAA, and ACPA — in the spring. I got a break over the summer as other co-workers attended the Florida Student Activities Drive-In, and then I closed out the fall at the SACSA/ NASPA III conference in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and finally, NASPA IV-W in Lincoln, Nebraska.

It was Presence’s first time attending SACSA/NASPA III, and we had such a spectacular time.

So far a major highlight of #sacsa2017 was hanging out w/@fredtuga #presencelove #loveourpartners #bestjobever pic.twitter.com/w2NyUps6WA

— Lindsay Murdock (@linds_murdock) October 30, 2017

True to their southern nature, the folks in Chattanooga were so welcoming and friendly. Everything we needed and more was available to us, ensuring we felt right at home. I presented, but I was alone, which is never as much fun for me as working with a co-presenter.

That said, it was incredible to talk about collecting data in an inclusive manner and using that data to gain a more holistic picture of student engagement and retention.

I don’t know that I prepared as much as I’d hoped for this conference (evidenced by the all-nighter I pulled beforehand) so I ended up feeling flustered and exhausted for most of it, and not learning as much as I had hoped.

When we attended NASPA IV-W in Lincoln, we were so lucky to have a friendly “local host” in Kevin Forch, my co-presenter.

#NASPA4W dream team ? pic.twitter.com/ZOiyVEz3I3

— Presence (@themoderncampus) November 8, 2017

A native to Nebraska, he hooked us up with all the best eateries, coffee shops, and campus tours. That, combined with better preparation for the sessions, lead to us learning a ton (and eating really well).

Our presentation “Let Me Google That for You: Shifting Reliance from Marginalized Identities to Educate Student Affairs Professionals” was a dream come true.

Thank you for bringing this question up in this session @kevinforch & @linds_murdock. Great discussion. How would *you* respond to a colleague asking this? #NASPA4W pic.twitter.com/6VRwSZ0lja

— Jen Skidmore (@jenskidmore) November 8, 2017

It actually started as a joke during the #FailedNASPASessionProposals week last year, and Kevin and I put in a lot of work to bring it to fruition. It was an incredible way to end the fall conference season and our time in Lincoln.

Looking forward to 2018

This spring, we’re kicking off the season with FYE in San Antonio,  NASPA in Philadelphia, and ACPA in Houston. We’ll be bringing many folks from our team, so we’re getting a jumpstart on the planning to ensure that we all learn a lot and have time for some fun!

In thinking about preparing our team, we thought it might be helpful to share some of our tips with you.

Before the conference

Pick the presentations you want to go to ahead of time

• Identify what you’re interested in learning first, then cross-reference with the schedule
• Work with your co-workers and supervisor to select sessions — they can give good feedback on others they think that you might benefit from. If the whole team isn’t going, you can also bring back information for them.

Plan your day based on your energy (this includes networking or “extra-curricular activities”)

• Think about a typical day — when are you the most alert? When do you get a bit sluggish? Pick your sessions based on your own rhythms so you can actually focus. Don’t be afraid to take a time block to skip a session and recharge, get a healthy meal, get a workout in, or even take a power-nap.
• Not a morning person? Don’t sign up for a morning workout, or a 7 a.m. breakfast meeting.
• Not an evening person? Maybe only plan on attending one networking social instead of three.  

Throughout the conference

Turn off your phone

Is your out-of-office response on? Good. So don’t check your email! I promise that campus won’t stop functioning because you’re not checking your email for three days.

Limit social media 

While social can be an incredible tool for keeping tabs on sessions, speakers, and other fun things going on, it can also be a total distraction from your own professional development. That is why you’re there, isn’t it? Put your phone on airplane mode and use it during breaks, lunches, and evening hours, but work to keep it off while your in sessions.

Get involved

Many conferences have opportunities for community service throughout the conference. Signing up gives you a chance to meet other conference attendees and to give back to the communities that host us. Especially as Houston continues to rebuild, we’re excited to help out before, and during the conference. See the ACPA site for more details on how to get involved.

Networking Tips

Instead of shuddering at the thought of networking (or maybe I’m just projecting my anxieties onto you?) prioritize networking sessions and fun activities based on how big they are, who will be there, and when they’re scheduled.  

In case it helps, here’s my scale:

• Not to be missed.
• Maybe, if I take a friend or co-worker.
• Maybe, if I’ve got the energy.
• Definitely no.

The closing cliché: Don’t forget to have fun!

Explore the town and community while you’re there. Go out to a new type of restaurant. Check out the surrounding areas. Work-out out with your friends in nearby gyms and studios. Go shopping.

We know we’ll be eating cheesesteaks and doughnuts at Reading Terminal Market, want to join us?

I love conference season more than (well, at least equally as much) doughnuts, so I’m pretty pumped for March to get here! We’re bringing much of the Presence team to APCA and NASPA and we hope to see you there. Drop us a line via Twitter or Facebook to let us know which conferences you’ll be at, and we’ll make sure to have some Presence swag for you ? 

And, of course, unlimited #highfives. 

What do you do to get ready for conference season? Let us know on Twitter @themoderncampus!

PS: Want to go to NASPA 2018, but can’t swing the registration? Apply for the #PresenceAtNASPA scholarship! Nominations close on January 29, 2018.