As my first TechEd comes to a close here in New Orleans I feel compelled to pass along what I’ve learned about the “TechEd experience”. While I read a lot and received a lot of advice, there are still lessons learned that I will use myself on future conferences.
- Set your learning goals. TechEd is HUGE. Make sure you get the most for your (or your employer’s) dollars by coming up with a list of things you want to learn.
- Plan your sessions. TechEd is HUGE, both in the number of sessions (over 1000 for this one) and depth of topic. Use the schedule builder to get a starter agenda.
- Realize you can’t do it all. TechEd is HUGE! There may be 5 or 6 session slots per day, but this doesn’t leave room for hands on labs, vendor presentations/discussions, or just down time.
- Plan your trip. Decide when to arrive and stay based on your schedule and goals. Find a hotel that is on the conference list as shuttle buses are available for those; you may not need a rental car.
- Plan for a little fun. Research where the conference is and pick one or two things to do. Sample the local cuisine, visit an attraction, or find a place to walk from your hotel… something to give you a break from sessions and to enjoy the host city.
Once the planning is done, there are a few more things to consider
- You are an army of one. And you will carry everything with you. You’ll get a backpack or you may want to bring your own. Keep it light, you’ll be living out of it for 4 days. And remember it will be filled with documentation, tee shirts, books, or other prizes along the way.
- Which laptop to bring? Consider a netbook, tablet PC, or slate PC. Your intention should be to take notes, do some light web surfing and e-mail, not playing WoW between/during sessions.
- Power considerations. Plan your battery life. Outlets are often available in between sessions, occasionally during, and not at lunch. Tweak your devices for max power savings BEFORE you arrive.
- Leave work at work. This conference isn’t cheap. Get your money’s worth by actually attending and not being a remote worker.
- Bring business cards, but not a ton. They are good for some vendor prize giveaways (when they don’t already scan your badge) and for exchanging info with your peers.
- Wear comfortable shoes!