A few quick tips to get the most out of your conference-going experience.
Heading to NamesCon next week? You’re not alone. More than 800 people are expected to attend the conference, unless mother nature gets in their way. (We’re even expecting a little ice in Austin tomorrow!)
Here are some tips for getting the most out of the event.
Content
There are more than 150 speakers and panelists at the event, and there will be multiple content sessions going on at the same time. This means you need to plan ahead.
I skip the content sessions at many domain name conferences, but NamesCon has some intriguing sessions with speakers you don’t get to hear everyday. If you usually skip the content, I recommend taking another look.
The simplest way to find sessions you want to attend and to add them to your calendar is to use Sched.org. I explain how to do this here.
Be sure to attend my chat with ICANN President of Global Domains Division Akram Atallah Monday morning.
Networking
Many people go to domain name conferences for meetings and networking.
Because it’s a fairly small industry, I think some people might view people at domain conferences as a bit cliquey. The reality is that most people are open to having conversations with whomever they meet and welcoming them to the industry. That said, you will need to be assertive. If you stand off to the side and wait for people to come say hi, you might be disappointed.
(The exception to people being open to new conversations is if you immediately bombard them with how you’ve got a lot great domain names to sell them. Unless the person you’re talking to runs a marketplace or is a broker, they really don’t want to hear about it.)
If you are shy, you might find the best way to meet people is to say hello to someone sitting next to you before a session starts, and continuing the conversation afterward. It’s much easier than trying to hold a conversation at a large NamesCon party. Warm up by meeting all of the sponsors in the exhibit hall…they’re there to meet new people.
Bring some business cards, too.
And if you’re a woman, be sure to check out the Women in Domaining event on Monday night.
Hotel
If you booked a hotel somewhere other than the Tropicana because you’ve heard bad things about the hotel, you should reconsider. Tropicana rooms were recently renovated, and they aren’t that bad. Not great, not luxurious, but not bad.
The real benefit to staying at the venue hotel is convenience. You can pop back up to your room to get some work done or take a break, then make it down to a session right before it begins.
See you next week!
Acro says
“Bring some business cards, too. ”
More like, bring at least 800 business cards!
See you in Vegas, Andrew.