English Teachers' Association of Israel

Tip of The Day for Conference Goers

Keep looking here - a new tip everyday!

 

July 10, 2010

12. Check when the exhibition is open, and leave yourself time to browse through it! Remember, the exhibitors pack up on the last day of the conference BEFORE the last session.

11. Don't discount sessions marked 'C' (commercial) just because they're selling something. You may not want to buy the product, but many commerial sessions are valuable in themselves: interesting, informative, enlightening.

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Previous Tips

10. The conference sessions run right through the day - so plan in advance which times you are going to take off to have a snack, lunch, or cup of coffee.

9. If a session is full, please respect the ushers when they ask you to go to another session. If the session is overcrowded, it makes life very difficult for the speaker and the audience. Look at the programme to see if that speaker will be presenting again.

8. If you know a session is likely to be popular - make sure you get there ten minutes early to be sure of getting a place to sit.

7. If you're at the conference with a group of friends, don't all go to the same sessions: split up, and then share impressions and notes later.

6. Check the noticeboard every morning for changes / cancellations.

5. Consult colleagues about which sessions they recommend (or don't!).

4. Check timing: some sessions are 45 minutes, others 90, so make sure the one you're going to doesn't 'overlap' another you also want to go to!

3. You'll never be able to go to all the sessions you want, because there are always lots of things going on at the same time. (Don't complain, that's how it is at any conference! Parallel sessions are the only way conference programs can include wide choices and rich content.)
So you'll need to make choices.

2. Check through the program in advance - online, or as soon as you get it at registration - and note down all the things you'd like to go to. Later, decide which you'll actually go to (sessions often 'clash', see next point).

1. Remember David Berliner's description of a good conference: if you went to ONE good session, made ONE new friend, and renewed friendship with ONE old friend - that's a successful conference!