Whether a first time attendee or a seasoned conference goer, having a conference plan is a MUST, especially for a show as big and potentially overwhelming as HIMSS 2011.
IT folks are used to planning a project, but sometimes when we are out of our normal day to day environment we forget the basics that have helped make us successful.
I use the five most common questions to help plan my four day adventure: who, what, why, how and when.
1st – Why Attend?
What are your goals for attending? First time attendees don’t need onerous goals but make them realistic. Examples might be: learn about 1 new vendor or product a day that will help my organization or make 2 contacts each day that I can follow-up with over the next year
2nd – What Information will help move our Hospital forward in 2011 or 2013?
Know in advance what you think will help your organization. You will always have a pleasant surprise, but that is a bonus.
3rd – Who will you learn from? Make sure you look through the full agenda before you go to identify who you think will have information or insights that will help both you and your organization. It could be a speaker or a vendor or a person you meet. Identify 2 or 3 speakers and 2 or 3 vendors. You may not ever purchase anything from the vendors you meet, but you will come away with ideas.
4th – How? – agree that when you go back to your office you will share your learnings with your peers. To do this I suggest you
a) Document each session or booth on the exhibit floor you go to… take notes the old fashion way, dictate as you leave the session or take pictures on you smart phone
b) Summarize your notes each night… the amount of information is overwhelming at times so be sure to finalize your thoughts daily. Whether it is daily notes or a PowerPoint presentation, get the information ready to share with your peers… it only takes a few minutes
c) Make a list of ideas or people to follow-up with.
5th When? use your time efficiently and effectively. Commit to following a plan of attack for 2/3 of the day and leave 1/3 flexible each day. Plan out which major vendors you want to talk with and make an appointment to visit their booth. Plan when you want to visit them, before or after a given educational session.
For example Day 1
a) Attend the Key note address
b) Go to the 1st session in the social media series
c) Go to 1st session in the mobility series
d) Visit vendor X’s booth to learn about a,b and/or c
It is a great learning environment. Enjoy it!
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