Exhibition season is here again, bringing with it lots of opportunities to expand our networks and our businesses. But how many of us also take the opportunity to expand our knowledge?
We often characterise exhibitions as places where people try to sell us things, and whilst this is true, there is often a lot more going on.
Many exhibitions also include comprehensive conference programmes. Sometimes a fee is charged, but often there are free seminars and workshops that you can attend as an exhibition delegate.
Why bother?
With so much to see at exhibitions you might ask yourself why you should make time to attend conference talks and seminars. The answer is quite simple — to expand your knowledge.
Granted, some talks focus on specific products and may feel like sales pitches, but there are also many sessions which genuinely focus on sharing knowledge and starting debates about ways forward in the sector. Furthermore, the variety of talks on offer means that you can get a snapshot or taster of new and/or unfamiliar topics without committing too much time to the cause. There may also be the added advantage of gaining Continuous Professional Development (CPD) points for seminar attendance.
How do I get the most out of seminars?
Different people have different approaches to seminar and workshop attendance, but here are a few things I personally find useful:
Be selective about what you attend. With so much choice it is easy to get bogged down and attend too much. This often means you don’t get anything useful out of any of the sessions as you get bored of sitting and listening. I try to make sure I have a good reason for each talk I attend, whether it’s to find out about something new or because I want to meet the speaker.
Do a little bit of preparation. I find it useful to look up speakers prior to their talks to get an understanding of their background and perspective. I also recommend reading abstracts for talks, as a well written abstract can be a good indicator of a good talk.
Leave the office behind. You will gain nothing from the talk (or indeed the exhibition) if you are too busy worrying about what is going on in the office. Turn your mobile off for 30 minutes!
Sit next to someone you don’t know. Seminars give you a good excuse to strike up a conversation with someone new and to network.
Be open to hearing something new. Go into talks with an open mind. Even if a topic sounds suspect, you might still find some useful nuggets of information.
Jot down useful information, but don’t write down everything. It is tempting to try and take notes on the whole talk. However, when you think about it, how likely are you to actually review your notes? Instead, I recommend only making notes when the speaker says something particularly pertinent to you — e.g., a reference to where to find out more, or key, facts and figures.
Make a note of key questions arising from the talk. If a question arises during the talk, make a note. I find I lose concentration later in the talk if I’m too busy trying to remember what I was going to ask. Also, it’s possible the speaker will go on to answer your question as part of the talk, so you can just jot down the answer as it presents itself. Don’t be afraid to ask questions at the end of a talk. Speakers should be prepared to respond to questions, and it is likely someone else in the audience will have the same question as you.
Link what you hear to what you already know. Actively try to make links between what you hear and what you know. It is useful to assimilate new information into our existing knowledge base and see how any good practice might be embedded into your work.
Don’t be afraid to contribute, but don’t take over. Speakers often welcome views from the audience, so don’t be afraid to share yours. However, be careful not to be unnecessarily combative or to dominate the question-and-answer session, as other audience members may also be keen to contribute.
Exhibitions are excellent for networking with current colleagues and new contacts. But they also offer good opportunities to expand our knowledge base through conference and seminar programmes. Have a look at the next event you are going to, pick a talk, and see for yourself.
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