After coming back from my first in-person conference in quite some time, I decided to make a few posts about how to prepare for conferences (see my first post on what to wear)! Conferences can be intimidating, especially if it has been a while or if it is your first time. Don’t worry though, you’ll have the hang of it in no time! For conferences that are far (i.e., you need a hotel for the night), it’s difficult to determine what to pack. Personally, I am an over-packer. I packed way more than I needed for the 15th International Coral Reef Symposium in Bremen, Germany because I was so nervous I would need something (think 4-5 extra pairs of clothes that I did not need and a backpack full of unnecessary stuff). Below is a list of important things you should definitely bring with you, and some things that you may want to consider brining with you depending on your career stage.
#1 – Poster tube or USB stick
If you are presenting a poster, you need to transport your poster somehow. I’ve tried a few different poster tubes, and this one by far has been the best. It has only come with me on my most recent trip to Germany, but I did not have any problems with it collapsing and crushing my poster or expanding and falling apart (like I’ve had with some other ones in the past…). I call that a win honestly. An extra perk is that it comes in a few different colors. I got yellow because it’s my favorite color, but also because it is easy to find!
Keep in mind that poster tubes count as your carry on for air travel since it will need to go in the overhead compartment. I always made sure that it was on top of everyone’s carry on once they put it up above in the cubby area so that they wouldn’t crush my poster tube. Don’t forget to put your information on the tube somewhere in case you forget it (say in the bathroom) by accident! Nothing could be worse than loosing what you need to present for your conference.
If you are giving an oral presentation, make sure you have an extra copy of your presentation on a USB stick just in case! Most likely, you would’ve had to submit your slides to the tech crew or organizing committee prior to the conference. But it is always good to have a backup in case the file was somehow corrupted or if they allow for slide edits but need the physical copy from you on a USB stick.
#2 – Good shoes
While you think you will be sitting for a majority of the conference and don’t need comfy/good shoes, think again. Although it is true that you do sit down for talks, more often than not you will be zooming between different rooms in order to get to all the talks you truly want to watch. You also might not be staying at the hotel attached to the conference hall and need to walk a few blocks to get there. That means that your feet might hurt before the conference even starts! As to not think about just how much your feet hurt during the interesting talks you traveled hundreds of miles to see, do yourself a favor and wear comfy shoes (see this post about what shoes I recently wore to my conference).
#3 – Backpack or large bag
If you are staying a few blocks (or more) away from the conference hall, it might be a good idea to bring a bag with you so that you don’t have to go back and forth so often. I liked having a backpack with me because I was able to keep my notebook, iPad, pen, cardigan/jacket, snacks, and water bottle in one convenient spot without looking like I’m juggling all these things in my hand. I also liked that my backpack I took with me was bright yellow, so it made it easy for my friends that I made to find me in the large crowds. I also always forget things everywhere if I don’t have somewhere to put them back and bring with me (aka my water bottle the first two days of the conference before I decided to bring my backpack).
#4 – Notebook and pen
This is always good for jotting down quick notes about the talks you’re interested in, write down names of people who you might want to look up later, or to write down contact info of someone you were able to network with! Although everyone typically has their phones with them and could use them to write this all down, it’s always good to have a backup in case your phone dies or has low batter.
#5 – Reusable water bottle
Most times there aren’t any water bottles freely available at the conference (or at least the ones I’ve gone to) or they cost money (and we are all poor grad students at heart), BUT there are mostly always water fountains that you can refill at any time! Unless you are in a country where it is unsafe to drink water not from a prepackaged water bottle, I always suggest bringing your own reusable bottle for convenience and because it is good for the environment!
Extras!
Business cards
This is good for if your end goal for the conference is to get a job or find a grad school advisor. It should have your name, contact info, a picture of you, and maybe your interested research topic!
Printout of poster
While you may have your poster up in all it’s large glory, sometimes it may get crowded and hard to see it. Having printouts pinned in a clear sleeve or a folder near/next to your poster could be a great opportunity for others to look at your research if they don’t have the time right then to look at it or if it is too busy.
External battery
If you are in a foreign country by yourself and don’t know the area well, it’s always a good idea to bring and external battery with you to GPS your way back to your hotel or to dinner after the conference. It’s also good to have in case the conference has an app that you can use on your phone so that you don’t loose track of what you had planned for the day!
iPad/Tablet
An iPad/tablet is perfect for the people like to have digital notes instead of handwritten notes. It can also be good to use for the conference app if there is one, so that all those things are in one place.
Mask/Rapid Tests
If you are going to a conference where there is still a very high chance that you can get COVID, I highly suggest wearing a mask. At ICRS, over half the people that I met got COVID after the conference. I masked up during the conference and also tested myself every evening just in case and didn’t get COVID! It’s always important to help protect not just yourself, but others around you too, especially in large settings.