Goals of conference attendance

While attending the National BDPA Technology Conference can be a lot of fun it is also a professionally rewarding experience. The two main reasons to attend a conference are to hear presentations and to network with other professionals.

Listening to presentations will inform you of what others are doing (sometimes more clearly than the paper, and in any event with a slightly different spin and the ability to ask questions), will inspire ideas of your own, and will expose you to different styles of presentation. (You may see examples of both excellent and terrible talks.)

As your career advances, you'll learn that even though listening to the talks is extremely valuable, hallway conversations can be even more fruitful. Do everything you can to cultivate such conversations: that is one of your chief jobs at the conference. (But don't be annoyed if it takes a little while, or a few conferences, before the task becomes easy.)

Some people are naturally gregarious; some people have trained themselves to be that way; and others can be shy about approaching people they don't know at a conference. Gather up your courage and do it anyway; you'll learn a lot, and eventually you will get better at it. (Most other people in the room were once in exactly that same position.)

You should also tell others about your experience. Think about how to frame your work to convey how interesting it is. This is an important skill not just for a conference but in general. Plan your pitch, practice it with your friends, and then further refine it through interactions at the conference. (Beware the trap of knowing your work so well that it doesn't sound interesting, or that you can't tease apart the interesting big issues from the details! I always return from a conference more excited about my career than when I left: it had become stale to me, but the excitement and admiration of others upon hearing of it reminded me how good it actually is.) Remember to talk first about the responsibilities of your job, and only then about the techniques you are using. You have to convince others that the work is worth hearing about before they are willing to listen to the technical details.

You'll learn a lot from talking about your work, seeing what confuses people and receiving their ideas and suggestions. Remember that no one likes to be in a conversation in which they only listen. You need to always tell people about your work, but also be sure to ask others about their work (even doing so first). You'll also learn a lot by listening and by asking questions. Keep an open mind, and try to deeply understand others.

Meeting other professionals

Here are some ways to meet people at a conference. They are particularly useful for those who are shy or who are just entering the NBDPA community.

1. If someone gave a talk, then introduce yourself and ask a thoughtful question about some issue that you are curious about or found interesting.
   
2. Use a mutual acquaintance. It is easier to walk up to a group if you already know one of them. Making some contacts early on eases meeting people during the rest of the conference. Even just listening can help you learn. If there is something that confuses you, ask (or at the very least write down the question to ask your friends later — but typically you should just ask).
   
3. Use others in your group to make introductions. It is not acceptable to hang out just with other people from your own chapter or company. It is your responsibility to talk with people from other companies. A good rule of thumb is not to join a group if that would make it half or close colleagues of yours. Another rule of thumb is that it's fine to travel in pairs — have a buddy to help you meet others — but not to hunt in larger packs. It's fine to check in with people from your group once in a while — to take a break from being social, to learn about someone you really ought to meet, etc. But use such time to recharge, not as your standard mode at the conference.
   
4. Talk with people at meals. Show up early to get breakfast and especially to schmooze. Going out for dinners is good, too. At lunch, meet everyone at your table, find out what they are doing, and tell them what you are doing. At conference lunches, I often sit at a random table with people I don't know, which has led to valuable new contacts.
   
5. 5. Being a volunteer at a conference is a great way to network. As a secondary benefit, it also stretches your funding. It does require you to spend time on tasks such as checking participants' badges, staffing registration and information tables, etc., and to go to all the volunteer meetings. You should try hard to get jobs that won't interfere with the conference — the best jobs are checking participants' badges outside the sessions that you want to attend, since once the talks start, you can slip inside and listen to them.
   
6. If there's someone on your "hit list” of people you want to talk with at the conference, just go up to that person and join or start a conversation.
7. Help others: make introductions and tell others of related work or people they should talk to. Not only is this the right thing to do, but others will remember and will do the same for you.
   

I'm sure you will come up with additional techniques of your own: use whichever are effective for you and fit in your style — but make sure that you do mix and mingle.

Frequently I'm asked what Philadelphia did to win Chapter of the Year. Below are a few points that any chapter can do to ensure success. I'd encourage you to respond with your comments and experiences in participating in local BDPA chapter events

Each year during our Strategy and Planning meeting we asked ourselves the following questions:

1. What worked?
2. What types of chapter events inspire and energize BDPA members?
3. Where can I find an inspiring speaker for my chapter meeting?

Technical Programs are Key
The consensus was that good program meetings are the heart of chapter activities.

Address Contemporary Concerns in the Profession
The technolog is in constant change. In addition to learning about emerging technologies and management techniques, non-technical topics such as entrepreneurship and personal development serve to address contemporary concerns in the profession.

Find Inspiring Speakers
There are many ways to generate and put together your chapter's program. One of the advantages of volunteering with your chapter is the opportunity to invite speakers on topics you are curious to know more about. Hold planning meetings to brainstorm and share ideas for future meetings and ask for suggestions from your members. You can also draw on talented people in your local area, for example at colleges, universities, corporate sponors and other professional organziations.

Publicize

Stay in Touch
The National chapter has a central calendar available to link and share information related to chapter events. Keep the Executive Office connected with your chapter info, and visit the National websiteyourself to see what your colleagues in other chapters are currently programming.

Good Luck and Keep Up the Good Work!

I encourage you to attend your local events, to get involved with your chapter's program committee, and to present your own work in a meeting.

Please keep up the good work, and keep in touch!

1. Make programs more relevant to younger members.

A lot of the programming they see is for the more advanced member. Younger members also need help with things such as leadership development, project management, and other skills necessary to advance in their careers.


2. Make programs more interactive or hands-on.

Why do they need to attend if all they are going to do is listen to someone read a Power Point presentation? They could just as easily read that information off a web site.

Growing up, their formal education used a lot of cooperative learning, problem solving and other interactive strategies.

Why does adult learning have to be so dry?


3. Get younger adults involved ASAP.

Younger adults have an action orientation. They don't want to wait several months to get involved. By that time, they will find another opportunity to give their time and attention.


4. Make leadership opportunities accessible.

By the time they are 30, many people are on a second or third career. Yet, frequently when they join a chapter they are expected to start back in the lowest level of the volunteer path – serving on a committee.

In some local groups it takes 6-10 years to move through the chairs to be President. Many younger adults don't know if they will be in the same field or location in ten years – so why get involved?


5. Be open to new ideas.

Young adults were trained through school to problem solve and ask why. Sometimes when younger adults bring up ideas, they are often ignored or shot down by members.

Just because they are young, doesn't mean they don't have good ideas.


6. Be truly welcoming to younger members.

I oftern here complaints that while chapters claim to want them as members, the younger members feel they are welcome to be part of the chapter – as long as they accept the way it's always been, don't ask questions, and do exactly what they are told to do.

Younger adults are the future of our chapters. We need to find ways to create a place they can call home within our organization. It may take some hard work and real change to pull it off, but how can we afford to not do it?

• Do you know what makes BDPA and your chapter different from all the other options?
• Do your members?
• Is your defining difference spelled out clearly in your promotions?

Potential and current members can't appreciate what they don't understand.

As chapter leaders you need to know what makes your chapter special and regularly remind the world of it.

It's more than networking, programs and perhaps advocacy. Almost every association on the planet fits that definition.

You need to dig deeper. Know your members. Speak their language.

Join the Nationa Board of Directors, Regional Vice Presidents and chapter presidents for a lively discussion about how to identify your defining difference – and spell it out for others.

Your defining difference can trump tight budgets - every leader needs to know how to do it.

When:  Friday and Saturday, March 16-17
Where:  Hilton Baltimore, 401 W. Pratt St., Baltimore MD  20201

I was given this book, "The 11 Secrets of Highly Influential IT leaders" by a friend. I must admit, I didn't put it at the top of my reading list. Something in the mystery genre is more my speed. Having read many IT and general management books I thought it would be good for those nights when getting to sleep can be difficult BUT I have to say this was not your typical management book and once started I needed to finish it.

It is a very easy to read book, about the right length and packed full (well 11 actually) of some extremely useful information.

The author has done an excellent job in researching what makes a successful IT leader and put the answers into an easy to understand style that makes you want to start putting them into action straight away.

Each reader will relate to different parts of the book, based on his/her individual experiences and will find different parts to be either commonplaces or insightful. No surprise, since we each bring very different experiences and beliefs to the book. But I'm sure that anyone who faces off with end users and business stakeholders will take away something of value.