Academic conferences are a great opportunity to catch up with the newest developments in your field, make new connections, and present your own work, but they can also be exhausting and overwhelming, especially for early career researchers. In this blogpost, I share some tips on how to make the most of your conference experience. As the current Trainee Representative of the Neuroimaging Professional Interest Area of ISTAART, I will do so through the lens of the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference and the Alzheimer’s Imaging Consortium (AIC) pre-conference. That means many of these points are specific to AAIC, but most are applicable to all conferences.
The upcoming 2024 AAIC will by my third time attending, meaning that there will likely be many more helpful tips than these which more experience conference goers will be able to share. Even so, this is already a pretty long list which may seem overwhelming. But don’t worry, these are not all steps you need to follow to have a successful conference experience; it’s meant for you to pick and choose what works best in your case.
Know your resources!
AIC and AAIC offer many resources that will help you make the most of the conference:
- Familiarise yourself with the app for the conference in advance. It has many handy functionalities, lists social events, conference sessions, and poster presentations.
- Check out our Neuroimaging PIA resources and the events planned during the preconference at AIC and AAIC.
- Follow relevant social media accounts (such as the Twitter/X accounts @NeuroimagingPIA and @ISTAART) and search for the conference hashtag on social media (#AAIC24) to keep up to date with information on sessions, find colleagues posting about the work they will be presenting, and learn about social events organized by the conference. As an added bonus, posts about your presentation with this hashtag automatically get listed on the conference’s social media wall.
- If you don’t know a lot of people, sign up for our Neuroimaging PIA buddy system where you can connect with other early career researchers in your field. We try to match you up with trainees from different institutions who have similar research interests. If you missed the deadline, we may still be able to accommodate you if you get in touch with us at least a week in advance.
Ultimate guide to making the most of the AAIC – choose your sessions
Choose wisely and set your goals
AIC is big, AAIC is enormous. You will see numerous interesting sessions and dozens of fascinating posters. Most likely, you won’t be able to visit them all, but you can optimize the time available to you to ensure you see as many as possible without tiring yourself out completely. Take your time and familiarize yourself with the sessions and relevant posters well in advance and plan your day accordingly. As with any conference, but especially with one as large as AAIC, it is helpful to set yourself goals.
- Consider this: what is it that you are interested in and what do you want to get out of the conference? Go to specific sessions and focus on scientific content most relevant to your current project? Explore a new topic you never quite had the time to learn about while busy with your current work? Connect with a certain person you always wanted to talk to? Start a collaboration? Find a new position? It is easy to stretch yourself too thin during a conference. If you set yourself one or a few goals and work towards them, you are more likely to go away from the conference feeling accomplished and actually having advanced your career.
- For example, if you are hoping to gain a high-level overview of a topic, the plenaries and Perspective and Featured Research Sessions are a great place to start.
- If you are hoping to connect with specific people, consider the tips for networking during the conference (which are described in the next section).
- Don’t underestimate the importance of the poster sessions. This is where you have the best opportunities to make new connections. At the same time, it will be tempting to rush through the rows and rows of presenters in an attempt to get to every relevant poster. It may be easier to first think about specific people you would like to connect with or themes to dig into. But during a busy conference, sometimes it is also just nice to relax and wander until you see something that catches your eye.
- If you end up missing a poster you really wanted to see, consider writing to the person afterwards and ask for a PDF. This is also a nice way of introducing yourself. But note that not everyone is allowed to or wants to share unpublished work.
- Review your plan for the next day the evening before or during your morning coffee or tea. This way you will make the most of your time throughout the busy day ahead.
People of course differ widely in terms of whether they prefer a detailed plan ahead of time or whether a loose structure suits them better. If meticulous planning puts your mind at ease before a hectic event such as AAIC, you might consider the following:
- You could set yourself “SMART” goals: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-sensitive. For example, a specific goal could be to learn more about a new technique you are hoping to apply to your work by talking to someone who is presenting work using this exact method. This is a measurable goal in that you know when you made progress; and it is attainable, realistic, and time-sensitive if you think about a way to engage with that person by identifying the right time to talk to them. This could be at their poster, after their presentation at a featured research session, or even by connecting through social media to slot them in during lunch or a coffee break.
- To tackle the volume of posters, you could assign them to different tiers:
- Tier 1: Who do you really want to talk to in person? Who would be a good contact to have in the future and could even be a collaborator? Who works with someone you might consider as a potential future supervisor?
- Tier 2: Who do you think would be interesting to talk to but might not be quite as essential to meet in person when it comes to planning your next career steps?
- Tier 3: Which posters are of interest but might not require you to spend a lot of time?
You could list poster numbers in order by tier and try to go through the numbers starting
with tier 1, with tier 2 as a backup. For tier 3, it might be possible to go by those posters, take a look and a few notes, and take a picture (if allowed!).
Share your science widely
If you are presenting a poster or giving a talk, you have an excellent opportunity to begin or continue to make a name for yourself. But in a sea of researchers, how can you increase your chances of boosting your audience?
- To begin with, an important note on preparing presentations: make sure you follow the principle “figures before text”. No one is going to read through an A0 poster or a PowerPoint slide full of text. Make sure you let the data speak for themselves in informative and high-quality, high-resolution figures. Not only does that attract more views, it is also much easier to present to people. If you never designed a scientific poster before, make sure you familiarize yourself with some best practices, get lots of feedback, and practice your presentation with friends and colleagues. End your poster or talk with a clear list of key takeaways. Don’t use too many though! People are unlikely to remember more than three or four.
- Consider preparing multiple versions of your poster pitch. For example, a three-minute version for people who prefer a casual chat and a longer 5-10 minute version for those who are particularly excited about your exact topic.
- Share information about your presentation on your social media accounts (include the presentation title, poster number, session time, and location) and use the hashtags associated with the conference to make sure people can find your poster or session easily.
- Ask your supervisor to share your post or to put together a list of the presentations your lab members are giving at the conference.
- Add your social media handles to your poster.
- Add a QR code to link to a preprint, a digital version of your poster, or a redirect to your lab.
- Another option is a sign-up sheet where people can leave their email address. That way, you can send them your poster later on. An added bonus of this method is that you have each other’s contacts. This can be helpful to avoid information overload during the conference. Sending a poster a week later after people had a chance to decompress can help you stick in their memories.
- If people who you don’t know come to your poster and seem interested in your work, you can ask for their social media contacts (ResearchGate, Bluesky, Mastodon, Twitter/X, LinkedIn…). If you think email is too formal, these channels can also allow for a more casual follow-up after the conference.
Reach out in advance to connect
Everyone’s schedule fills up quickly during AAIC. If there is someone you would like to meet during the conference and you know so before you go, reach out in advance. This is particularly important if you were hoping to meet Professor Bigshot in person to talk about a potential position in their lab. If you see people you hope to connect with who advertise their presentations during the conference, this could be a nice opportunity to reach out. You could also share information on your work prior to the conference, including an invitation to old friends and colleagues, but also to potential new connections to get in touch and arrange a meet up.
Ultimate guide to making the most of the AAIC – Get networking
Networking during the conference
It is daunting to approach new people, especially face-to-face and if they are your seniors on the career ladder. But being able to make new connections is one of the most important skills when you climb that ladder yourself. Practice it! Conferences are the best way to do so.
- You can ease into networking by starting with other early career researchers. Poster sessions are a great way to get your foot in the door. PIA events, the trainee lounge, receptions, the opening ceremony (a conference highlight!), parties, the meeting for first-time AAIC attendees, morning yoga, the 5k run – they all offer many opportunities for networking. But make sure to register for these events when you completed your AAIC registration online as they only have limited capacity! If you forgot to do so during the registration process, you can check the registration desk on site to ask for any remaining spots. The fun run and yoga sessions often still have availability.
- Approaching more senior researchers can be particularly nerve-wracking. Many early career researchers ask themselves why a well-known professor should even spend time talking to them. Try to silence that voice in your mind. We’ve all been there! Most people you approach will be much friendlier than you might expect. Many senior researchers may even be looking for new students or postdocs just like you. A helpful approach might be to prepare a brief summary of your work, who you work with, what you are presenting at the conference, and what your current career stage is. For example, stating you are close to completing your PhD could get the conversation going about next steps and maybe you’ll hear about an opportunity for a postdoctoral position. Such an “elevator pitch”, in addition to specific questions about their work can spark an engaging conversation with people at any level of the career ladder. If you hope to work with them in the future, make sure your pitch makes it clear how you would fit into their team.
- If you know you would like to speak to a specific person, you can tailor that statement to them or note down specific questions you would like to pose.
- Finally, if you find it uncomfortable to approach people out of the blue, you might go up to them after they gave a talk or spoke at a panel if there is time after the session. For example, AAIC’s ASK! sessions provide a forum to talk to speakers and award winners.
Take notes
Conferences always pose the challenge of information overload. Help your hippocampus:
- Take notes about the presentations you attend and the thoughts and ideas you have about their content. Oftentimes, you will find that those thoughts you had in the moment will be helpful to design your next study, improve your analytical approach, and support your arguments. Taking notes also helps to keep you focused on the talk, especially after a long night at the after dark reception and similar evening events.
- If a presenter is referencing an interesting paper you have not heard of, note that down as well. With all the publications out there, it is easy to miss relevant articles. In case you missed any of the references in the talk, you could follow up with the presenter later. Many researchers, especially at early career stages are thrilled that people are interested in their work, and they will typically get back to queries via email.
- Take notes after your conversations at the poster presentations. Keep track of the people you meet during the conference. It is easy to forget what you discussed with whom.
- You could note down collaboration ideas and future directions and make plans to follow up with new connections.
Coordinate
If you are going with your lab, you can use a divide and conquer approach. Because you won’t be able to attend everything, you can coordinate with lab members and colleagues to make sure that together you can cover all the ground you need. You could create a Slack channel or use other similar resources in which you can share notes and pictures from the conference and engage in conversation about the topics presented there.
Consider talking to exhibitors
Have you ever wondered whether you might be a good fit for a job in industry or whether collaborating with industry as an academic researcher could be an option for you? You might be surprised by the extent to which your talents are sought after in other sectors outside academia. There are many industry exhibitors at AAIC. Use the chance to ask about job opportunities, the kind of training companies are looking for in an applicant, or figure out whether an industry collaboration could be a good move for your career going forward. An added bonus are the free handouts from exhibitors. Squishy brains, anyone?
Follow up
After the conference, take a breather. Make sure you recharge. But also make sure the new knowledge you’ve gained and the connections you’ve made stick.
- Review your notes and incorporate them into your current project planning.
- Write a quick message to the people you connected with, whether just to tell them you enjoyed meeting them and hope to see them at the next conference, whether you want to start a collaboration, or whether you hope to find a new job. It is best to follow up within a week after conference and not more than two weeks after. Try to note what you found enjoyable about your interaction and what could be interesting in the future: “I enjoyed talking to you about X.” and/or “We could collaborate on Y”.
- Some talks and posters will still be available after the conference for some time. If you missed a session, you can watch it later online.
- You might want to consider a post-conference meeting with your lab to discuss recent developments in the field and their relevance to your projects.
- Finally, if you managed to receive a travel grant for the conference, be aware that some funders require a brief report afterwards. This can also be a useful opportunity for you to take stock of your experiences.
Have fun!
Now, this is a long list which might get you even more nervous about the conference. Don’t think you’ll have to tick off every single box to have a great conference experience that will advance your career. It is easy to tire yourself out during the conference. If you need a breather and sit out a social event or a session that is of moderate interest to you, that is perfectly fine. You don’t want to burn out after two days. Making the most of a large conference like AAIC is an art and the more you practice, the easier it will become. Ultimately though, give yourself the freedom to have fun. One of the best things about academia is the chance to meet people from all over the world and travel to exciting locations. Arranging for some time outside the venue to take in the sights and experience a local restaurant or bar with your lab mates, colleagues, or even your new contacts is a great way to decompress and form lasting connections.
And there you have it – you’ve made it through this entire list. If you are an ISTAART member, feel free to join our Neuroimaging PIA for more content for early career researchers in the future. You can also follow us on Twitter/X. I hope you have a great time at AIC and AAIC. And maybe I’ll see you there…
Dr Helena Gellersen
Author
Dr Helena Gellersen [1]is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and current Education Chair Trainee for the ISTAART Neuroimaging. The focus of Helena’s work is on identifying preclinical signatures of Alzheimer’s disease and to develop novel memory and neuroimaging markers for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and for monitoring disease progression.
