Programmer's guide to networking at a conference

[ChrisHemedinger]

I just came across this blog post, The Programmer's Guide for Networking at a Conference.  If you're reading this, you're already following the first piece of advice: Start networking before the conference starts.

The blog post is worth your time to read.  I'll summarize the main headings here.

• Start networking before the conference starts (hurray! You're doing it!)
• Become a social butterfly (don't eat lunch by yourself!)
• Go up to speakers after talks. (I enjoy it when people visit me after I present.)
• Become a speaker
• Become a volunteer (SAS Global Forum runs on volunteers!)
• Have your elevator pitch down ("So, what do you do?")
• Seek to help people and be interested
• Sit in the front and pay attention
• Follow up (easy to do with e-mail, communities, and even the conference app).

Chris

[GregG]

This is the part of my App Game I still haven't even started. I've finished everything else when I got access to it. Haven't touched the "Social Butterfly" section.

[ArtC]

The very easiest way to network is to volunteer. Consider volunteering in the room you were going to be in anyway.