9 Reasons to go to conferences

16 July 2010

By Andy Humphrey

I’ve just booked my first (and probably my only) conference of the year. Nowhere exotic. Dundee, in fact. But it’s the latest meeting in an ongoing conference series that I’ve been attending for the last couple of years, and I want to make sure I get there – even if it does mean giving up my bank holiday weekend!

What’s different this year is that I’ll be paying for this conference myself. The subject area, although it’s one of my specialisms, is not related to the project grant that’s been employing me since last October. I have no new results to present this year, so I can’t even turn up with a poster as an ambassador for the institute. So I’ll be meeting the conference fees out of my own pocket. I’ve managed to blag accommodation with a friend who lives not far away, and it looks like I may have been able to convince my institute to cough up for the train fares, under the aegis of a contribution to my Continuing Professional Development. So hopefully I’ll be able to keep the impact on my bank balance to a minimum.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has had to incur expenses like this for the sake of their research interests. So, in a spirit of Convincing Myself that It’s Worthwhile, Really, here are my 9 reasons to go to conferences:

1. You get to hear about Great Work – and you get to hear about it first! It’s rare for me to return from a conference without bringing back an idea I can apply to my own research. Whether it’s a new method or technique, a line of investigation that I’d never thought of, or an idea for a whole new area that needs researching, there’s always a nugget to be gleaned from the talks, the poster sessions, or the informal chats with colleagues over wine and canapés.

2. Networking. I’ve mentioned in a previous post just how difficult I find it to make contacts. Fortunately, conferences take all the hard work out of networking by providing the perfect context to go and quiz people about their work. If you’re a scientist, poster presentations are the perfect opportunity for this. Nobody minds if you come and ask them awkward questions. If you show a genuine interest, most delegates relish the chance to enthuse about their work. And if you happen to be the person presenting the poster, you can just stand back and let the interesting people come to you!

3. Broadening horizons. I know some senior academics who are conference junkies, forever jetting off to the USA or Japan to high-profile meetings. I haven’t had that luxury, but I have occasionally been lucky enough to get sent to some memorable places – including Dublin, Boston and, on one unforgettable occasion, Dhaka in Bangladesh.

4. Morale boost. If you’ve had a phase when the results haven’t been forthcoming – and all researchers get these from time to time – it can be really heartening to meet an expert in the field who greets your questions with the response “Yes, we’ve had a lot of trouble with that too.” There’s also something perversely satisfying about watching that academic who just pipped you to publication being grilled by a pack of slavering professors!

5. Focus. Been trying to get that paper finished, or a grant proposal written? It’s amazing how the hot-house environment of an academic conference can concentrate the mind. I’ve sometimes been more productive on the train to and from conferences than in a week of staring at the office computer.

6. Freebies. OK, they’re never going to compensate for paying my own conference fees this time around. But I’ve picked up some great free tat from conferences. A decent calculator, post-it notes, juggling balls, chocolates, even – I kid you not – a cuddly plush Eppendorf tube with a smiley face (which became a prize for something at the school where my wife works). And you can never have too many pens.

7. Great people. One of the joys of a researcher’s life is being part of a world-wide community of people from all cultures, backgrounds and interests. It can be easy to forget this when stuck in the office or lab, immersed in the fine details of your research. A conference is a great way to re-connect with that international community, and rediscover your place in it. There’s no telling where a conference friendship may lead – to the next job, an international visit, or to somebody who can point you in the right direction if you need a second opinion on a research idea.

8. Remember the old expression “a change is as good as a rest”? It’s amazing what a few days away from the lab or the office can do for your productivity once you return.

9. And if you’re really lucky, you might even get to see your bosses embarrassing themselves at the post-conference disco. It’s always worth keeping a camera handy...