There is more to conferences than just presentations and papers, as the ThaiTESOL conference which was held last month demonstrated. Once a conference has been and gone it is now the time to consolidate the information and contacts that have been made.

There are many people who go to conferences to make contact with new people within their profession. It’s also possible to speak to others who are connected to our chosen fields such as publishers and education specialists.

Name cards are a good way to do this as it saves time. It is also quite difficult to balance a cup of coffee, two bags and writing material at the same time. If you like the idea of networking and widening your horizons, then it is possible to amass quite a collection of cards. It’s what you do with the cards which is important.

On the back, it’s a good idea to write where and when you met the person and under what circumstances. You also need to remember what they do as the fancy names on some of these cards doesn’t really describe what it is they do. Finally, when you get back from the conference, when you look through everything you have brought back with you, you will need to systematically file the cards away, so they can be recalled easily.

Friends and teachers that you haven’t seen for a while can be approached in a relaxed setting and professional advice sort and given. To be truthful, you can ask a complete stranger, especially if you have just listened to their presentation. This is something that I like to do, as I have chosen the presentation as one I would like to listen to and it gives me the opportunity to ask specific questions concerning my university, my students and of course, me.

In my opinion, this is one of the most important parts of conferences like ThaiTESOL. Everyone is at the conference for different reasons; however, there are so many areas of common ground, that there will always be someone there who can help with PhD proposals, career decisions, course books and even lesson plans.

Teachers and educators are more than happy to help on these occasions as they too are networking and looking for information and you never know who you are going to meet and how, in years to come, you may be working together. Of course, if you are a little bit shy, then all this might seem very daunting; however, making the effort to have a quick chat over a cup of coffee or lunch could bring you great rewards.
 

Apart from looking at the latest books on the market, conferences provide us with the opportunity to talk to publishing companies about many more things. There is a reason why conferences give you a free bag when you attend; it is to fill them up with all the free material that is on offer.

Publishers have their latest glossy magazines to give away as well as flyers about the latest books, CDs and DVDs. Towards the end of the conference, it is always worth going back and having a look at some of the booths as there are bargains to be had. Some books are given away free.

Conferences like these are what you make them, so if you make the effort, you may even surprise yourself.

Dr. Jo Mynard from Kanda University in Japan is a good example of someone at the recent ThaiTESOL conference who is prepared to offer and receive advice.
(Unedited article published in the Bangkok Post 23rd February 2010)