Updated 20 September 2026: first published in May 2015. The original AREC 2015 infographic is preserved below, with a refreshed text checklist for planning your next conference.
A good conference experience starts before the first session and continues when you return to the office. Use this checklist to turn your time away into useful conversations and practical changes.
Before the conference
- Review the program and choose the sessions and exhibitors most relevant to your work.
- Plan travel and accommodation early, including how you will get to the venue.
- Pack comfortable clothes, a charger and a way to exchange contact details.
- Choose a note-taking method you can easily review afterwards.
- Arrange office cover and set expectations about when you will respond to messages.
During the conference
- Arrive early and give yourself time to settle in.
- Keep action ideas separate from general notes so they are easy to find later.
- Ask colleagues at home which questions they would like you to explore.
- Visit relevant exhibitors and ask how their products would address a specific problem in your business.
- Take breaks, eat and stay hydrated.
- Share useful observations with your team while they are fresh.
Make the conversations count
- Introduce yourself to people you have not met, including speakers when there is an appropriate opportunity.
- Ask questions and listen, rather than treating every introduction as a pitch.
- Join other attendees at meals and networking events.
- Record a short reminder of each conversation and any follow-up you promised.
After the event
- Follow up with new contacts while you remember the conversation.
- Review your notes and choose a small number of actions to implement.
- Share the most useful ideas with your team and agree who will do what.
- Give the organisers feedback.
- If CPD was offered, check the event’s stated eligibility and evidence requirements before claiming it.
The original 2015 infographic
This graphic is retained as part of the article’s history. Its event hashtag, links, app references and CPD references relate to AREC 2015. The ticket offer originally published with this article has expired.
