By Tara Haelle
Reporters who have been covering medical research conferences for a while develop over time habits, strategies and routines for finding interesting research, getting the most out of the sessions, finding good on-site sources and — perhaps most challenging — managing time and workflow.
But the experience can be overwhelming to those just starting or who have only attended a couple conferences. The pointers below focus on what you can do in the weeks before a conference to make the on-site experience easier and less hectic.
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Be sure your credentials are good to go
The requirements for press credentials vary widely at different conferences, from very strict ones that demand a formal letter from your editor and sample clips to more relaxed ones that accept nearly anyone with a legitimate blog. Find out what you need to provide well in advance, and double check at least two weeks before the conference that everything is in order.
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Find out what press resources you’ll have
Most conferences have a press room — plan to find it soon after arriving — and most have a press packet the organization’s press officers prepare ahead of time containing press releases, embargoed abstracts, pressers and other helpful info. The press officers are there to help you; take advantage of that.
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Download the conference app
Nearly all conferences these days have their own apps or use a general conference app where they’ve uploaded their data. These apps can be invaluable for planning sessions, marking “favorites,” setting reminders for an upcoming session, looking up speaker bios and conflicts of interest, sometimes even downloading handouts or taking notes. It’s easier to use the app at the conference if you’ve downloaded it ahead of time to familiarize yourself.
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Study the schedule and plan the sessions you’ll attend
This may seem obvious, but it’s worth the time to study the entire schedule and decide where you expect to be throughout each day. There’s nothing more overwhelming than arriving on site and trying to figure out as you go what you want to cover. You will almost always change your schedule plans multiple times while at the conference, but it’s much easier to do that if you already have a set plan.
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Find out if slides and handouts will be available for you
Most conferences will provide handouts of the slides and other materials for each session, but check ahead of time to be sure. Even if the conference makes these handouts available, don’t assume you’ll have access to all the ones you need. Handouts might not be shared for certain sessions for a variety of reasons (the session type, sensitive images in the slides, etc.). Plus, if the organization relies on presenters themselves to upload the slides, you’re at the mercy of that presenter’s memory and schedule.
- Look up the people you know you’ll want to hear live or interview ahead of time
If there are certain researchers, presenters or physicians you know you’ll want to interview, contact the conference’s press office and see if they can help set up an interview. You can also reach out to the speaker directly. If you’re unable to set something up ahead of time, at least check all the days they are speaking so you can plan to track them down that day. Some speakers only stay for part of a conference, so don’t wait until the last day to try to find them when they may have left two days earlier.
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Check out your food, drink and local transportation options
If you’re staying in the conference hotel, transportation may be less important, but if it’s a hotel with just a single restaurant full of overpriced and less-than-appetizing food, you’ll probably want alternatives. Use Google Maps, Yelp and similar apps to explore what options are around. If they’re pretty far from the hotel you know to plan accordingly. That may mean leaving yourself time to get to and from better lunch or dinner, bringing food from home or making time for a grocery trip (I’ve done all three).
Also, if you’re a coffee junkie, find out whether you’ll be happy with the on-site coffee options. I hate a certain ubiquitous coffee chain’s coffee, so if I know the hotel only offers that brand, I may bring some from home or look for alternatives near the hotel.
