Whether you're attending a conference as an audience member or as a speaker, conferences can be either stressful or exciting. Getting organised and bringing the right equipment with you can mean the difference between a successful and enjoyable conference or a nerve racking and potentially damaging experience. So don't get caught out at your next conference, here's a list of the essential items to make sure you make the most of the day.
Notebook
If you're going to bring one thing, it needs to be a notebook. In the digital age, writing by hand may seem a little alien, but writing down your notes can actually help you remember and make sense of what you're listening to. For this reason, a notebook would have to the number one essential if you're attending a conference with the aim of learning something new or developing your knowledge.Bag
Again, this may seem obvious but you're not going to be able to carry your conference tools around without one of these! Ideally, you'll need a bag that can fit in all of the essentials on this list so invest in a sturdy and reliable bag that will help you to carry and organise your conference essentials.Comfortable Clothing
At a conference, you're either going to spend a lot of time sitting down or if you're speaking, then you'll be spending a lot of time on stage. For both scenarios, you're going to want to look smart but remain comfortable. This will vary greatly depending on your industry, but the smart casual look should fill most briefs.
Business Literature
If you're planning on utilising a conference as a networking event then having your business literature to hand is essential. Business cards, which you can easily create and print online from websites like moo, should suffice for most networkers. If you're presenting then, you may need a little more help displaying your literature.Mobile literature stands are a great option for displaying and dispensing your business literature. They help to increase sales after the event as many people will hang on to them and contact you after the conference. At Red17, we stock a variety of freestanding leaflet dispensers ranging from clear leaflet dispensers to wire and mesh leaflet dispensers. If you're speaking at an event anytime soon, these are an essential piece of equipment.
Snack
Similarly to business literature, everyone at an event is going to get hungry so needs to bring along a snack. Don't rely on the food at the conference being any good (trust me it's usually not!) and bring along your favourite snack bars, sandwiches or crisps. If you're looking for a healthy snack that'll keep your energy levels up try nakd bars , they're made out of nothing but raw fruit and nut ingredients, are packed with energy and taste great.Water Bottle
Again, water is an essential for anyone attending an event. Water at the conference is likely to be over-priced, so with a little bit of foresight you can save yourself some money here.Mobile Phone
Finally, modern phones have a multitude of uses and functions that can help you to take notes, remind you of where the next speaker is and keep you entertained during a boring lecture. Most people would bring their phone along anyway but there are a few apps and tools that can come in useful throughout the day.Any voice recording app such as Cogi or AudioNote can help with note taking. Whova is another great app that works on most popular devices that allows you network and schedule events effectively. There are many more but to get you started these apps should help you to organise and get more out of your next conference.
