For new and returning attendees at the International Legal Technology Association’s Conference 2011, I’m reprising a post from last year that provides guidance on navigating the extraordinarily rich educational offerings in the Conference program. If you haven’t yet seen the the wide range of educational sessions, what are you waiting for? Take a look at your options on the conference website or the mobile app, plan your week, and then brace yourself for an intense but rewarding week. Good luck!
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Too many choices! That was the reaction of one ILTA 2010 attendee. And, he is an ILTA Conference veteran. For the newcomer, those choices can seem overwhelming. The availability of so many educational options is a testament to the marvelous work done by my colleagues on the Conference Planning Committee and the ILTA staff, but that still doesn’t make it easier when several interesting sessions are scheduled for the same time slot. What’s a conscientious attendee to do?
Here are some tips to consider:
*Download the ILTA10 Mobile App or Mobile Website to have immediate electronic access to the schedule, conference center map, speaker info, conference news and updates, and much, much more.
*Set up your online itinerary or download session appointments for your Outlook Calendar.
*If you’re facing a scheduling conflict, go to the session that offers the best of the following options: experienced, engaging speakers and the chance for audience participation. This is one of the better ways to ensure you learn.
*Choose a session that promises new information or new ideas over a session in an area that you know extremely well. One of the great benefits of an educational conference like this is to broaden your horizons.
*Still can’t choose? Take a look at the session resource materials posted in the detailed session descriptions on the ILTA website. That should give you an idea of what the session is intended to cover.
*If you have a colleague who takes excellent notes, ask if he or she can attend the session and then share their notes.
*Alternatively, follow the session hashtag on Twitter to catch contemperaneous commentary on individual sessions. You can find hash tag information in the detailed session descriptions posted on the conference website.
*Yet another approach is to follow bloggers who are reporting on the conference this week. (Yes, this is shameless self-promotion! To make it a little less self-referent, please post a link to your blog in the comments below if you are reporting on ILTA10 sessions. Thanks!)
*Keep a list of the sessions you can’t attend and then look for the session recordings when you get back home. Those recordings, coupled with the resource materials posted for sessions on the website should give you a pretty good idea of what was discussed. (Note: these recordings are available for purchase after the conference.)
*Sometimes popular sessions are reprised after the conference via an ILTA webinar. Look for those in your periodic ILTA e-mail updates.
Are there other tips you’d suggest for navigating the rich conference schedule and optimizing your educational experience?
Above and Beyond KM 