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Are Records Management (or any) Conferences Useful?

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***views expressed in this blog are my personal views and not those of my employer. Any reference to a living person or organisation, past or present, is entirely co-incidental.***

How many of us attend conferences relating to Records Management and/or other, related, disciplines? For those who do, how many a year to you manage to attend, and, are you happy that you are attending the right number of conferences?

What are the advantages of attending conferences - here are some of my thoughts (in no particular order):-

• Opportunity to meet with presenters who are (or should be) subject matter experts. This will give you the opportunity to access free information/advice/consultancy!
• Opportunity (away from the office environment) to meet with peers and exchange views/ideas and undertake some subtle benchmarking
• Have "time out" to review/update your ideas and future plans for your organisation
• Speak to vendors showcasing the latest, relevant, technology and/or consultancy offerings
• Meet with independent "non-profit" organisations to learn of their work (if there are any!)
• Obtain publications at a  discount!

What are the disadvantages - some thoughts:-

• Some are quite a distance from your office and require travel
• Some do not live up to one's expectations and lead to disappointment
• Sometimes you come away thinking "I have learned nothing from this"

Some thoughts as to how you can get the most out of a conference:-

• Plan, plan, plan....planning in advance is critical to ensure you meet the people you wish to and attend the right break out sessions etc.
• Research the presenters before you go and prepare your questions
• Arrive in plenty of time - get into the conference, have a coffee and review your plans - this is a military operation!
• Take notes to review later - about the content and presenters
• Avoid vendors whose products have no interest to you - don't waste your time!

I and, no doubt, event planners will be interested to hear your feedback and suggestions for future conferences/events. Please also provide some feedback of your experiences, good and bad!

This post and comment(s) reflect the personal perspectives of community members, and not necessarily those of their employers or of AIIM International