Prepare for a Conference

Heading into ASTD TechKnowledge, there's a particularly timely podcast that I just did for Tom Crawford of VizThink on the topic of:

How to be an Insanely Great Conference Attendee

If you follow the link you can get to the podcast.

This is based somewhat on a post from a couple of years ago - Be an Insanely Great Professional Conference Attendee. The main ideas out of that post still apply. The key theme is to spend some time to come prepared with Better Questions.

Some other specific recommendations on things you could do before the conference that would make your conference that much better.

• Participate in ASTD's free online sessions: Learning Technologies 101
  
• Start a blog just for your conference experience.
  
• Take advantage of Conversation Topics to figure out questions and get connected with me.
• Join ASTD National LinkedIn Group and answer Anthony Allen's Post on LinkedIn
• Go to my post ASTD TechKnowledge and leave a comment that you are coming.
  
• Get Twitterific installed on your iPhone from the AppStore.
• There will be more information coming around the use of Twitter at the conference.
  
• Visit any of the following bloggers / speakers who will be attending - leave them a note and maybe get together with them while you are there - or ask them your question ahead of time.

Some of the bloggers attending the conference:

• Tony Karrer
• Ray Jimenez
• Michelle Lentz
• Clark Quinn
  
• Brent Schlenker
• Mark Oehlert
• Will Thalheimer
• Judy Brown
• Tom King

I'm sure I'm missing some, so let me know who else should be on the list.