SSDP2016, the Students for Sensible Drug Policy Conference will commence on Friday! With such an action packed few days, it can be a lot to take in, so I asked SSDP alumni if they had any tips for first-time conference goers on making the most of your conference experience and here are some of their suggestions:
“Make/bring business cards.” – Victor Pinho ‘02
“Look at least semi-professional. I felt pretty underdressed at my first conference. (Not that anyone’s judging here!) Super important for headshots though!” – Lauren Mendelsohn
“Talk to Eric Sterling. At least once.” – Irina Alexander ‘07
“Make sure your hotel room meets your needs.” – Stacia Cosner ‘05
“Talk to everyone, but especially seek out SSDPers from your state/region! Conferences are a great time to meet and bond with folks from nearby chapters with whom you can then work on campaigns or host events (like the UConn-URI sister chapter thing we have goin’ on)!” – Sam Tracy ‘09
“Keep track of your things.” – Stacia Cosner ‘05
“Split your chapter up and all go to different sessions, rather than going to them as a big unit – you’ll not only meet more people this way, you can also debrief later on and share all the awesome stuff you learned. (UConn always splits up and has everyone take notes in one big Google Doc!)” – Sam Tracy ‘09
“Don’t spend your time partying so hard you miss the morning sessions. #NotPro“ – Victor Pinho ‘02
“Read the speaker bios beforehand and figure out who you want to try and connect with at the conference, for career advice or to talk about what your chapter’s working on” – Julia Peterson ‘07
“Make an effort to connect with people who have different views from yourself.” – Frances Fu ‘11
“Don’t hesitate to approach someone you think is important and introduce yourself. We are all just activists and we are all inspired to find others who are as excited as we are about changing unjust policies!” – Amber Langston ‘02
“Stay Sensible!” – Scott Cecil ‘10
“Engage in ‘self-care’ best practices.” – Scott Cecil ‘10
“Take pics and make videos. This conference is going to change your life forever. You won’t want to forget it.” – Irina Alexander ‘07
- Also on the topic of taking notes:
“Pro Tip: Keep notes on who you spoke to, what you discussed, and if you need to follow up. Backs of business cards are helpful or a neatly folded piece of paper. Best to do right after the conversation.“
– Darrell Rogers ‘00