Is it worth it to go to a conference?
You can go to the best conference in the world, meet the best contacts onsite, learn truly amazing things from the speakers, but if you go back to the office the following week having forgotten everything and bury yourself in your daily tasks and let everything you took from the conference disappear, it will have been a worthless experience.
What are the benefits of attending academic conferences?
Academic conferences will help PhD students recognize and establish scholarly benchmarks in terms of: 1 Cutting edge discoveries and theories; 2 Personal presentation and research; 3 Learning the best practices, methods and resources in research, presentation of your ideas and personal networking.
Why do academic conferences take place in major cities?
This arrangement often means that academic conferences take place in major cities with nearby airports and public transportation. This can also give organizers and presenters greater convenience in getting to and from major transit centers. … GETTING TO YOUR CONFERENCE
What makes an academic conference “academic?
Academic conferences don’t have to be simply stuffy gatherings of professors and researchers, coming together to discuss exotic and arcane topics with merely an “academic” interest and relevance.
What is the point of academic conferences?
An academic conference (sometimes called a research conference, academic congress, academic meeting or symposium) is a meeting which researchers attend to present their findings and hear about the latest work within their field.
What are the benefits of attending academic conference?
By attending other presentations, you will learn from others and improve your own skills and knowledge about your field. It is also important to engage with their work, ask questions and perhaps go and see them after the panel. Like in any other profession, networking is very important in our field.
Are conferences worth it?
Conferences can be incredibly effective, but they’re not cheap, and if you’re spending thousands of pounds on bringing together your staff or customers, they need to provide real tangible business value. And if you can prove conference ROI, then they’re definitely worth it.
How do you know if an academic conference is good?
Usually, this is easy: see who the organizers are and look for prior year agendas to see if there are many good academics presenting (or people from industry/government, in some fields). Essentially, check if the organizers and presenters are people you would want to see and comment on your work.
What are the disadvantages of conference?
Disadvantages:Time-consuming: Meetings require a number of people to come together at the same time and place. … Inability to arrive at a decision: … Lack of seriousness: … Inexpert chairing: … Expensive: … Open to disruption:
What do I gain from conference?
In summary, these are some of the benefits of attending a conference.Sharpen your knowledge.Gain and share new ideas and best practices.Learn about the latest innovations and insights.Meet influencers and industry experts face to face.Make new contacts and stay connected with friends and colleagues.Team building.More items…•
Why are academic conferences so expensive?
Typically the fees are to cover the facilities of the meeting including services attached to the venue. In addition there may be administrative costs for the conveners to be added to that. My experience says that everytime you let a professional conference center and staff organize a meeting it becomes very expensive.
How do you attend a professional conference?
Don’t passively attend the conference use it to advance your career objectives!Attend the Orientation for New Attendees. … Use the mobile conference apps (at NACADA use Guidebook) … Focus on Variety. … Read the Conference Materials and Do Some Preliminary Planning Before You Attend.More items…
How do you introduce yourself in an academic conference?
Keep your panel introduction short. Be succinct. … Use big, bold ideas in your introduction. … Name-check yourself in your conference panel introduction. … Speak to the audience during your conference panel introduction. … Show energy and enthusiasm in your introduction. … Prepare beforehand for a memorable introduction.
How do you prepare for an academic conference?
How to Survive Your First Academic Conference: 10 Vital TipsPrepare thoroughly. … Practise your elevator pitch. … Conquer your fear of missing out. … Ascertain the location of key facilities. … Ask questions. … Don’t just attend the bigger events. … Bring food, water and a good book. … Remember to network.More items…
How do you know which conference is better?
Another good way to identify a reputable conference is to look up the list the speakers in the past years. If they are established researchers in your field, the conference is probably reputable. However, the level of the conference may not be great if just one two of the speakers are well-known.
Why is networking important?
This is the way to be invited to join collective research projects such as edited books, special issues in peer-reviewed journals or funding applications. Networking is also fundamental to getting a job in academia.
Do you hesitate to write to the big names in your field proposing a panel?
Do not hesitate to write to the big names in your field proposing a panel. You will find that most of them will answer (which is already a win because they will get to know your name), and some of them might even say ‘yes’ to your invitation.
Is networking important in academia?
Networking is also fundamental to getting a job in academia. In most countries, the job selection process is transparent and meritocratic, but remember that ultimately, with a similar CV, selection committee members will most likely hire someone they know and that they get along with.
Is academic work social?
Although, academic work is mostly individual, there is a social side to it. For all these reasons, overcome your fears and doubts and dare to attend academic conferences at an early stage of your PhD and continue to do so at least once a year.
Why is a conference important?
Having a conference as a major Event helps focus attention on the presentations given at the meeting, and that’s a useful thing to do. Of course, looking at conference presentations in this way also means there’s some irony to academic hand-wringing about TED and similar popular-audience talks.
Why are ten minute talks criticized?
The ten-minute talks are often criticized for being incomprehensible to anyone who isn’t already an expert in the field, which is true. But then, the main audience for these is, in fact, people who are already experts.
Why are academic conferences important?
Image Source. Academic conferences, as important and enriching as they are for discovering new ideas, making personal connections, and presenting one’s research , can present real challenges when it comes to the logistics of simply getting to them.
Why should PhD students go to academic conferences?
A final reason why PhD students should go to academic conferences is because their own interests and research will be reinvigorated!
Why don’t PhD students attend conferences?
These often boil down to three main reasons: Students can’t quite see the benefits of participating in a conference; They feel they’re not ready to present their research ;
What is the core component of an academic conference?
The core component of academic conferences is the presentation of new research in the form of papers and/or presentations. It is common for there to be major presentations by “keynote” or “plenary” speakers who are respected experts at the top of their game in the field or discipline.
What is an academic conference?
So now, just what is an academic conference? A conference is a gathering of researchers and/or professionals in a given field wherein scholars present their ideas and engage in discussion and critical interaction with other experts and peers.
Where do academic conferences take place?
However, academic institutions do not exclusively convene in the hallowed halls of universities and colleges. In fact, many conferences gather at hotels, convention centers and similar venues. This arrangement often means that academic conferences take place in major cities with nearby airports and public transportation. This can also give organizers and presenters greater convenience in getting to and from major transit centers.
Is it intimidating to attend an academic conference?
But, attending a conference can also be very intimidating, especially, if this is your first academic conference. Questions about your own knowledge and ability as well as how and where you fit into the scholarly and/or professional landscape will arise. You might feel incompetent or even a “fraud” in the presence of so many established researchers who have “been in the game” longer you have. Such apprehensive emotions are totally natural and to be expected. However, you must not let such feelings override the benefits of going to conferences and making the most of them.
