By Christine Burke  Massengale and Cheryl  Konarski

Download the App

The app is your conference at a glance. It will give you updates and notifications for schedule changes, reminders of key activities, and is right at your fingertips. Did you know the app has:

• A note-taking feature for jotting down key takeaways during sessions
• A calendar to add your bookmarked events to your customized schedule
• Maps for finding your way through the  conference hall and vendor booths
• A search feature to find speakers or topics
• A search feature to find attendees you’ve met that you want to reconnect with later
• Social network sharing integration
• Many of the presentation handouts that can be downloaded

Dress for Success

• Conference venues are often cool, even when it is hot outside. A lightweight jacket or long-sleeve shirt worn as a jacket is the solution, and can be easily stowed in a purse or conference bag.
• You will walk a lot. We cannot emphasize enough for first-timers how much walking is involved. Comfortable shoes are a must. This is not the time to break in a new pair of shoes.
• Unless your agency requires it, uniforms are not necessary, but you can never go wrong by representing your agency in uniform. Comfortable, business-casual is acceptable wear.
• Dress to impress when networking or possibly job-hunting (yes, even at  a conference).
• Bring something appropriate for a fancy restaurant (just in case) and check the dress code for any establishments you plan to visit outside the conference venue.

Become Familiar With the Venue Layout

• Take some time after registering to wander around the venue and take note of important locations such as primary exits, access to the parking garage, bathrooms, the main hall for super sessions, vendor hall, escalators and elevators, smoking areas, food vendors and breakout sessions halls.
• If you are with a group and want to connect there, check the map ahead of time and select a spot to meet.
• Look for the companies that provide services to your center and mark their location so you don’t miss visiting with them.

Plan Your Session Attendance

• Take time to become familiar with the educational session categories and then make a plan to diversify.
• Choose sessions that are outside of your comfort zone.
• Divide and conquer — it is tempting to stick together with a co-worker at the conference, but resist the urge and split up so you can collectively attend more sessions.
• Take notes and make a plan for sharing them later.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions at the end of the session.
• Remember — if you have more than one session you want to attend at the same time, there is an opportunity during the conference to purchase recordings of the sessions to access later.

Coming and Going In Style

• Peek inside before entering a session if the doors are already closed — most conference rooms are set up to open at the back of the room, but sometimes you find yourself making a grand entrance, stage right.
• Be considerate if you enter a session late — stick to the back of the room or quickly and quietly pick the nearest available seat.
• If you need to leave a session early, quietly gather belongings first then slip out during a natural pause in the speaker’s presentation.
• Don’t let the door slam behind you as you are coming or going once a session has started — help it close slowly and quietly.
•  If you are late, make sure you have your badge scanned as you leave to ensure you receive credit for attending.

Exhibit Hall Strategy

• Carry your conference bag to collect promotional giveaways, information sheets, etc.
• Bring business cards to drop into prize drawing boxes (so you don’t have to fill out those little slips of paper).
• Use the vendor map in the app to orient yourself to the conference f loor layout.
• Make several trips — go from left to right, and then right to left up and down every aisle. You will see different things every time.
• The vendors want you to take their promotional items, but be courteous about the quantity you take; ask if you aren’t sure it is a give-away and remember to say thanks.
• Some promotional items are meant to be given as a prize after sitting through a short demonstration or product review — play the game if you want the prize.
• Interact with the vendors — we can’t have this amazing conference without them. Spend some time with them and learn about products you may not know are out there.

Christine Burke Massengale, ENP, is the statewide Dispatch Coordinator for the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s four consolidated dispatch centers, operating under the direction of the Tennessee Advanced Communications Network (TACN). She is the Vice-Chair of the APCO Editorial Committee and has written several articles for PSC. She is also an instructor, and regularly presents topics at state, regional, and national conferences.

Cheryl Konarski, CPE, RPL, is a 30+ year veteran of public safety, currently serving as the communications manager for the Joplin Police Department Emergency Communications Center. Cheryl is the chair of the APCO Editorial Committee, has served on APCO PDEC and Historical Committees, and is the treasurer of the Missouri Chapter of APCO.  She is a graduate of APCO CPE Class 03 and the APCO RPL program. She presents throughout the State of Missouri as well as nationally.