[Originally published in the July/August 2022 PSC magazine.]

By April Smith

I don’t know about you, but I am still struggling to decide which events or meetings I am comfortable attending and which I am not. Even now, after more than two years of dealing with this pandemic and the fallout, we continue to hold meetings via Zoom, offer online video chat interviews and even online conferences. What is the point of continuing to hold in-person conferences? If you can attend the same classes and meetings online, why go in person? What is there to gain by spending the money and time on travel and hotels?

What is there to gain by an in-person conference? Here are my top 10 reasons to go to a conference whenever I can.

1. The Vendor Floor: If you have never attended a conference before, you will not believe the size of the vendor floor at APCO’s Annual Conference & Expo. It is a great opportunity to meet the vendors who service your center and learn about new products and services. If you are shopping for new console desks or chairs or even a new CAD system, this is a great place to start. You can pick up a few freebies along the way, too. I particularly enjoy the larger barrel pens.
2. Keynote Speakers: Speakers from all over the country have appeared at APCO conferences to share their wisdom. Some are public safety related and some are not, but all of them have something to share. I’ve seen artists who talk about leadership, novelists who are former military members sharing their stories and a few years ago Madeline Albright made an appearance. That’s one I won’t soon forget. These speakers typically appear at a breakfast or luncheon. Make an
   effort to be there. You won’t regret it.
3. Committee Meetings: Anyone reading this who is serving on an APCO committee, raise your hand. Typically, your committee will hold at least one meeting during or before the conference. This offers the opportunity to meet other members in person. The committee can also get some work accomplished and make plans for the upcoming year.
4. Chapter Events: Your chapter will likely hold an event during the conference. The Atlantic Chapter, for example, usually holds a chapter night out where you can have dinner and refreshments with other chapter members. This is a great opportunity to discuss what’s happening in your state or individual agencies and to hear about what’s happening in others. You may find you have
   more in common than you think.
5. Professional Development: This is one of my favorite reasons. The professional development sessions at the conference are outstanding, and it can be difficult to choose among sessions scheduled at the same time. The sessions are divided into the following tracks:
   • Communications Center Management
   • Cutting Edge Development
   • Cybersecurity for Public Safety Communications
   • Emergency Preparedness, Response & Situational Awareness
   • FirstNet: Transforming the Future of Emergency Communications
   • Frontline Telecommunicator
   • Wellness in the Emergency Communications Center
   • Leadership Development
   • NG9-1-1 and Emerging Technologies
   • Radio and Wireless Communications Technologies

   There’s something for everyone. Consider attending at least one session that you know nothing about. There is also a pre-conference course the day or two before the conference starts. In the past, my agency attended the training course for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
   Shortly after the conference ended, we were able to train all our employees and get our center certified through NCMEC. We all should strive to learn new things in this career because it is constantly changing. The APCO conference is a great place to start or continue this process.

6. Meet Role Models in Person: Have you heard about 911der Women? Listened to Adam Timm or read his books? How about Ricardo Martinez from Within the Trenches? These movers and shakers in our industry are almost always at the APCO conference. It’s a pleasure to hear them speak or attend a session they teach, but there’s also the opportunity to meet them in person and speak to them directly. They hold a wealth of knowledge and have great ideas and attitudes on how to move this industry forward. Take time to talk to them and see for yourself.
7. Improve Your Presentation Skills: Are you a communications training officer (CTO) or instructor at your agency? Maybe you have a presentation for one of the classes you teach that might be of interest for the conference. APCO is always looking for presenters for conferences. It will provide you a good opportunity to improve your skills in front of a group — sometimes small, sometimes very large. Watch for the opportunities for next year’s conference or
   for your chapter conference.
8. Get Refreshed: At some point in your career you may have experienced burnout or the beginnings of it, especially if you have been on the job more than five years. One of the great things about going to conferences is you can be refreshed in your career. You quickly realize that the problems in your center are not unique. Communications professionals from all over the country are probably going through the same things you are. It helps to connect and know that you are not alone, and sometimes brainstorming can help develop answers. Everyone I know who has attended a conference comes away feeling more positive about their career and ready to get back at it when they return home.
9. Network: If you were to ask any number of people who make a point to attend conferences, the top reason is networking. Renewing contacts and making new ones preserves a vibrant connection to the industry. There is time in between sessions, at lunch, dinner, or evenings to do a lot of visiting and discussing ideas among agencies, vendors and whomever else you meet. Making new contacts is equally valuable as your career advances. You never know when you might need help with something or could be a resource for someone else, so don’t sit in your room at the hotel. Get out and talk to people. It is an invaluable experience for everyone.
10. And Finally — Have Fun! You will be tired at the end of your time at the conference and with good reason. Activities will keep you busy from the beginning to the end of the day. You are making an investment in yourself and in your career during this week in August.

April J. Smith, RPL, is Supervisor of Dispatch Operations at the Onondaga County (New York) Department of Emergency Communications. She is a 30-year veteran in the communications industry specializing in law enforcement dispatching. She holds APCO certification as a communications training officer (CTO) and is a member of several teams at her center including TERT/IDT and Peer Support.