Ten things to do after a conference
THANK THE ORGANIZERS
A lot goes into organizing any event for the community. If you want to know the behind-the-scenes activity, read these two posts here and here. It is easy to complain when things go wrong. It takes a good heart to appreciate when things go right. Do it, you will feel good!
Don’t just say – Thank you for all the efforts. Try to be as specific as possible. Show that you paid attention. Call out the instances which you liked.
PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO THE ORGANIZERS
No one is perfect and it is a good habit to continuously improve. Your feedback to the organizers will help them a lot. How to provide good feedback? Follow this simple questionnaire:
- Is it specific? Will the receiver know what should be changed?
- Are there examples? Either good or bad, examples help in better understanding.
- Is it real or perception? Remember to use the right words. Do not generalize.
- Do you know how it can be better? Any actionable advice? Share it.
THANK THE SPEAKERS
If you liked any talks, thank the speakers. Send them connection requests (LinkedIn, not Facebook). Follow their blogs, read related articles, work on the exercises, and then get back to them with questions. Show them that you have put in the effort. No one has infinite time. The chances of you getting an answer increases especially when you have done the background work.
REVIEW AND EXPAND YOUR NOTES
You might have taken notes in a hurry, used some shortcuts, jotted some ideas to work on later. This is the time to review your notes, expand them.
COMPARE OTHERS NOTES
Others have also attended the same sessions. You will now know what have you missed and is there any other perspective to the same point. This is a good way to make new friends.
NETWORK WITH OTHER ATTENDEES
There must be some medium where other attendees asked questions or shared useful information. Connect with them. Maybe you could find a learning partner. You could also exchange notes.
CHECK OUT THE SPONSORS
Very few events would be without any sponsors. Check out the sponsors. Use their products, give them feedback. Don’t be surprised if they give you a free version of their product or even hire you for freelancing. You never know 🙂
WRITE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE
Write a blog/article. I am so happy that multiple people have shared their experience of #TribalQonf. Faiz, Shefali, Jainam, Sunny, Ashish, Nithin are some examples. Enjoy them.
PLAN AND WORK TOWARDS YOUR GOALS
In a software testing conference, I got to know about a topic and I deep-dived in learning more about it. Think about what interests you, what you can deep-dive, and plan with measurable steps. Some sample goals:
- Write at least one article every two weeks (Online portfolio)
- Setup a 1-1 with my manager (To understand the impact of my work)
- Download and provide feedback to Arjuna framework
- Record my testing and practice explaining my testing
- Present in next #TribalQonf
VOLUNTEER
Volunteer and support the community. It helps you in learning, online portfolio, satisfaction and helps you connect with other people with similar interests.