I just returned from the 2022 MRS Fall Meeting in Boston, MA, where I had a series of conversations that all touched on a similar topic: How can we make the conference experience more enjoyable for first-time attendees? It first came up during the Diversifying Materials Special Interest Groups event where one student shared how burned out she felt after going to so many sessions and events. Not surprisingly, many of us sympathized with her struggles and I recalled how I also felt overwhelmed at my first conference (also an MRS Fall Meeting). It seemed so exciting and straightforward that I didn’t anticipate a lot of the challenges I encountered, and no one warned me about how to handle things, presumably because they thought I already knew or looked things up. (but I don’t know what I don’t know!) 😔

At the SIG discussion, we decided that it might be helpful to send a targeted email to first-time conference attendees to give them some pointers for an enjoyable, inclusive MRS Meeting experience, so this blog post is a start at collecting some of my own thoughts on this matter. Obviously, I am not the first to do this (here are some references I used for validation: 1, 2, 3, 4), but I hope that those who read this post will find it helpful. Some things to be aware of when reading this:

  • This is from my experience at three MRS Meetings, which is certainly not representative of all conferences, but hopefully similar to what one might encounter at other MSE conferences.
  • This is largely focused on the attendee experience, although I will also try to give a few tips specifically for the presenter experience.
  • The irony is not lost on me: There’s a ton of information below despite me telling you that the conference itself can be overwhelming. Listen to the information that’s most relevant to you, or just look at the bolded phrases to minimize the cognitive load.

Before the conference

Book hotels early. Once you have a general idea of what days you’ll be at the conference, you should book a hotel room through the conference website ASAP, assuming a hotel is the accommodation that you would like. Unlike flight prices which may fluctuate and is cheapest 3-4 weeks before you travel, the negotiated hotel prices are set well in advance, competitive with rates you’d find elsewhere, and will run out fast! MRS also has a nice contract with their hotel partners where you don’t have to pay anything until you check in, so if you have to modify the booking slightly you can do that without penalty. I suggest booking the hotel even before booking flights.

Check for volunteer opportunities. Large conferences require lots of people to make things run smoothly and they’re often looking for student volunteers to assist with sessions, events, etc. Not only is this a great way to give back to the community, but volunteering will often help cover some fees as well! (e.g., registration) Look at the conference website to see what opportunities are available, as you often have to apply in advance and spots may be limited. I personally have not done this before (planning to for 2023 MRS Spring which is in SF), but my friends who have volunteered all say it’s a great experience. Other sources of financial support may be obtained through grants, which can include those from your institution (e.g., Berkeley) or professional societies (e.g., TMS).

Pack comfortable clothing (w/ layers). [Note: male-identifying preferences] Unless the conference is local, you’ll probably have to judiciously decide on what to pack. Conference days are long and there’s a ton of moving around, so it’s important that you’re comfortable. Pro tip: It is 100% OK to wear tennis shoes, as long as they’re not too worn out, and hopefully they match the rest of the outfit. Jeans are probably not a good idea, but simple slacks/khakis with a sweater are quite common. If suits are your thing and you want to dress up, then you certainly can; although, admittedly, I mostly see suits worn by overseas attendees. I also strongly advise dressing in layers, as different rooms/locations will have varying temperatures and it’s helpful to have the flexibility. Don’t forget to check the weather in advance! 🌦️

Download the conference app. FWIW, the MRS Meeting app does a decent job with organizing the schedule and displaying relavant information, including room locations! It can be useful to plan ahead and bookmark a few events to get a sense of what your time commitments look like; then if things change last-minute, you’ll get a notification of what happened. I’ve personally found it helpful to use the search function to look up friends and mentors who might also be in attendance and coordinate meetups.

If you’re also presenting…

Practice your talk! Please do it at least once so you’re sure that slide elements appear when you expect them to and that it is the proper length. Generally your talk should take 80% of the time you’re allotted, leaving the rest for Q&A. There’s nothing more embarassing then having messed up slides or getting cut off by the session chair! If you’re presenting a poster you should prepare a short elevator pitch, although the timing is more flexible. Also, it’s totally fine to bring a poster in a tube as an extra carry-on item; that is, I have traveled successfully with a small suitcase, a backpack, and a poster tube, and the flight attendants don’t mind storing it in the overhead compartment or behind the last row of seats. 🙌🏼

Bring backup adapters and presentation formats. You never know if the technology at the conference will be functioning properly. Certainly if there’s a break before you present it’s a good idea to bring your laptop up to the front to test the connection. It is also helpful to have alternate versions of your presentation (e.g., PDF), saved on your computer, especially if you’re using an internet-based service (e.g., Google Slides).

During the conference

It’s OK to not attend everything and to 👏🏼 take 👏🏼 breaks. This sounds obvious, but I really wish someone told me this my first time. There’s a lot of really cool science being shared and I felt like I needed to maximize productivity or at least justify to my advisor who was sponsoring my trip. But realize that this is all novel science, being explored at a deep level and shared in brief 15-minute windows back-to-back, which is extremely taxing mentally. It can get quite draining if you pack your day 9-5 with all talks, especially if they’re spread out in the convention center (re: comfy shoes). Nowadays I pick only 1-2 sessions a day to attend (and not even sit through all the talks) and I’ll go to others if I’m still feeling good, so I’d advise others to do the same. Definitely take advantage of the coffee and snack breaks, and be sure to drink plenty of water! You’ve already paid for these, anyways. 💧

Go to mixers and special events. While sessions can be intense and draining, I’ve found the other mixers and social events to be quite entertaining to attend. I think many conferences have student-focused events (e.g., mixers, mock interview) and I personally have gained a lot from attending DEI-themed presentations and discussions. I got a chance to meet other students, professors, editors, and other members in the MRS community. This past MRS I attended PowerPoint Karaoke for the first time and had a blast (didn’t win though), so definitely stay apprised of these opportunities. There’s also often food and special beverages served (for free) at these events. 🍷

  • If you like to learn about the science you see in a more instructional environment, check out the Tutorials that often accompany the Symposia. These tend to take place on the first day of the conference and people will teach you the concepts and lead you through interactive exercises.

Take notes and ask questions. Since there’s a lot of information coming at you very quickly, whether it’s science content from a talk or a new person you’re talking to, it’s helpful to have a way to take notes for later reference. Many people bring notebooks and notepads to a conference, but I just use the Notes app on my iPhone to record bullet points. You should also feel empowered to ask questions (to anyone!) if there’s something on your mind. I generally don’t ask questions in the public Q&A post-talk, but I will engage a speaker afterwards for a more private conversation. Definitely do not force a question (i.e., don’t say something because you want to network for the sake of networking), but also don’t feel like your question is silly or wasting their time—they wouldn’t be at the conference if they didn’t want to chat with people.

Be prepared to extricate yourself. Two flavors of this. In the first case, if you’ve wandered into a session or talk that is the wrong one or not what you expected (e.g., boring), don’t be afraid to leave. Obviously it is helpful to be tactful (e.g., sit near the aisle and/or exit, don’t get up while they’re speaking), but don’t force yourself to sit through it because you feel some sort of obligation. Imagine how bad the speaker would feel if they knew that’s why you were there, and not because you were actually interested. Though I don’t particularly like Elon, I did see something recently attributed to him: “It’s not rude to walk out of a presentation. It is rude to waste someone’s time.” The second interpretation of this tip is for when you’re the presenter, and you happen to encounter a belligerent audience member. We’ve all heard it: Oh, this has already been done before [by me]… None of this is important… You don’t make any sense… If you feel like you’re being subject to an attack (and trust me, you’ll know), it’s probably best to shut it down quickly with something like, “Thank you for that comment, let’s discuss it after the talk,” and then you can choose whether you will (or likely will not) engage them later. I heard from Shivani that she saw one student speaker, after listening to an audience member pontificate at length, respond with: “I’m sorry, was there a question?” 😂

Explore the city (with friends)! Part of the glamour of attending conferences is that you get to travel to a new city, so you should definitely take time to explore the surroundings. You’ll likely have friends at other institutions also attending the conference and this can be a great opportunity to catch up on new developments. I find it particularly comforting to me to reach out to old friends working in the area (not in MSE/PhD) just for a change of headspace and get suggestions for what to do. I am very grateful to have gotten dinner with Jialin and Jenny in Boston as they recommended that I check out the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and this was a real treat! Also you might see some nice souvenirs or gifts that you can bring back home—’tis the season! 🎁

Save receipts? If you plan to get reimbursed for trip expenses, it is a good idea to keep track of receipts, or at least take a photo of all the paper receipts you get. (use emails instead!) This depends on your PI/funder/institution’s policies and what the per diem amount is. I have also heard that it’s a good idea to take a photo of your conference badge/nametag just to confirm that you attended in person!

After the conference

Follow up as appropriate. If you took notes or talked to people, it’s a good idea to follow up shortly after the conclusion of the conference, while everything is still fresh. This could be looking up papers that you saw referenced, sending emails or LinkedIn requests to establish a connection, or even updating your CV. It’s much easier to do this after you’ve met them in person already, and you’ll never know what it could lead to in the future! 💡

File reimbursements (if applicable). Definitely do this sooner rather than later so it’s not forgotten and you have time to work out any kinks. Check your institution’s policies and confirm with your PI.