Before the conference

Don't arrive unprepared: Too much is at stake in terms of time and missed opportunities. Check out the schedule of events on the conference Web site. Scan the session titles and note those that look useful. Highlight all interesting sessions and, where there are conflicts, decide which ones you will attend and which ones you will want to read about in the published conference proceedings. If more than one person from your institution will be attending, divide the sessions among yourselves to maximize coverage, then plan to share your notes.

Make a list of the people you have met before and want to see again. Go through the conference guide and highlight the names of people you would like to meet, such as other graduate students and postdocs, as well as officers and presenters.

Ask your adviser or other senior colleagues who are also attending the conference to introduce you to people they know who might be interested in what you are doing. If your colleagues are not going to the conference, ask them if there is anything you can do on their behalf, such as contacting a researcher or attending a particular session. That way you have an additional reason to attend, and you can use the name of your better-known colleague as an introduction.

For the new contacts whom you'd really like to meet, send a short e-mail message telling them you will be at the conference and why you want to see them. Enclose a brief description of what you are working on. You would be surprised how flattered other scientists will be at this request ‑ even the most senior, well-known stars.

Of course, make sure you have plenty of business cards with your latest title, telephone number, and e-mail address.

Also, prepare your "no-notes talks". By such talks I don't mean your formal technical presentation (the subject of a future Catalyst column.) What I mean are the informal talks you give every time someone asks, "Who are you and what is your research area?" This will happen dozens of times throughout the conference, and you need to be prepared.

In some cases, such as on an elevator, you will have no more than 30 seconds to give your answer. In most situations, you will need to give your "hallway talk", a quick overview in one to three minutes without notes or illustrations. If you are lucky, and can get some time with people you are interested in meeting, you may have a chance to give your "office talk", which could last up to 10 minutes.