NFJS: the final word
Overall, for my 2009 conference experience, I was slightly disappointed compared to last year, when I also attended and was pretty much blown away.
As a reminder, I had come down with a cold a few days before attending, so that colors my experience. I missed two sessions because I was sick, and that didn't help. Since I wasn't feeling well physically, I wasn't as alert in many of the talks as I normally would be. Also, I didn't feel like I could very effectively take advantage of the networking opportunities offered by the conference.
Even taking that into account, I still think there were some minuses this year. I think part of the problem was that there were five competing sessions planned for each hour, but one of them was pulled a few days before the conference started, for economic reasons. In some of the sessions, with just four choices (yeah, I know, "just" four choices), I didn't feel strongly about attending one or the other, and wound up being disappointed.
So here's my advice for NFJS: if you're thinking of attending during a recession year, just keep in mind that the number of sessions might decrease after you've studied the schedule! In any case, make an effort to study the slides before each session. I did this for some of the sessions, but not all, and I wound up regretting it.
To be clear, my experience was positive, overall. I still think this conference is much better than others that I've attended (not that I have much to compare it to). However, now that it's over, I do wonder if I should have skipped this year and spent my money on something new, perhaps a couple of smaller conferences. I'm glad I attended, but there's a niggling doubt about it.
As a reminder, I had come down with a cold a few days before attending, so that colors my experience. I missed two sessions because I was sick, and that didn't help. Since I wasn't feeling well physically, I wasn't as alert in many of the talks as I normally would be. Also, I didn't feel like I could very effectively take advantage of the networking opportunities offered by the conference.
Even taking that into account, I still think there were some minuses this year. I think part of the problem was that there were five competing sessions planned for each hour, but one of them was pulled a few days before the conference started, for economic reasons. In some of the sessions, with just four choices (yeah, I know, "just" four choices), I didn't feel strongly about attending one or the other, and wound up being disappointed.
So here's my advice for NFJS: if you're thinking of attending during a recession year, just keep in mind that the number of sessions might decrease after you've studied the schedule! In any case, make an effort to study the slides before each session. I did this for some of the sessions, but not all, and I wound up regretting it.
To be clear, my experience was positive, overall. I still think this conference is much better than others that I've attended (not that I have much to compare it to). However, now that it's over, I do wonder if I should have skipped this year and spent my money on something new, perhaps a couple of smaller conferences. I'm glad I attended, but there's a niggling doubt about it.
Labels: nfjs
posted by md at 5:54 AM
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