How to Arrive and Thrive at #NISOD2018

Your NISOD conference experience doesn’t have to be daunting. With the right planning—and a good pair of walking shoes—you can conquer it like a pro. We asked five previous conference participants to provide conference atendees with tips on how to best navigate NISOD’s annual conference.

John B. McGill
Associate Dean
Arts and Sciences
York Technical College

Pat Senior
Associate Vice President
Professional Development and Training
Broward College

Steve Piscitelli
Facilitator, Author, and Teacher

Nancy Ray-Mitchell
Professor, Business
McLennan Community College

Dorothy Chase
Professor, English
College of Southern Nevada

Penny Quinn
President
Kaskaskia College

Katherine Watson
Professor, Distance Learning
Coastline Community College

Janice Kinsinger
Associate Dean
Illinois Central College

How many NISOD conferences have you atteneded?
	Two
	Three
	I have lost track—I want to say somewhere around 10+.
	This will be my 25th year.
	Five
	To be truthful I have lost count, but I received an Excellence Award in 1997, so let’s say I’m “pushing 20” (I like the sound of that).
	Dozens (Yes, that is plural of “dozen.”)
	At least 10

How can participants successfully network at #NISOD2018?
	Go to a discipline-specific roundtable and talk to people. Listen to questions asked during sessions, and if the person asking the question seems further along than you and your college, introduce yourself and start a conversation.
	Talk to everyone you meet at the sessions and attend the social activities.
	Besides attending the wide-ranging sessions, go to the exhibit hall and mingle. Talk with publishers in the exhibit hall. Once you make connections, get away from the conference center as a group and visit some of the venues on 2nd, 4th, and 6th streets. Introduce yourself to session presenters. Provide contact information. Contact session presenters after the conference to ask questions or pass along commendations. Find the # for the conference and follow it. Stop by the Hilton and Four Seasons lounges to share an after-session conversation.
	Talk to as many people as you can, before sessions, after sessions, between sessions.
	Make a list of sessions of interest. Attend as many of those sessions as possible. Talk with participants in those sessions. Talk with the presenters. Exchange contact information with presenters and other participants.
	Talk to people! NISOD folks are friendly. Before each session and during lunch, introduce yourself to the attendees around you. Speak to presenters following a session that is especially meaningful for you, and initiate follow-up email questions after the session concludes to establish a connection. If you received an Excellence Award medallion, wear it proudly. It creates an opportunity for others to initiate a conversation with you.
	Mill around. Mill around in the Exhibit Hall. Mill around in the corridors looking at session titles that you may not have planned to examine more closely and then possibly enter those sessions and find out something new. Mill around in the Roundtable Discussions and even migrate from table to table. Mill around during the social events and ask questions and introduce yourself. Mill around on 6^th street and elsewhere in Austin. And enjoy the milling!
	Begin a conversation with participants you sit near as you wait for the session to start. Smile and be open to conversation, bring your business cards, ask questions of other participants, and participate in the NISOD social events.

What activities should #NISOD2018 conference participants be sure not to miss?
	Conference attendees should try everything.
	Make sure to participate in all of the social activities.
	I think conference attendees should attend the Opening General Session and the Exhibit hall opening. If you have a car, travel to the Hill Country, LBJ Library, State Capitol.
	The General Sessions—the speakers are diverse and have unique perspectives on community colleges.
	Conference participants should attend the General Sessions and Roundtable Discussions.
	If you enjoy live music, hit the Elephant Room for great local Jazz. It’s walking distance from the hotels.
	Conference attendees should attend the Keynote Sessions and Roundtable Discussions.
	Conference attendees should attend the Opening and Closing Keynotes Sessions, social events, awards ceremony, meal functions, plus the Exhibit Hall. Take in as many Breakout Sessions and/or Roundtable Discussions as possible! Walk Austin and go see the bats on the Congress Street Bridge! Eat at Moonshine!

What tips do you have to help #NISOD2018 participants plan their schedules for the conference?
	I suggest to make use the app for the conference and decide the event you are attending before you get there.
	Plan as best you can before you arrive to the conference!
	Review the Conference Program prior to arriving and mark potential sessions to attend. Get to Austin a day early and walk to the State Capitol, 6th Street, and the Warehouse District—get a feel for your host city.
	Go online and plan ahead. There are many great sessions, and it is hard to pick one at the last minute. The NISOD app is great tool, too!
	Arrive early to read the schedule calmly and thoroughly.
	Always have a back-up presentation planned for each session period. If you arrive and it’s not what you thought it was going to be, scoot out and head to your second choice. Seasoned presenters know you have an investment in the conference (financial and your precious time) and will not be offended.
	Plan ahead in general, and then be ready to change the plan on the spot. In other words, have a generally fixed idea, but plan to be flexible.
	Preview the schedule ahead of time and review it each night for the next day. Always have at least two potential sessions for each Breakout Session time in case one is cancelled or too full, etc. Leave discreetly if you find out the first session is not what you wanted and go to a different session that you had marked as a potential option.

Name three items every NISOD conference participant should pack in her or his suitcase.
	Shorts, short sleeve shirt, comfortable shoes for walking around the city in warm weather!
	Walking shoes, business cards, a positive attitude, and casual layered clothing for outside heat and inside AC.
	Walking shoes (you will want to walk Town Lake), shorts for outside (it can get toasty in Austin), and curiosity and initiative.
	Plenty of business cards, a light jacket for the convention center, and dancing shoes!
	Institutional name cards, a notebook, and comfortable walking shoes.
	Make sure to bring business Cards – share them freely as you build your network. I also suggest packing your best footwear.
	Lightweight clothing, comfortable shoes, and any documents or handouts that you may wish to share.
	Good walking shoes, shorts, swimsuit, and a notebook for all of your ideas you will be jotting down during the conference. Keep a separate listing of thing you would like to do once you return from NISOD; you will have all kinds of ideas generated by the sessions and conversations you engage in during the conference.