Conference networking...

Hi Spinning Golders...

We are moving into countdown mode to the Conference weekend and the team is busy with lots of little details to make the conference a great experience for you.

The conference blog will be updated at least once a week so make sure you check in regularly.

Don’t forget to check in on your specific pages in the sidebar. Specific Information and intensive group news will be posted there as well.

The following blog post was posted last week on Anna DeStefanos blog about attending conferences. It is well worth a read and a think about...

Below is a snippet from the post but you can go here to read the whole post.
Anna lists some great tips and ideas for writers and illustrators attending conferences.

Kind Regards
Spinning Gold Team

Conference/Networking In A Bottle…

Preparing for big events involves several rituals I’ve come to take for granted.I speak at events so frequently as a fiction author, and before that travelled at one time something like 90% of the year as an IT project manager and consultant. The whole “organize my life, pack it up, schedule the event, hop on a plane or drive, 1-2-3 immerse myself into a temporary other world” thing has honestly become something I can do in my sleep.

Except…It’s actually a lengthy, detailed process to pack up my tent and move my often introverted “business” onto a public stage for a week. I’m more efficient at it these days, have gotten better at getting the most out of each event, and rarely forget anything important now. But looking back over the last few days (weeks, actually) of prep for RWA’s National Convention in DC, the items I’ve mentally checked off my “fleeing my life” list can seem sizable (and exhausting) when viewed all together.

Wouldn’t it be nice to bottle all that work/energy? So next time I can just shake, uncork, pour, sit back and watch as the prep work takes care of itself since I do basically the same things for each event… Except each event, just like each day of my publishing life, is different even while it’s the same, so each new conference and day requires its own special attention and planning time.

Still, I’m endeavoring to make a list of the prep work to share (and to save for myself to help in the future). And also, while I’m thinking about it, to inspire those not venturing into another world this week to claim some of the same benefits by reaching out and doing a little conference/networking “work” in their stay-at-home lives. So, here’s to planning to get the most out of attending a writing conference AND the most out of staying home…

1) It’s all about networking–whether you go or you stay home. Some of the best things I’ve brought home from any event happened in the lobby of the event hotel. I hook up with peers and friends I only get to see once or twice a year. I stumble across new friendships and relationships I’ll nurture for the rest of my life. I hear about events I wouldn’t have known about if I hadn’t put on my “I don’t write alone in my office for days/weeks/months at a time, I am an extrovert when I choose to be” hat and mingled into the masses. Literally–masses of people. It pays to smile and be friendly, and when you see someone you think you know reach out your hand to shake and introduce yourself again–even if it’s someone you WORSHIP.