{"id":15136,"date":"2018-08-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-08-16T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/identifi-global.eu.applyflow.com\/how-to-survive-cyber-security-conference-season\/"},"modified":"2022-12-09T06:15:55","modified_gmt":"2022-12-09T06:15:55","slug":"how-to-survive-cyber-security-conference-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/news\/how-to-survive-cyber-security-conference-season\/","title":{"rendered":"How to survive cyber security conference season"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tConference season can fill you either with delight or dread. But love them or loathe them, conferences are an essential part of your career and business development, particularly in the cyber security industry where things can change so fast.<\/div>\n
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\n\tBetween the sponsored talks that sound like sales pitches, the stilted conversations with \u2018that\u2019 IT supplier, the unhealthy food and sore feet, it\u2019s tempting to stay behind the safety of your desk.<\/div>\n
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\n\tBut it doesn\u2019t have to be that way. With the right amount of planning beforehand, you can start to enjoy conference season, and get enough out of it to benefit both you and your business.<\/div>\n
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\n\t1. Choosing your conference<\/h2>\n
\n\tStep one to surviving this tricky season is to choose wisely. Make the right decision, and you can reap the rewards, take them back to your company and impart wisdom on your colleagues. Make the wrong decision and you risk wasting hundreds of pounds and hours of your precious time.<\/div>\n
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\n\tHere are a few things to consider:<\/div>\n
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\n\t– What do you want to learn? – What are you hoping to get out of going to a conference? Does the one you\u2019re looking at address these needs? Thinking about what insights you want to take back to your business or assessing the things that will help your personal development the most are strong places to start.\u200b<\/div>\n
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\n\t– Will there be networking opportunities? – A conference isn\u2019t just a place to sit watching talks; it\u2019s a place to build contacts and swap business cards. Take a look at the speakers and hop on social media to see if anyone \u2018big\u2019 in the industry is already talking about attending. Knowing who you\u2019re going to be rubbing shoulders with can be a big deciding factor. It\u2019s also a great opportunity to reach out to existing suppliers, partners or clients and get some much-needed face time.\u200b<\/div>\n
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\n\t– What do past attendees say? – There\u2019s nothing like feedback from those who have been there, done that and got the bag of freebies. A quick Google or social media search of last year\u2019s conference should bring up a goldmine. Find blog posts written by those who were there, reach out to attendees and speakers on social media or look for testimonials. Remember that no conference is going to be 100% perfect, but a general vibe is often enough to decide whether or not it is worth going this year.\u200b<\/div>\n
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\n\t– Will there be an ROI? – While we don\u2019t recommend making a decision about a conference based purely on budget, it\u2019s important to not book a ticket just for the sake of it. Think about what you\u2019re going to get back and how much it\u2019s going to help your business in the long run.\u200b<\/div>\n
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\n\t2. Get organised<\/h2>\n
\n\tKnowing where you need to be and at what time can save you a great deal of stress on the day. Have a detailed itinerary of each day planned out, printed off and within reach at all times. Don\u2019t forget to give extra copies to your colleagues so they know when they\u2019ll be able to reach you and when to expect radio silence.<\/div>\n
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\n\tFigure out which talks and presentations you want to go to ahead of time, and reserve a ticket if necessary. Think back to your goals in step one – what are you hoping to learn? While it\u2019s good to broaden your horizons and learn about new topics, going too far out of your comfort zone could mean you miss out on the opportunity to learn something valuable about your own area.<\/div>\n
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\n\tYou may like: Is your digital persona employable?<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n\tRemember that these events are usually sponsored, and in return for their sponsorship, businesses are sometimes offered a speaking package. Avoid these talks if at all possible as they are usually not given by trained speakers, or are simply a thinly veiled sales pitch for their products or services.<\/div>\n
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\n\t3. Stay fueled up<\/h2>\n
\n\tConference food is notoriously bad for you, and that\u2019s if food is even put on for you at all. It\u2019s tempting to rely on this cheap and easy fast food, but that\u2019ll only leave you feeling tired, sluggish and probably a little guilty. So when you\u2019re organising your day(s) – see step two above – make sure you plan in time to seek out proper sustenance.<\/div>\n
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\n\t“Choose healthy options that are easy to store in your bag.”<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\n\tStart by taking snacks into the conference with you. Nobody wants to be sat next to the person who opens a smelly packet of crisps and crunches their way through the entire talk. Instead, choose healthy options that are easy to store in your bag. These could be a bottle of water, grapes, a banana, or a protein or cereal bar. Water is, of course, essential to staying hydrated and alert, and the snacks will keep you going \u2018til mealtimes without you having to worry about the calorie count.<\/div>\n
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\n\tSpend some time looking at restaurants and eateries outside the main conference area. Inside this radius you\u2019ll usually have to contend with inflated coffee shop prices, fully booked venues or fast food takeaways. A short walk could be all it takes to reveal a hidden gem.<\/div>\n
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\n\t4. Dress to impress<\/h2>\n
\n\tYes, a conference is technically a work event but do you have to be all suited and booted?<\/div>\n
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\n\tUnless you know that formal attire is expected, aim for \u2018smart casual\u2019 or \u2018business casual\u2019. You want to be dressed to impress, but not so much that you look out of place or feel uncomfortable. Skirts, trousers, chinos and smart shirts will always go down well; they\u2019re the best of both worlds. Leave the heels in your hotel room and opt for comfortable but smart shoes.<\/div>\n
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\n\t5. Get there early<\/h2>\n
\n\tWe understand the temptation to arrive just in time for the first speaker – especially if you\u2019ve had a long trip – but remember that networking starts way before the talks do. It\u2019s true that the early bird gets the worm; set yourself a goal to meet at least 10 new people, or 20 if you\u2019re up for the challenge, before the conference is over.<\/div>\n
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\n\tStepping into a conversation without invitation is one of those awkward things that can\u2019t be helped at conferences, so don\u2019t worry about approaching people, they were likely flying solo before that chat anyway. Look for those stood on their own, or in a two or three, and strike up a conversation – talking about the last talk you saw is a good enough starter for ten.<\/div>\n
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\n\tIf you\u2019ve ever attended a conference before then you\u2019ll be well aware of the crowd that forms around a speaker as soon as they leave the stage. Again your goal here is to arrive early and beat the others to the punch. While the speaker may be scheduled to hold a meet-and-greet after their talk, chances are they\u2019re already looking forward to getting out of there. Expect glazed eyes and a lot of nods even if they are paying close attention to you; they have just been talking for a good 45 minutes already.<\/div>\n
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\n\tInstead, find them before their speech starts. Engage them in a real conversation, talk to them and tell them how much you\u2019re looking forward to hearing them speak. When you say goodbye, hand over your business card. You\u2019re already standing out from everyone around you as the one who spoke beforehand and made the best first impression possible.<\/div>\n
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\n\t6. Embrace the post-event party<\/h2>\n
\n\tThe post, or indeed pre, event party is a fantastic opportunity to network in an informal setting, and it\u2019s not something to be missed out on. While you may be tired from a full day of talks or travelling, it\u2019s well worth making the effort to attend as this is a place to make friends. And friends are always good to have in your little black book.<\/div>\n
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\n\tSo now you\u2019re here, how do you make the most of it?<\/div>\n
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\n\tFirst of all, keep your phone out of sight. It\u2019s easy to bury yourself in a screen and put off talking to new people, but keeping your phone in a pocket or bag will encourage you to step out of your comfort zone.<\/div>\n
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\n\t“Keep things open and the conversation flowing.”<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\n\tBut how do you approach people? It\u2019s an art, certainly, and one that you can master.<\/a> Banish that British awkwardness – what\u2019s the worst that could happen? And saying \u201cHi\u201d isn\u2019t going to cut it. Instead, ask them if they saw \u2018so and so\u2019s\u2019 talk and, if they did, did they enjoy it? What brings them to the conference? Closed questions – those that require only a \u2018yes\u2019 or \u2018no\u2019 answer – are your enemy. Keep things open and the conversation flowing.<\/div>\n
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\n\tDon\u2019t be afraid to move on if things have started to slow. A good line to have ready is \u201cWell, I\u2019ve kept you for too long\u201d, or let them know you\u2019ve spotted a friend or colleague elsewhere. Shake their hand, be friendly, swap business cards and wish them well for the rest of the conference.<\/div>\n
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\n\tConference season doesn\u2019t have to be bad. It doesn\u2019t have to be the time that you dread all year round; it can actually be fun, interesting and incredibly useful to your business. All it takes is a little planning and preparation to make sure you end up at the right one, with the right speakers and the right networking opportunities. Of course, there\u2019ll be some talks that are hit and miss, but as long as you leave feeling like you\u2019ve learned something, then it can\u2019t have been all bad.<\/div>\n
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\n\tNeed a little more advice on how to get the most out of your conference attendance? Check out this handy guide<\/a>, complete with case studies.<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n
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\n\tShare this Article<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Conference season can fill you either with delight or dread. But love them or loathe them, conferences are an essential part of your career and business development, particularly in the cyber security industry where things can change so fast.   Between the sponsored talks that sound like sales pitches, the stilted conversations with \u2018that\u2019… Read More »How to survive cyber security conference season<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-training-events"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15136"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15136\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/14356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}