Hi Bill, Conferences can be awesome sources of networking, but you have to work them. The sessions are interesting and informative, but you have to make sure to go to the other events. Evening events, professional get-togethers, and after hours events. It may cost a little, but it is worth it. If the conference has a mentor/mentoree program, sign up for that. And if there are any opportunities to volunteer for things, do so. Make sure to join and try to involve yourself in the professional organization of your choice, COMPT, NAME, RC, PACIN, etc. Getting involved with the conference and your professional organization gets your foot in the door. After that, just be yourself and chat with people. Meet directors, registrars, curators, etc. Do not make an attempt to focus your meeting of people only in your career direction. Talk to people at the dinners, on the busses, and in the sessions(before and after only please). Also make sure to talk to the vendors in the resource hall(if applicable). Many of them are also museum professionals, and great contacts. Bring plenty of business cards, and have a great time. Good luck. Mark Janzen Registrar/Collection Manager Ulrich Museum of Art Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection 316-978-5850 From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of William Freil Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2009 2:15 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: networking Hi, My name is Bill, and I am going to a museum conference early next week. This is a good opporuntity for me to do some networking, but I am unsure of how to do that. Does anyone have any tips? Thanks. ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).