Coffee cup and laptopAre you planning to attend the PMI Congress in Washington D.C. next month?  This will be my third Congress, and I remember my first in Denver in 2008.  It’s a daunting affair, turning up for the first time in a city you don’t know, to spend three days (or longer) with people you have never met.  If this year will be your first trip to Congress, don’t panic.  Here are my top 5 tips for getting the most out of your trip.



1.  Get organised



There is a lot going on at Congress – breakfast speakers, the exhibition floor and events there, plus all the scheduled sessions.  Read through the schedule in before you arrive and plan what you would like to attend.  Register in advance for the sessions you are interested in.  These can always be changed later, at the bank of registration desks.  If you change your mind, or your preferred session doesn’t run, you can easily switch to something else.



2.  Wear your neck wallet



Yes, it’s not cool.  But everyone looks the same, and the wallet – as unfashionable as it is – is a useful place to store your location map.  Slip some business cards in it too, so you have them to hand.  Get your ribbons from the registration area when you arrive.  Ribbons are strips of fabric that stick to your neck wallet to show your credentials (PMP, CAPM) or your committee membership and other ‘status’ things.  People take ribbons very seriously, and you will see attendees with a long, long, set and lots of metal badges gathered from Congresses past.  Ribbons and badges make good conversation starters, so if you are stuck for something to say, ask about the ribbons people are wearing.  You can have a ribbon even if this is your first Congress: pick up the one that says ‘Congress First-timer’.



3.  Scout out the venue



PMI hold Congresses all over the world but the North America events are attended by the largest number of people.  The venues are therefore massive.  It can take a few minutes to walk between rooms, and it is not unusual to see people looking lost or going into the wrong rooms.  Take some time when you first arrive to walk around the venue and get to know where things are. Where is the exhibition hall?  The venue for the keynote sessions? The main suite of rooms for conference sessions?  Where do you need to meet for social events?  Also take note of the TV screens that show room allocations – sometimes you’ll see that a session you want to attend has changed room, so pay attention to last minute swaps.

Get your PDUs



If you are a PMI credential holder, the Congresses are a great place to collect PDUs.  The instructions for claiming PDUs will be in the conference material you receive on arrival, so make sure you know how to claim the right type of PDUs for the sessions you attend.  Keep a log so you can easily claim them either during the event or in a block afterwards.



4.  Go to as much as you can



Don’t sit in your room or in the bar.  You have made the effort to go to the Congress, so take in as much as you can while you are there.  Get up early and see the breakfast speakers (or a little less early and take your breakfast in to the room and eat and listen at the same time).  Talk to people over coffee, lunch and dinner.



5.  Visit the exhibition hall



You might think the exhibition hall is full of people trying to sell to you, and while that is largely the case, it’s not a bad thing.  We can get stuck in our ways and it is useful to see the latest software, learn about the newest training materials and courses and the most-up-to-date consultancy techniques.  In addition to that there will be PMI Chapter stalls, and others that look to inform rather than to sell.