Higher Ed Conferences: Tips to Maximize Opportunities

When most people think of a higher education (or academic) conference, they envision attendees like students, academic professionals, or research scientists. Institutional leaders often attend conferences, as well. However, business professionals also attend higher ed conferences, especially when companies create educational products like textbooks or provide services like higher ed marketing. If your work is education-related, learn the ins and outs of attending higher ed conferences and why they matter.

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Benefits of attending higher ed conferences

If your business depends on knowing what's happening in higher education, you might benefit from attending a conference. These conferences can also be enlightening for leaders at higher education institutions interested in how other schools approach education. Most conferences offer workshops and lectures on various topics, such as new approaches to classroom instruction, ways to ensure higher education for people of all economic and social standings, and the latest technological devices for education and learning.   

In addition to keeping up to date on the latest industry research and trends, a higher ed conference may provide these additional benefits, such as expanding your professional network, connecting with education industry experts, and discovering business and partnership opportunities.

Importance of choosing the right higher ed conferences

Choosing the right higher education conference ensures you learn about relevant topics or present information to the right audiences. To find the best higher education conferences for you and your company or institution, determine if the conference has a theme that interests you and explore presentation topics, keynote speakers, and presenters. Take time to think about what you want to get from a conference, and make sure to research the conference dates, location, and admission cost to determine the feasibility of attendance.

Pre-conference strategies for successful participation

A little forethought and planning can help you get the most out of any conference. Prior to attending higher ed conferences, consider these strategies.

• Set clear objectives for learning and networking. 

• Review the conference materials, look at the agenda, and plan your schedule in advance. 

• Consider the topics and speakers when choosing which lectures and workshops to attend. 

• Study a map of the conference venue to ensure punctuality.

• Boost your company or institution's profile and relevance by becoming a conference sponsor.

Making the most of networking and relationship-building

Conferences of any kind offer attendees an opportunity to network and build professional relationships. When attending a conference, think about how you might connect with key figures and stakeholders. Consider preparing a few conversation starters, like "What did you enjoy most about the workshop?" or "How long have you been presenting at this conference?" For more networking tips, try these strategies:

• Start building connections early by following conference pages created on social media.

• Utilize the moments before and after conference sessions begin and end to talk with participants and speakers. 

• Attend conference social events like welcome breakfasts, cocktail parties, or mixers.

• Introduce yourself to fellow attendees and get to know them.

• Jot down important details about fellow participants you meet on the backs of their business cards.

• Show the people you meet you're approachable by smiling, making eye contact, and offering a brief, but firm handshake.

• Build your professional network by setting a goal to meet X number of people by the conference end.

Tips for effective presentations and exhibits

Presenting a lecture, workshop, or exhibit at a conference can make your schedule busier, but extra planning can help reduce stress. Try these tips for creating exhibits:

• When designing a conference exhibit, consider space, style, and ease of movement.

• For eye-catching graphics, think 60 percent messaging and 40 percent empty space. 

• Post your exhibit on your company social media pages using the conference hashtag.

• Draw people to your booth with snacks, a contest, or a product demonstration.

• Make your exhibit interactive by allowing visitors to try out a new product, play a game, or use an informational touchscreen.

• Provide brochures or pamphlets to exhibit visitors, offering more information and contact details.

Try these tips for effective presentations:

• Make sure the subject of your presentation aligns with the conference theme.

• Plan for any equipment you'll need, like a laptop, projector, or screen.

• Introduce yourself to your audience.

• Generate more interest in your presentation with visuals like slides or infographics.

• Tell a story by connecting your information to real people and situations.

• Break your presentation periodically for questions or ask the audience a question.

• Become comfortable with presenting through practice. 

What to bring to a higher ed conference

A few essentials can make any conference more comfortable and productive. Before you depart for a higher ed conference, make a list of must-pack items. Examples might include:

• Comfortable business clothing and shoes (check the weather in advance)

• Your cellphone and charger

• Your laptop and charger

• Your smartwatch and charger

• A notepad and pen

• Business cards

• A refillable water bottle

• Medications and headache medicine

• Breath mints, cough drops, eye drops, and lip balm

Harnessing your post-conference momentum 

After you've returned from your conference, you can use a few key strategies to harness your momentum, take action, and provide value to your company or institution. In your first few days back at work, take time to review your conference materials and notes and jot down any important thoughts you might have. Consider digitizing this information or organizing it into a file if needed. Further post-conference actions you can take include:

• Share what you've learned with coworkers through live training, webinars, staff meetings, or written reports.

• Develop action plans to implement new practices based on what you've learned. 

• Increase brand recognition and relevance by sharing conference insights and key moments on the company's social media pages.

• Deepen conference connections with follow-up texts, emails, direct messages, and phone calls to fellow participants and notes of appreciation to presenters and conference administrators. 

Unlock your organization's potential with Coursera

Higher ed conferences can offer you many benefits for education-related businesses and educational institutions. If you're considering attending one of these events, a little planning can help you contribute more to your company upon conference completion. Looking to take a firm stance on the future of learning? Consider partnering with Coursera to provide learners with insights from leaders across industries.

Coursera for Campus empowers any university to offer job-relevant, credit-ready* online education to students, faculty, and staff. With Coursera for Campus, you can promote student employability by teaching in-demand skills for high-growth fields and help students master job-ready skills with Guided Projects, programming assignments, and in-course assessments—online, offline, and via mobile. Enable faculty to create projects, assessments, and courses tailored to learner needs with Coursera for Campus.

* Credit eligibility determined by your institution.