Getting the most out of a conference experience

Tip of the day: if you are planning on attending a conference, don't forget to get prepared!

Next week I'm attending my first big writing conference. I've been to meetings here or there, but nothing of this magnitude. As such, I've been searching the Internet to find tips on how to prepare for a writing conference.

So I thought I'd share some of the tips I've found:

• Have a game plan of all the break-out sessions you'd like to go to. Fortunately for the conference I'm attending you had to plan this out when registering, but if not, definitely have a game plan of what you want to attend. And leave room for flexibility if the need arises.
• Have a prepared list of questions. You might use them or you might not. But if there's something you really want to know about the publishing industry and you see there will be a speaker addressing that specific topic, it might be a good idea to know ahead of time what you want to get out of that session. Or for informal chat in between sessions, which often times is the place to learn the most. You have a wealth of knowledge at these conferences and if you are a newbie, don't be afraid to ask someone more knowledgeable.
  
• This article by Scott Hoffman at Folio Literary Management gives a great perspective from an agent on how he approaches a conference. He advices everyone to have a one-sentence short blurb about your book, just in case anyone asks. Also it's a good idea to carry around a one-page synopsis of your book, the first three chapters of your novel, and a copy of your manuscript. He advises that most likely you'll never be asked for any of the above, but having it on hand is always a good idea. You'd never want to miss out on an opportunity, would you?
• If you get asked about your books, be confident in your work when talking about it.
  

This is just a starter list, and I'm hoping some people more knowledgeable about conferences might chime in with suggestions.

--Emily, Miss Querylicious