Have you ever been to a conference for a professional organization of which you were a member?
I have, but only once. When I was a biology lab technician, our lab produced a poster which was displayed at a conference of an organization of which my boss was a member, and I was one of the listed authors of the poster since I had done much of the lab work behind the results. The conference took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada–a city with which I fell in love during the conference. When we were not attending presentations or displaying and explaining our poster, we explored the city. I went on a boat ride, walked downtown, and, one night, visited a casino which was attached to the hotel where the conference was and where we were staying. I lost eleven Canadian dollars playing the slot machines, which I didn’t think was that bad for someone who had never been in a casino before.
Now that I am a freelance editor who is in three professional editors’ organizations, I find myself gleefully anticipating the conferences which each one will have sometime during the next year’s time. Now, hold on a minute–I certainly cannot afford to attend three conferences in one year, at least not in this juncture in my career! However, I am attempting to save up the money for one.
Granted, COVID-19 has temporarily (we hope) put a stop to in-person meetings, and that is a real drag for me (not to mention many others) because one of the primary reasons why I want to go to a conference is to network. As much as I love what I do, it can be rather isolating, and I would love to meet people who do what I do. I would also like to know them professionally so I can recommend them and they can do the same for me. I would also, of course, love to learn from the presentations that more experienced editors give.
I am now trying to make a big decision. Should I register for the ACES conference, which is next spring in San Antonio, or hold out until the EFA announces where their August 2022 conference will be? I could also try to attend NAIWE’s conference in St. Louis in the fall, although given the COVID situation, that one is somewhat iffy.
Hmmm…
At any rate, I am saving money.
How about you? Have you attended a professional conference? What was it like for you?