On 12 May 96 at 18:03, Michael L Gueterman wrote:
 
> This may sound kind of silly, but since this will
> be (unless something else comes up!) the first
> HP oriented conference I've ever attended (even though
> I started messing with HP's back in '78), what are
> some tips for getting the most I can out of it?
> I've read the proceedings for as many years as I
> could, (and there were many times I was a little
> more than perturbed to find that an article whose
> topic I found intriguing, had only a single page
> which said something like "handouts will be provided
> at the whatever") but I'd like to know as much as
> I can going in about it.  I believe it was Glenn Cole
> who mentioned that the Tutorials are not included
> in the proceedings (Its hard to know what your missing
> until your told!).  This is a good tip to know.  Any
> others?
 
To all those who are unable to attend, I would suggest contacting the
speakers, directly, for copies of the materials.  I know that I have
always made additional copies of the materials, including from the
tutorials, when someone called for a copy.
 
As far as tips for attending.
 
1)  Plan ahead.
    Get your planner out, look at the talks/abstracts, figure the
    walking distances between them and decide where you're going to
    go.  (This includes studying the map of the conference hall.  You
    can't get to the room if you don't know where it is.)
 
2)  Use your plan!
    This sounds funny, I'm sure, but use the plan you built in 1).
    Sometimes, I've forgot to look at my plan and missed a presentation
    that I wanted to attend.
 
3)  Don't get discouraged.
    Not all talks will be what you thought they were, and some speakers
    (every been to one of mine:) aren't as exciting as some.  However,
    if you keep to your plan, by the end of the week, you will have
    received a lot from the conference.
 
    Also, you'll get tried by Wed or Thurs.  Even so, try to stick with
    the plan.  You've come to get something out of the conference and
    have planned for it, now stick with it and you'll get what you came
    for.
 
4)  Enjoy yourself.
    Remember, that not everything is going to go great.  A lunch will
    be exactly what made you puke last week, and there won't be any
    options.  Or the only day it will rain in the LA area will be the
    day you plan to go to DisneyLand.  Or you'll miss a bus that causes
    you to have to wait 2 more hours (been there, done that).  But if
    keep relaxed, you'll enjoy it.
 
5)  Meet everyone you can.
    Remember, everyone else is basically like you.  They don't know
    everyone either.  As obvious with this list, the more people you
    know, the more opportunity you have to get problems solved quickly.
    So, "don't be shy." (remember the "Little Mermaid"?).
 
That's a start.
 
Larry Boyd    <[log in to unmask]>
"Each problem solved creates the opportunity to solve the next problem
          that the last solution created." - Richard Pascale
(These opinions are my own and not those of Hewlett-Packard.)