Miles Burke has a really great article on the SitePoint web site about attending conferences and the reasons to do so.
Miles points out two great reasons to attend a conference:
Let’s start with education. You’ll learn more from attending one conference than all the books and blog posts you can read in one month. This may sound like a tall order, but seriously, if you are actively listening to the presenter, it’s hard not to learn more than by simply being there.
And:
Then there’s the networking. Some may derisively call it schmoozing, however, this is a very important benefit of conferences that should not be underestimated. The contacts that you can make by grabbing a meal or a coffee during a break can be worth the cost of the conference alone. I’ve won at least $50,000 worth of business just by attending the last two Web Directions South conferences–and that’s without even really trying!
I agree wholeheartedly with these reasons. I attended only a couple conferences this year, both somewhat regional and single-track, which were fantastic. My attendance at both of these conferences has opened up a whole world of opportunities from making new friends to getting work from the folks I met and spent some time talking to.
I am a big fan of the smaller conferences which have 150-200 attendees and are single track. It is often hard to decide between sessions in a multi-session format and somehow you lose.
The two conferences I have left for the year will bring the total for me to 4, which is more than I normally attend. Since becoming an independent developer I find it more important now to attend conferences and network whenever possible.
Upcoming Conferences I am attending:
- Novemeber 6-8, 2008 RubyConf 2008 in Orlando, FL
- November 17-20, 2008 Voices That Matter: Professional Ruby in Boston, MA
- Winter 2009 Acts as Conference in Orlando, FL