Getting the Most out of the Conference
Define what you want out of the Conference and then focus on that. This includes specific learning goals as well as who you would like to meet and network with. Do not try to attend everything and do everything or you will be burned out on the first day.
Resources
The best source of information about the Conference is the official conference website at www.aids2008.org. Expect basic information to be posted by the last quarter of 2007, with more being posted as available. The Conference Overview gives you information about the Track categories and cross-cutting themes for AIDS 2008. Take a look at the AIDS 2006 website www.aids2006.org to see what the final website for Mexico will look like.
The Programmes-at-a-glance page available on the website will be an essential tool to help you plan your week. Here you can access the full programme of sessions and events. This page (http://www.aids2006.org/PAG/PAG.aspx? ) provides an example from AIDS 2006.
Advanced Planning
It is advisable to prepare your itinerary well in advance of your arrival in Mexico City. Sit with other colleagues to plan what items in the programme would be the most useful for you both personally and professionally, and for your organization. If there are interesting sessions happening at the same time, split up and have a colleague attend one while you attend the other, and then compare notes after.
Develop your own personal itinerary for the week at www.aids2008.org. Plan your time well in advance of your arrival in Mexico City. If there are interesting sessions happening at the same time, split up with your colleagues and compare notes after.
Use the “choose a roadmap” (on www.aids2008.org) tool to select an area of interest and to avoid having to wade through topics that might not be of particular interest to you.
Check the AIDS2008 website (www.aids2008.org) regularly for updates and new information.
Key Sessions
Don’t forget to check out the Affiliated Events and Satellites, many of which occur before the conference even starts.
Once you have arrived, register as early as possible and sort through the many conference materials you will receive in your bag. There might be additional Satellites or Affiliated Events you would like to attend.
If there is a choice during advanced electronic registration, select the CD-ROM vs the abstract book – it is lighter to carry around, but there should be at least one book in your group (if you are attending with colleagues) as it makes for easier on-the-spot reference to sessions.
Plan to attend the morning plenary sessions. No other sessions happen at these times and the topics address current, cutting edge issues with excellent presenters.
Also make sure you attend the final closing session for an overview of the Conference (called Rapporteur Sessions) and a “call to action” for the future. This ensures you leave with information on sessions you were unable to attend.
Also plan to attend the Meet the Plenary Speakers sessions in the Global Village for an opportunity to ask questions of the presenters.
Most general sessions have 4-5 presenters who speak for 10 minutes each. If you find that you would like to attend more than one session in a certain time slot and the rooms are close to each other, you can slip in and out of session halls to catch the speakers you are interested in hearing.
Take notes of important information during each session you attend. Jot down the day and time and topic first so you can remember afterwards. This will help when you are reporting back to your organization.
There are 1,000 different posters displayed each day (with daily poster presentations too) so plan for and make time to check the posters. There will often be very interesting research and programming shown in the poster area.
Presenters stand at their posters to answer questions during the lunch time. This is a great time for networking. You can also drop off your business card at a poster if you are interested in linking with the author later on.
Many community delegates and people living with HIV who attended AIDS 2006 reported that the Global Village was a great place to learn and network. Consider planning your daily agenda around the Global Village sessions and Networking Zone programmes as well as the general conference sessions of interest to you.
Global Village sessions are deliberately interactive rather than a series of Power Point presentations. Lively debates and discussions are held in the Global Village, Youth Pavilion and Community Dialogue Space. Skills Building sessions are also designed to help delegates learn by doing and so are often more useful to community participants.
In addition to the sessions and workshops there are Engagement Tours which allow you to tour local programmes outside of the conference centre. There are also many cultural events like concerts, art exhibits and films which can be a way to relax and be entertained while learning.
Networking
Make time to meet new people. Networking and meeting people is one of the most valued and important parts of the Conference.
Bring a large stack of business cards with your name, name of your organization and your position there (if applicable), address, phone number and email on them. If you don’t have official business cards from your organization, make basic cards with a computer programme such as Word. If you use Word “Help” and type in “business cards” you should get results including templates that you can download off the Internet.
When you collect other people’s cards, take a minute to jot down a few notes on the back to remind yourself of where you met and what you talked about.
(Some of this information is based on a list compiled by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance available on www.ccaba.org)