Helping Give Away Psychological Science/Standard Operating Procedures/Tips for Conference Attendance
HGAPS Spring 2025: Mental Health and Resilience Resources for Squid Game
Squid Game 2 had 68 million viewers on its launch -- that is a lot of people who might benefit from resources organized by themes in each episode. Check out this resource built by a team supported in part by a WMF Rapid Grant after season 1!
~ More at HGAPS.org ~
Tips for Conference Attendance
editProfessional development is important, and attending conferences is a great way to disseminate information, learn, and build your CV.
- Look at conference deadlines and requirements
- Registration deadlines
- Early bird registration is usually cheaper
- Registration as a member can sometimes be cheaper (i.e., become a member and then register for the conference)
- You can find registration information on the conference's website
- It is best to have things to present (posters, talks) to make attending a conference worth the cost
- Check to see when the submission deadline is as it is often much earlier than the registration for the conference
- Make sure to look at the conference's theme for the year if planning to submit research (sometimes conferences will want you to tie your research into their theme)
- Check the requirements for how long your submission can be
- Check to see if there are certain ways they want you to format your submission
- It is important to pay attention to the location of the conference as this can impact travel costs, especially if the conference would require a flight vs. being able to drive there
- If presenting, it is important to check with any co-presenters that they are willing to travel to the conference
- Registration deadlines
- Ask others in HGAPS or at your university if they are attending the conference and about opportunities at the conference
- Splitting hotels and/or travel can make trips much cheaper
- Traveling together can increase time with HGAPS or university members and can foster ideas, relationships, and collaboration
- Get involved with note taking if HGAPS has been asked to take notes for the conference (reference here for how to take notes at a conference)
- Check to see if the conference is looking for volunteers to help with the event (this can sometimes come with free registration for the conference)
- Apply for grants and travel awards
- Small travel awards and poster funding are sometimes available
- Small travel grants (some APA divisions offer funding if you submit under them, ABCT usually gives some funding awards)
- Look into your university’s department of scholarships and funding (often times undergraduate research offices have travel grants and graduate schools often have travel awards available for students)
- The Psychology department at your university may award travel money to student presenters (this is more typical for graduate students)
- Check with your research mentor to see if they have funding they can use to help you travel to present research
- Other organizations at your university may give grants and money awards
- UNC
- NSCU
- Duke
- Maryland
- Appalachian State
**Please add more information and resources especially for other universities!
After you register or submit research
edit- Check for updates about the conference
- General info such as…
- Scheduling changes (especially relevant since COVID as some conference may switch to online if numbers go up)
- Time changes
- Correspondence about your project
- Submission status (whether your poster, talk, etc. has been accepted, rejected, or is still pending)
- General info such as…
- Check in with your team when there are updates
- Keep your team informed of any updates you receive as they may not see them
If accepted or want to attend the conference regardless
edit- Make your poster (if you are presenting a poster)
- Go here for tips on how to make a poster
- Book flights and arrange travel early
- Flights are cheaper if you buy them earlier
- Tuesday is generally the cheapest day to buy flights on most major airlines
- Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday are typically the cheapest days to fly
- Airlines like Spirit and Frontier can be a cheaper option if not traveling with luggage; however, if you are traveling with luggage they can often be more expensive
- Since COVID consider getting travel insurance in case the conference is cancelled, pushed back, or moved online
- The more people you stay with, the cheaper your arrangements can be
- Airbnb is often a good option, conference hotels are convenient (but expensive!)
- Consider staying in a hotel room with others traveling from HGAPS or your university to reduce costs
- Consider if you need to get a rental car or will just use public transportation/ Uber
- It may be cheaper to get a rental car and split the costs with others going from HGAPS or your university
- Look at the schedule for talks and workshops for the conference
- Plan out which presentations you plan on attending
- Look at what is free to attend (CE sessions are typically not free, but many other talks and session are)
- Choose talks from and about people and topics that you are interested in
- Network and learn!
- Do some research about the presenters you are planning to attend
- This will help you know more about what is being presented
- Help you have better conversations with them
- Sometimes presenters link suggested articles to read for their talks
- If presenting, check to see when you are scheduled to present and inform your team
- Plan out which presentations you plan on attending
- Posters must be able to travel or must be printed at your location
- Make these plans as soon as possible
- Ensure your poster will travel safely and meets restrictions
- Conferences will typically have size limits or even templates
- Prepare an elevator pitch if presenting a poster
- A 2-3 minute overview of the poster/ research
- Be prepared to answer questions about your research
- Prepare your talk if presenting a workshop or symposium
- Create slides for your presentation
- Rehearse your presentation
- Be prepared to answer any questions about your presentation
- Look at things to do in the city
- Restaurants, museums, or just general exploring can be nice while you’re in a new place