I’ve been busy preparing for and attending the Special Libraries Association's (SLA) annual conference, where I presented two sessions. For those of you who are not familiar with SLA, it’s an organization of librarians and other information professionals. Members are experts in finding, using, managing, and sharing information, and they work in Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, universities, the government, their own companies, and other settings. More than 5,000 people attended this year's conference, which took place June 3-6 at the Colorado Convention Center.
A conference with 5,000+ attendees is a frightening place to be for an introvert. But somehow I managed to do some heavy networking and survive (more than a little weary, but I survived!). Fortunately, SLA offers networking opportunities in a variety of settings. You don’t have to attend the open houses or receptions that attract 300 people. Forget about walking into a large room that's full of strangers. You can go to division business meetings, early morning sessions, roundtables, and other events that tend to attract fewer attendees.
Not all conferences offer so many networking venues, so just try talking with the person seated near you in a session or standing behind you while you're waiting for the exhibit hall to open. If you are forced to go to a large event, keep an eye out for fellow introverts. They’re often standing on the side of the room, looking as if they’d rather be having root canal!
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