My conference packing list

My list is largely the same as others around the ‘net, but may have some surprises.

Seasonally appropriate clothes for the area, one outfit per day of conference plus one extra, plus at least one “nice” outfit.

• Abstractions, like many tech conferences, has a casual dress code. That means you should wear whatever you find comfortable. If you prefer to dress up a bit, you won’t be out of place: there will likely be plenty of folks up a notch or two.
• Some conferences I’ve attended leaned smart casual or business casual — those in T-shirts were out of place. If you’re not sure about a conference’s dress, dress up a little the first day and take it down a notch for the rest, or change, if such is convenient.
• The extra outfit gives you an extra day or a change of clothes if you get soaked from unexpected rain/alcohol.
• The nice outfit gives you an option in case you want to go somewhere that has a nicer dress code than that of the conference or in case you networked your butt off to score an interview on the Monday following a weekend conference. Go you!
• For that nice outfit, an inexpensive suit is never a bad idea for guys or girls. A sport coat always looks classy for guys.
• I’ll defer to women of the conference-attending community for better recommendations, but two articles were recommended to me: Her Packing List’s Ultimate Female Packing List for a Workcation: Work + Pleasure Trip and Corporette’s Five Things You Must Bring to a Conference.

Excellent shoes

• You’ll be on your feet or ass most of the day, so make sure at least half of that is comfortable. Don’t be afraid to bring a butt pad, either!

Thin sweater or jacket

• Most conference centers are overly climate controlled. I’ve been at conferences where it’s 90˚F outside but 68˚F in the conference room and I’m freezing my ass off when I go inside.

A clothing item that sets you apart

• I wear a top hat. Which is easier for people: “Find colindean” or “Find the guy in the top hat”. Granted, I’m generally organizing the conferences I attend, so I need to be more visible, but people remember people dressed differently.
• I used to wear a trilby before the whole “m’lady” thing caught on.

Toiletries

• Clean your teeth and freshen your breath. Mints or breath strips are a great thing to keep in your pocket. Avoid gum, because it’s annoying to the people around you and when you start talking to people.
• Deodorant, antiperspirant, etc. Smell like nothing. Do not use things that are obnoxious such as Axe or powerful perfume.

Good backpack

• Find an outdoors show or something and pick up an identifiable backpack for cheap, if you don’t already have one.
• Your bag should stand out from a few dozen feet away.
• It should have enough room in it for any swag you want. I’m not big on swag, so I can get away with a bag that’s big enough for my laptop and chargers.

Print your schedule and highlight the things you want to go to.

• Don’t rely on technology or printed schedules. Keep your list in your bag or back pocket.
• Don’t feel married to your schedule. Be a leaf on the wind, soar from talk to talk.

Notepad and a few new pens.

• Share your pen stash.
• Don’t take notes on a computer unless you create a new account or you have the discipline not to be distracted by other things on the computer.

Business cards of some kind.

• Essential items: Name, email, specialities.
• Optional items: Phone number, address/location, social media handles, PGP fingerprint
• If you’re representing a company, use company cards when talking company business. You should probably still have personal cards!

Mobile phone and charger(s)

• Keep it in your pocket, except for the occasional tweet or information look up. Participate in the conference, don’t live tweet it.
• Keep it on airplane mode to eliminate distractions.
• Don’t forget a charger. Maybe two, one for your room, one for your bag.

Mobile batteries

• Pick up a lipstick-sized charger or two. If you didn’t pay attention to the airplane mode advice, you’ll burn through battery either from usage or the standard “zero signal” inside most standard conference venues.
• Maybe keep a big battery in your backpack with some extra cables. Letting someone charge off of your 20,000 mAh battery is a great way to make a new friend.

Power strip or cube

• Never underestimate the usefulness of sharing electricity as a networking tool.

Passport

• If you have one, even if you’re traveling in the same country, bring it. You never know what the future holds!

Musical instrument

• Ukulele? Harmonica? Melodia? Bring them. Spontaneous jam sessions at conferences are the best. Here’s a jam session from Steel City Ruby , one of my favorite moments of that year (and not just because it was one of my favorite memories of Jim Weirich).

Elevator pitch

• Be able to describe what you do or what you want to do in the span of thirty seconds.
• Be more interesting than “I’m a programmer”. Try “I’m a programmer interested in quick and dirty, bespoke CRUD apps deployed one single machine that runs unattended and not updated for years.” Figure out what your wow is and be able to talk about it. “I’m one of six people qualified to run certain systems” or “I run the largest tech organization at my school” are great, too. Find a way to stand out in people’s’ memory.
• If you can’t find something that sets you apart, make your interest to someone else’s uniqueness your thing. Ask them about their pitch!

Silliness

• Have fun.
• Be weird.
• Don’t be creepy.
• Learn something.

For more lists, check out the /r/cscareerquestions post that inspired me to write this list.

Looking for a conference to attend? Check out Abstractions, a conference celebrating software and the people who make it. It’s August 18–20 in Pittsburgh, and we’ve got a lot of big names like Richard Stallman, Alison Randal, Jeffrey Zeldman, Sandi Metz, Larry Wall, Kelsey Hightower, Aaron Patterson, Scott Hanselman, Andrew Clay Shafer, Saron Yitbarek, Jono Bacon, Nadia Odunayo, and more.

Update 2016 June 13: Thank you to the anonymous-to-me woman who suggested some better suggestions for the dress section.