SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

Tips for New Attendees

(and previous Convention goers who haven’t been to an in-person event in a long time!)

 

Network and Meet New People

• Bring your business cards to share with others. You can also drop your business cards into vendors’ door prize drawings instead of having to fill out an entry forms.
• When someone gives you a card, jot down what you discussed on the back (this helps to remember each person you talked to).

 

New Member Meet and Greet
The OLC Membership Committee invites all new OLC members and first-time attendees to a special gathering outside the Delaware Room on the second floor of the Hyatt Regency. The New Member Meet and Greet will be held Wed., Oct. 13 from 5:15-5:30 p.m. Also, please visit the Membership Committee booth inside the Exhibit Hall at OLC Connects!

If you see someone with a LIME-colored ribbon, please introduce yourself and welcome them to your professional organization.

 

Plan Your Conference

If you haven’t seen already seen them, daily schedules and session descriptions are on the Convention and Expo website.

• If you are attending with co-workers, split up and attend different breakout sessions.
• Download the conference app when it goes live in October.  The mobile app lets you create a customized schedule and includes session descriptions, special events, and speaker presentations and handouts. The app is also where you can complete session evaluations.

 

Navigating the Exhibit Hall and Interacting with Vendors

The Exhibit Hall will be full of vendors sharing their products and services . This can be intimidating for new attendees because you may not have purchasing power at your library and not all products will align with your job.

• Take the brochures and pass them along to the person at your library who does order for that area. As your career progresses, you may be making those purchasing decisions in the future.
• Take the swag – totebags, books, flashlights, pens, notepads, and more – and share it with your co-workers when you get home!

 

Miscellaneous

• Dress is typically business casual, but make sure you wear comfortable shoes. And don’t forget to plan an outfit for Library Fashion Friday (more details coming next week)!
• If you are staying at the Hyatt or the Sonesta, each room has a mini-refrigerator, and there is a microwave in the lobby for guest use.
• For convenience and privacy, lactation rooms are located by the front desk of the Hyatt Regency (attendees will need to ask the front desk to have it unlocked). There is also one in the adjacent convention center just up the ramp past the Union Room (General Session room).
• A sensory-friendly space is located in the Fayette Room on the second floor of the Hyatt Regency.

 

— Kim DeNero-Ackroyd and Trinity Lescallett, Convention Co-Chairs