Hello everyone!
As the date to make our way to Orlando quickly approaches, I wanted to take a minute and help all of you who are attending the Structures Congress for the first time!
I want to start by saying this has quickly become one of my favorite conferences to attend, and after attending the last two, I feel like there is still a lot more to learn about how to make the best out of this experience.
Here are four tips that I think you will find useful during the conference:
- Bring your business cards - You will meet A LOT of new people. I have found that by giving them your contact information you can start creating a really solid business network. This is really important to develop your own career as well as collaborate on different topics of interest.
- Download the conference App on your phone - The last thing you want to do is trying to figure out what sessions to attend last minute. I like to see all the sessions in one place, pick the ones that I like, and add them to my calendar with all the information I need to find my way to the room. Fun fact, most sessions are organized so you can attend different presentations from different sessions (each session is divided into 4 - 5 equal time slots so people can jump in and out of the sessions to attend the individual presentations they like)
- Talk to vendors - There are a lot of new innovative technology being developed every year and vendors are always excited to showcase their work. I have learned a lot by just jumping from stand to stand to talk and learn what is going in terms of structural inspection, analysis, and design of different materials using numerous software and equipment. It really helps compliment the presentations and bring everything together.
- Make friends! - This is one of the most important ones. This event has been developed to socialize and grow your network, and the event layout shows it! There are many opportunities to talk to new people and learn what they are working on!
I am excited to hear your tips if you have attended or questions if this is your first time! Don't hesitate to reach out and see you all in Orlando!
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Luis Duque EIT,A.M.ASCE
Structural Engineer
Broomfield CO
luis@...------------------------------