Through the years EDRA has evolved many conference features and conventions that may be unfamiliar to a first time attendee.  Much of the value of the EDRA Conference is in your opportunity to network with people who have similar practice or research interests as your own. This guide is intended to help you get ahead of the curve and find as many networking opportunities as possible.

The purpose of this guide is to help to acquaint you - the first or second time attendee - to the EDRA conference so you can make the most of it.

WHAT ARE INTENSIVES, AND SHOULD I ARRIVE WEDNESDAY TO PARTICIPATE IN ONE?
Intensives are like regular conference paper presentations or workshops, but a small group of people will spend either half or all day on one particular topic. If there is an intensive in an area of interest to you, you definitely should attend. Here is why: this is the best way to meet people who share your deep focused research and practitioner interests. Spending all day with these people will give you a chance to get to know them, and they you. Talk to people on break; go to lunch with other Intensive participants; and by Thursday you will have made conference friends you can spend the rest of the week with.

For example, the Work Environments Intensive is about 18 years old. Several long time EDRA members met each other at this Intensive during their first conference. Those sessions have led to life long friendships and work collaborations. Jump in and allow this to happen for yourself.

SHOULD I STAY FOR THE WHOLE CONFERENCE?
Many people look to save money by arriving late or leaving early.  If you arrive late, you miss the Intensives, the opening reception, and the keynote address.   By the time you arrive, the conference is in full swing; others who are new to the conference have already found each other and made conference buddies.  You will face a more uphill battle as a newcomer to get integrated into a group and get to know people well.  

If you leave early, you miss a very full and rich EDRA Celebration banquet on Saturday evening.  It is at this banquet that culture and tradition are passed along--some years culture and tradition are made.  Career, Achievement, Service, and Student awards are presented at this banquet.  There is entertainment.   And it provides an opportunity to sit informally with people you've met over the past several days.  Friendships are forged; work partnerships may be discussed; certainly, common interests are explored.

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR ME TO GO TO THE OPENING RECEPTION EVEN IF I DON'T KNOW ANYONE THERE?
The reception may seem a bit overwhelming if you don't know anyone there. But do, at the very least, try to find some other people also at their first EDRA conference and compare notes. You may also find a few people to share Wednesday evening dinner or drinks with (though there usually is a pretty good spread at this reception.)

You may well see name badges of recognizable names at the reception. Feel free to go up and introduce yourself. While everyone is an individual, the vast majority of these people will be open and friendly to you.

There will be some announcements at this reception that will inform your experience for the rest of the conference.

WHAT ARE NETWORK LUNCH MEETINGS AND SHOULD I GO?
EDRA Networks are collections of people with very similar research and practice interests who make it a point to get together every year to discuss their shared interests - and meet who is new in their own field. This - along with the Network Intensives on Wednesday - is the best place to meet people who share your interests. The Network lunch meeting is the place where you can become part of the core of the community by volunteering to take on a role with the network. This is the best place to go from being an outsider to an insider.

WHAT IF THERE ARE MULTIPLE NETWORK MEETINGS I WANT TO GO TO THAT MEET AT THE SAME TIME?
We try to locate Network meetings near one another so it is possible move from one to another. If there is a second or third Network meeting that you will miss, at least try to stop by there and make sure they put your name on their sign up sheet. Also, whether or not you make it to Network meetings, remember that you can sign up for Network membership in the member section of the EDRA website. Network membership is free - and you can join as many Networks as you like.

I AM A STUDENT, SHOULD I GO TO THE STUDENT NETWORK MEETING?
Yes, of course. This will be a great time and place to meet other students. This year it is being held rather late in the conference, but still it will be a nice time to meet people - and a great place to find Saturday dinner companions.

EDRA has one student position on its Board of Directors. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , the incoming Student Board Member will lead this meeting. She will talk about different EDRA features geared toward students and possibilities for student networking.

Since this meeting is late in the conference, do find Janet and introduce yourself as early in the conference as possible. Also, several past student reps will be at the conference. So, if you see Susan Rowley, Meldrena Chapin, Nana Kirk, or Sally Augustin - introduce yourself to any/all of them.

They are are active members of EDRA and can answer many questions you might have.

WHAT IS THE BOOK DISPLAY?
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it from the EDRA Archive at Andrews University coordinates a wonderful display of literally hundreds of books of interest to EDRA researchers and practitioners. It is well worth blocking an hour early in the conference to browse through the display. Kathy will have order forms for most all of these books, many of them offered at a conference discount.

In additional, the book display room hosts the EDRA Book Auction. You can bid on any of several dozen books, many signed by their authors. All proceeds from this auction go to support EDRA student travel scholarships.

HOW DO I GET THE BEST VALUE OUT OF VIEWING DISPLAY SESSIONS?
Each display session is an hour long. Take a look through the program and proceedings ahead of time to target display posters that might be of interest to you and plan your route so you can spend some time at each of them - and interact with their authors. Do bring business cards with you as you may want to ask for background research - or you may find potential research or practitioner collaborators among the poster presenters. Also, others who stop at the same displays you stop at may well have research or practitioner interests similar to your own. Don't hesitate to engage them in conversation.

Take the room at your own pace. And do take the time to walk by displays not on your initial list as you may be surprised that a method or domain could turn out to be of surprise interest to you.

I AM PRESENTING A PAPER.  WHAT SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT THIS?
EDRA is a fairly friendly conference, so you should anticipate a friendly and helpful audience.  If you ask people to provide feedback and suggestions after your talk, you will likely get some.   Your paper session will have a Session Chair.   If you are not contacted by the Chair ahead of time, feel free to contact him or her to inquire about presentation timing and about how Q&A will be addressed in your session.   Feel free to forward any paper or presentation materials you have ahead of time as this may enhance the introduction made for you and may help the Chair frame some initial post presentation questions.

We have prepared some materials on the website here to help people design and give better paper presentations.

WHAT ARE THE MOBILE SESSIONS? DO MOST PEOPLE GO ON THEM?
EDRA42Chicago Program Committee is handling mobile sessions in a new way for EDRA.   Our call for presentations gives EDRA members an opportunity to propose Mobile Sessions in Chicago.   These sessions are three or four hour workshop and tours on site at a particular domain location of interest.   The Mobile Session takes you out of the standard hotel conference room and embeds you at the location you are considering.

Mobile Sessions are offered Thursday, Friday, and Saturday afternoons.   If you attend a Mobile Session, it pulls you away from the Hotel for the full afternoon missing two traditional paper sessions and one display session.   The benefit, of being at the domain may well be worth it to you if this domain fits your research or practice interests.   Expect 10 to 30 others to attend this session with you.   You may well find people with similar interests or practices at the session and the personal networking you achieve may equal the value of being embedded in the domain.

SHOULD I GO TO THE THURSDAY EVENING AWARDS RECEPTION?
Yes, of course. Not only are the Great Places Awards prestigous - the winners are being chosen from over 150 entries and will be written up in both Metropolis Magazine and PLACES Journal - but the award presentations are often fascinating to see. You will have an opportunity at the reception to interact with both the award winners and with the magazine editors. And, there is usually a very nice spread at the reception.

WHAT SHOULD I DO FOR DINNER ON FRIDAY?
If you have been networking all conference, you shouldn't have any trouble finding people to share dinner with on Friday and Saturday evening. EDRA tends to be a friendly and open community - although we do find that people sometimes stratify out and enjoy dinner these night with those they met at their first few EDRA conferences. So, yes, the long timers may have other plans. But there will be many other first and second time EDRA attendees also looking to socialize and Network. If you have been keeping track of faces at your Intensive, paper sessions, and Network meetings, there should be several very familiar faces by Friday who you can easily talk with.

WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO GET INFORMATION WHILE I AM AT THE CONFERENCE?
The EDRA registration desk is staffed through the entire conference. The people at this desk will be your best source for schedule and logistical information.

SHOULD I GO TO THE EDRA MEMBERS MEETING?
The EDRA general membership meeting is on Thursday at dinner hour. It is open to everyone at the conference. This is the best place to find out about EDRA administration and long term strategic directions. The EDRA Board will lead this meeting, which usually concludes with a lively question and answer session.

I HAVE SOME IDEAS TO MAKE EDRA BETTER, WHO SHOULD I TELL?
There are several people you can talk to.

• Danny Mittleman and Sally Augustin are the EDRA42Chicago co-chairs.  Questions about this conference may be sent to them.
 
• Kate O'Donnell is the Executive Director of EDRA.  Questions about any EDRA matter may be sent to her.
   
• This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  is the EDRA Chair.  Questions about EDRA policies and futures may be directed to her.