Conference Survival Guide
Three Things #59: March 12, 2023
I’m fresh off of another fun, successful ETHDenver. The event (or, rather, the week of events) was bigger than ever this year, which also means it was more intense and more stressful than ever before. It’s critical to enjoy these events responsibly to make the most of them and to stay healthy, especially when the “conference” actually consists of a week or two of intense events, meetings, and parties.
If there’s one thing I’ve done a lot the past few years it’s attend conferences, especially crypto conferences. I’ve been to dozens in many countries and over time I’ve developed strategies to optimize attending these events, some of which I’d like to share here.
Thing #1: Sleep
If I had only one piece of advice to give, it would be get plenty of sleep. I know how hard this can be during conference weeks. There’s literally always something more interesting to do: breakfasts, lunches, dinners, meetings, parties, hacking, clubbing, talks, side events, you name it. You could easily stay out and surf events for 20 hours per day, never get bored, not spend five minutes alone, and still FOMO about all of the other events you’re missing.
When I attend a conference I typically like to be present, which means showing up when the event starts, getting a coffee, and sitting in the front row, at least for a few talks. But given that events start between 8 and 9am, and that there are always dinners and parties in the evening, this literally means that, if you stick to this strategy, you’ll be out all day, every day. If you’re superhuman and you’re able to sustain that sort of schedule for a week, more power to you. I cannot, at least not anymore.
At this year’s ETHDenver I decided to cut two things: morning events and parties. I was in bed every day by around 10pm, and spent a few hours working out, and working, each morning. Sleep, in particular, is key to staying healthy, especially when you’re constantly surrounded by people and by viruses, facing constant stimulation, etc.
I politely refuse dinners that start later than 8pm. I leave dinners a little early, usually after the main course and before dessert. I skip the clubbing and partying after dinner. I’ve done that before, too, a lot, and I know what I am and what I’m not missing—and I don’t feel that I missed much this year! Late night events are fun, too, but in my experience the quality of conversation is highest earlier in the day, which is what I try to optimize for.
Basically, the key is to set your own schedule and stick to it. Don’t even check text messages in order not to FOMO into things during the time you’ve blocked for yourself. Don’t even look at the agenda for events so that you don’t FOMO about missing particular talks or panels.
I almost always sleep well during conference weeks! As an introvert, being on my feet all day and out all day being social means that by the time I get back to my accommodation I’m totally drained. Getting 8+ hours of sleep a night (and a workout in the morning) is the only way I’m able to get up and do it all over again the next day, day after day. I’ve had conference weeks where I slept especially well and ones where I barely slept, and I assure you there’s a huge difference. When I’m short on sleep for days on end, my brain shuts down and I don’t remember any of the amazing talks I saw, people I met, or conversations I had. When I’m well-rested, I remember a lot more, which makes the entire trip more worthwhile.
Thing #2: Scheduling
There’s way more going on during busy weeks like ETHDenver than any one person could attend or stay on top of. Even a disciplined, well-organized army of ten couldn’t attend everything. The experience of these weeks feels, in a nutshell, like FOMOing over dozens of amazing-sounding events that you want to attend but cannot possibly. There are often a number of interesting, exciting events overlapping in different venues in different parts of town. Add on top of this other obligations like work, preparing a talk, running an event or, you know, sleep, and you quickly begin to feel overwhelmed.
There are a few ways to approach scheduling a week like this. One way is to be very conscientious and prepared: study the schedule and sign up for good events ahead of time, book interesting talks on your calendar, and generally optimize down to the minute. I’ve had weeks like this. I’ve also had weeks that were the complete opposite: sign up for nothing at all, plan nothing, and just go with the flow. Both approaches are fine if that’s your style, but after doing this a bunch of times I’ve landed somewhere in between.
Instead of planning every minute, I pick one or two “anchor” events or talks each day that I definitely don’t want to miss. Typically these are talks given by friends or people I specifically want to hear, talks on subjects that I’m especially interested in, or (more often) both. These are the only things I put on the calendar. Everything else will work itself out and fill in around these. I find that this is the perfect balance between conscientiousness and optimization on the one hand, and serendipity on the other.
Generally I think the right approach is one inspired by Burning Man. During conference weeks it’s essential to allow lots of time and space for serendipity to work its magic. You never know whom you’re going to run into, which meal you might get invited to, or which event you didn’t know was happening. Another useful Burning Man idea: “Don’t leave fun for fun.” If you’re having a good time, don’t leave and try to chase fun somewhere else just because you signed up for something or feel that you should attend some event. The reality is that you’ll have fun and learn wherever you are, and you’ll be happiest if you simply embrace that fact.
The number one thing I optimize for during conference weeks is spending as much time as possible with the best people. Nine times out of ten I’ll prioritize a small group meal, a breakfast, a coffee, a lunch or a dinner over anything else. You can learn technical content on your own time, you can read whitepapers and watch recorded talks, but you can’t recreate the social interactions of a conference week after the fact.
I think the most important thing is just to relax and allow yourself to have fun. Plan a little but not too much. Some of my best conference experiences happened in a coffee shop downstairs from or across the street from the main venue where I met lots of random people as they walked in—again, serendipity at work.
Oh, and remember to save some time for yourself. You’ll need that too, to unwind and reflect on all the fascinating people you’re meeting and the conversations you’re having.
Thing #3: The Basics
Let’s cover some of the basic logistics like food and lodging. Basics may be boring but it’s double plus important to get these things right during stressful conference weeks.
Generally when I’m visiting somewhere for two or three nights, I prefer the comfort and reliability of a known hotel brand. For longer trips, however, and especially for extra stressful weeks, I really appreciate having a bit more space, a kitchen and laundry. In these situations I tend to book a rental apartment or, when possible, something like a Sonder (Denver happens to have a decent Sonder not far from the RiNo area where ETHDenver now takes place). I typically pick up or order groceries more or less immediately upon arrival so that I can prepare a healthy breakfast every morning, and so that I always have decent, healthy snacks on hand, especially fruit and lots of protein (eggs, yogurt, nuts, etc.).
I tend not to eat breakfast while I’m home, but during conference weeks I find that it really is the most important meal of the day. Food is often hard to find, and when you do find it it’s often limited and pretty unhealthy. As much as I love Denver, I really struggled to find lunch during ETHDenver this year. I ended up eating burgers three days in a row. I love burgers, but I don’t want one three days in a row—but there were literally no other convenient options. The queues for food at conferences are often impossibly long: they were 30-45 minutes at ETHDenver this year (which is fine if you’re waiting in line with friends but not if you’re emceeing a stage!). I carried snacks with me, but I have high metabolism and it’s hard to be on my feet all day without three solid meals. This is all the more reason that a solid, healthy breakfast is so important. Lunches (when I did find them) and dinners tended to be pretty unhealthy and very meat heavy, so I made sure to balance this out with a hearty vegetarian breakfast each day.
I also find it extremely important to get in a solid workout each morning. This is of course always a good idea, but there’s something about conference weeks that makes it all the more important. The more tired and stressed I am, the more I crave a workout, and the better I feel after I’ve worked out. Starting the day with a good run energizes me and gives me the confidence to face what’s coming, even long, stressful days full of meetings and events. As an introvert, the alone time also really helps me recharge from the exhaustion of social conference madness. There’s some magic in showing up at a conference after a workout and a healthy breakfast, knowing that I can be relatively lazy and unhealthy for the rest of the day. You may prefer working out at a different time of day, but morning is the only time that works for me: if I don’t exercise in the morning I know it won’t happen the rest of the day. There’s zero chance of ducking out in the middle of the day (as it generally involves costly, time-consuming transportation logistics in unfamiliar places), and evenings are reserved for social events and dinners.
My general strategy and my general advice is to mimic your home environment as much as possible while on the road. It’s definitely possible to binge for two or three days: to eat unhealthy, to sleep less, to drink more than usual, etc., but this simply doesn’t scale to a full week or beyond, especially with the added stress of a conference. The comfort and familiarity of a morning routine (which for me includes coffee, reading, and a run) goes a long way towards making conference weeks feel less stressful and more manageable.
Of course, even with all of these steps, I still sometimes get sick during a conference week. ETHDenver has a reputation for being a super-spreader event: there’s something about putting tens of thousands of hackers who are drinking too much, aren’t sleeping enough, etc., together into a poorly-ventilated space, that causes viruses to circulate. I got sick after ETHDenver both last year and this year in spite of my attempts to stay healthy. My final piece of advice is to pay close attention to your body. Slow down if that’s what it’s telling you to do. Head back to your hotel early and get some extra sleep. Don’t feel guilty if you end up spending a day (or three!) in bed to recover. It’s critical to put health first and if you don’t, your body will eventually force you to. It’s always better to heed the early warnings and slow down ahead of time.
I hope this (admittedly basic) advice is helpful to a few people. Obviously everyone’s needs and preferences are different, so take what works for me with a grain of salt. We’d do well do better prioritize health and wellness during these events, especially during marathon event weeks—after all, a healthy hacker is a happy hacker!