How To bbcon

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Congrats, you're going to bbcon! Now what?

Congrats, you're going to bbcon! Now what?

First off, read this from Josh Beckerman.

Now, a little more in-depth about what to bring, what to do, and how to recover.

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Before you arrive:

Get some comfy shoes and break them in. This is not a place for brand new super cute stilettos.
Download the bbcon app. You can connect with other attendees, plan out your schedule, and figure out where all the rooms are.
Become a BB Champion. Champions can complete quick (and not-so-quick) tasks to compile points and bragging rights. Points can then be used for gift cards, BB products, and other fun rewards. Plus you'll get invited to a super-fun breakfast exclusively for Champions. Last year's breakfast featured slam poet Anis Mojgani.
Sign up for a Learn Lab. These are the hands-on workshops that show you exactly how to make your BB product dance for you.
Make your hotel reservation. I suggest reserving a room starting the day before the conference and ending the day after. Even if you decided not to stay that entire time, you have the option and can always change before you get there. I didn’t do this last year and had to switch hotels after one night – not the worst thing in the world, but it was inconvenient.

Before you head out, make sure you bring these items:

The big suitcase. If you’re able to check your luggage, bring a larger suitcase than you think you need. You will have a ton of stuff to bring back. Also, TSA security does not allow Awesome Sauce in your carryon.
A power bank. With all the tweeting, note-taking, and app-checking, the batteries on your devices can run down. There are a few charging stations, as well as random outlets around, but I found it much more convenient to have a backup power source with me.
Business cards. Still useful in a high-tech world
Layers. Some of the rooms are freezing and some get warm from all the people. Plan accordingly.
An XL coffee mug. They do have paper cups at breakfast but that wasn’t enough for me to make it through the morning.

Before it starts:

Check in as early as you can. The line gets really long the morning of the first day and you don’t want to miss anything.
Make sure your bbcon app is connected to your Twitter account. Blackbaud partners with a local non-profit and makes a sizable donation if participants post a certain number of #bbcon tweets.
Check your autocorrect so that you don’t spend the conference posting about #bacon instead of #bbcon.

During the conference:

Go to everything. If you’re invited to a reception, go, even if it’s for a few minutes. You’ll meet so many great people it will blow your mind.
As Josh said: Talk. Talk to other attendees, the BB partners, and especially the BB employees. If nothing else, you’ll meet some really great people and you might score some secret swag.
Speaking of swag - it’s everywhere. From candy to t-shirts, don’t be afraid to pick it up. There’s some really handy stuff up for grabs and your coworkers will love you (more than they already do) if you bring treats back.

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Be mobile. Don’t feel like you’re stuck in the session you started on. If it’s not what you wanted, get up and find something else. There’s too much on offer to sit through a workshop that you’re not interested in.
Swing by the Learn Labs. Although the sign-ups fill up fast, the sessions themselves seem to have room left. If there’s one you really want to attend but didn’t get into, stop by the room before it starts and see if there’s a space open.
Make a list of action items for when you return to the office. There’s just too much to remember so keep a running to-do list for when you get back.
Check the app and the Champions site often. You might just find you are one of a handful of people invited to a backstage photo op with guest speaker Ashley Judd.
If you see a guy with a cape, don’t panic. That’s Josh. He’s cool and you should talk to him.

Once it’s over:

Sleep it off. Seriously, your brain will be so full you’ll need an extra day of sleep to absorb it all.
Review your notes. Decide on a plan of action for the next year.
Review the conference. Let the Blackbaud folks know what worked and what didn’t. Seriously, they want to know so it can be better next year.
Get excited for next year’s bbcon!

News ARCHIVED | bbcon® Blogs 09/06/2016 10:37am EDT

Added by Amy Dana

40 Comments

Amanda Palmer Oct '16

This is a great post! I am sending this to all my newbies who will be attending with me this year.

Allison McGinn Oct '16

This article is getting bookmarked!

KAS Shannon Knight Oct '16

Another suggestion: Look for the people who are a bit overwhelmed and say hi to them. :-)

Milly Whittington Oct '16

Thanks, Amy! I just spent an hour adding My Agenda to the bbcon app. I'll edit once I get there, but it's good starting place.

Ronald Timm Oct '16

One thing I like to do. I have a specific notebook I use for BBCON. I carry it with me to everything, even breakfast and lunch, because no matter who I am talking with I'm probably learning something.

Sandy Clinton Oct '16

Awesome advice..THANK YOU from a first timer!

Trish Stinger Oct '16

Great tips!!!

Akshat Agrawal Oct '16

Nice

Debra Holcomb Oct '16

Write up notes to share when you return to the office.

Susan Messina Oct '16

So sad to miss bbcon this year :( . Met so many wonderful people in the community and at Blackbaud. Was able to get problems solved and some worked on while at bbcon!

Amy Stubbings Oct '16

This year, I'm going to try to organize some notes while I'm there to present to the team back home. We like to share learning from any seminar and conference we go to, but the time lag between BBcon and when I was able to present was too long. Some items were hard to explain once I was back home.

Krista Linklater Oct '16

Great tips !

Margie Hill Oct '16

This will be my first time (so excited!). So glad to have found this!

Carrie Sponheim Oct '16

Great blog post. Excited to use these tips at my first bbcon!

Joan Perry Oct '16

Great advice

Philip Nawrocki Sep '16

Take advantage of all that the conference has to offer. And try not to leave early on the last day. One of the best sessions I ever attended was the last one of the day with Ted Hart. Very informative with social media. And don't forget, you are really close to Washington DC. Steal away a few hours to check it out.

Maurice Dixon Sep '16

Thank you for this!!!! It's my first year coming to the conference.

Stacey Vega Sep '16

Nice!

Jeremiah Pierce Sep '16

Review your notes. Decide on a plan of action for the next year. - Would add to this share with your team and co workers get them excited as well.

Lawrence Rush Sep '16

Great Advice and helpful tips.