Conference Checklist

Want the best SiWC experience?

Before the conference:

  1. Register! SiWC registration opens in early June each year.
  2. Register early. Deep discounts are available for the early-birds who plan ahead.
  3. Reserve your hotel room. The hotel sells out every year, and there are a limited number of rooms avaiable at the conference rate. Grab one while you can!
  4. Consider attending with a friend. Sharing room costs is a good idea. Sharing notes is an extra bonus. Sharing the experience of SiWC? Priceless.
  5. Follow the SiWC blog for latest updates. Every year we run Ride-Share and Room-Share blog posts before the conference.
  6. Plan ahead. Come prepared with a list of questions. Use the questions to decide which workshops will be the most help to you. Workshop and presenter schedules go up before registration opens in June.
  7. Bring business cards to exchange. Help people remember your name!
  8. Practice your 'elevator pitch'. Can you summarize your story in 2 or 3 sentences?
  9. Packing List: power cords for recharging, water bottle for rehydrating, clothing for layering.
  10. Print out your travel itinerary, and the hotel contact info to store with your passport and travel tickets. Expect the unexpected!

During the conference:

  1. Ask your questions! SiWC is all about sharing information.
  2. Make friends. You'll soon learn that almost everyone who attends SiWC identifies as an introvert. You are among like minds! But the more you reach out, the more information you can share. Tag-team workshop notes! Friendships forged at this conference can last a lifetime.
  3. Connect with colleagues. SiWC presenters include agents, editors and publishers who are actively acquiring. Introduce yourself. Exchange business cards.
  4. Take notes in every workshop. Try to come up with a list of take-aways from every event that you can review when the conference is over.
  5. Move around to different tables for each meal. Meet your colleagues. A good opening line? "What do you write?"
  6. Pace yourself. With up to ten workshops, panels and events happening simultaneously, there's too much to take it all in. Choose worskshops with care, but if one doesn't meet your needs? There are plenty of other choices.
  7. Step outside your comfort zone. Try something new -- a workshop in a different genre, or an UnConference session you've never heard of. SiWC is all about expanding horizons!
  8. Be kind to yourself. Go for a walk outside. Breathe oxygen. Take a nap. Then rejoin SiWC refreshed!
  9. Keep track of Twitter, Instagram and Facebook handles for when the conference is over. Watch for the conference hashtags [#SiWC17 and #ThisDayWeWrite].
  10. Forgot something? The conference venue is a block away from the largest shopping centre in Surrey.

After the conference:

  1. Give yourself time to crash. SiWC is INTENSE. You'll need a break after for sure. But after you've caught up on your sleep?
  2. Review your notes. Revisit conversations shared and wisdom gleaned.
  3. Reach out to friends you've met. We live in the future -- stay connected on-line and through social media.
  4. Use the conference hashtags  [#SiWC17, #ThisDayWeWrite] to review notes and highlights that other attendees posted on Twitter and Instagram.
  5. Plan for next year! Set writing goals. And if you throw the cost of a store-bought coffee into a jar every day, you'll cover your conference registration fee pretty painlessly.