The Internet Librarian Wiki had a link to conference tips from Stephen Abram, I think these are great and read them several times before I left. I was pleased to see that he says if you aren’t getting what you expected or needed from a presentation, leave, your time is valuable. I’ve been doing this for years and feel slightly guilty about it sometimes, but if Stephen Abram says it’s ok, well then… 🙂
I have one tip to add – Give people the gift of your name. It’s easy, wear your name tag clipped to your collar rather than on a lanyard. That way it’s close to your face and easy to glance while talking. When talking to someone tell them your name, even if you just talked to them an hour ago! There is a lot of information at conferences and even more people, don’t expect people to remember you. This also helps with the awkward name tag glancing. 🙂 By making it easy for people see and remember your name you’re making it easier for them to remember you and talk to you, they can think about what you’re discussing rather than when they can sneak a glance at your name tag.
Librarian by Day 