Networking At Meetings Is Vital For Career Advancement

Almost without exception, social events at scientific conferences are fertile ground for networking, veteran conference attendees say. Those who go to such activities are usually eager to meet people and are often more relaxed than during the tightly scheduled scientific sessions. Nevertheless, not all social events are created equal. Here is a guide to some of them. Mixers: Many societies hold a mixer or reception on the first night of a conference; others schedule a mixer later in the meetin

Billy Goodman

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Mixers: Many societies hold a mixer or reception on the first night of a conference; others schedule a mixer later in the meeting. One drawback of an opening mixer is that you can't use something from the meeting itself to break the ice in conversation. In addition, names may not yet have been linked with faces. Opening mixers are a great place, however, for old friends to meet. A mixer later in the meeting is a good place to approach someone whose talk you liked but whom you couldn't get a chance to talk to earlier.

Among the more unusual mixers is the American Chemical Society's "SciMix," which is part poster session, part mixer. Paula Groves of the ACS meetings office emphasizes that SciMix is mainly a poster session "jazzed up" with refreshments. Each division within ACS presents posters.

The American Institute of Biological Sciences brings several societies, such as ...

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