“Oh man… I’m not ready for this conference.”

My code isn’t working. I have no data. My presentation isn’t anywhere near what I hoped it would be. I’m so stressed that I’m not even looking forward to going.

I find myself in this exact spiral before every conference (in fact…I’m in it as I write this). You’d think it would get easier with experience, but somehow these big, potentially career-changing conferences always manage to sneak up on you.

As a student, it’s hard not to let the pressure get to you. We build these events up in our heads as though they’re going to define our careers. Every presentation feels like it needs to be perfect. Every conversation feels important.

But here’s the thing I have to remind myself every single time:

Yes, conferences are a big deal. But they are not the make-or-break moment of your career.

So take a breath.

Conferences are meant to be fun. They’re an incredible opportunity to learn, meet people, share your research, and discover opportunities you didn’t even know existed. And while your presentation might feel like the most important part, it’s actually only a tiny fraction of what makes a conference worthwhile.

Here are a few pieces of advice I’ve picked up along the way; some passed on by others, and some I’ve learned the hard way.

Me at my first conference! I presented my undergraduate research at the Benthic Ecology meeting in Quebec, Canada

It’s not just about your presentation

You’ve probably spent weeks (or months) preparing for your 15-minute talk or poster. It’s only natural that it becomes your entire focus. But if your whole conference experience revolves around those 15 minutes, you’re missing out on so much.

Go to talks outside your research area. Learn about methods you’ve never considered. Listen to work that’s completely different from yours. You never know what ideas might spark something in your own research.

Most importantly, meet people.

Conferences are one of the few places where hundreds of people who are passionate about the same things as you are all in the same room. That’s pretty amazing when you stop to think about it. Some of my favorite parts of conferences now are catching up with “conference friends” I’ve met over the years and making new connections with people whose work I’ve admired from afar.

Me (front left) with the University of the Virgin Islands team at ICRS 2022 in Breman, Germany. This is 4 years after I met my master's advisor Marilyn (front center)

You don’t need to be perfect

Your presentation doesn’t need to be perfect.

Your data don’t need to be perfect.

And honestly… you won’t be perfect either.

We put so much pressure on ourselves to have polished results, know the answer to every question, and deliver the perfect presentation. But that’s not really what conferences are about.

Of course, you should prepare and do your best. But if your data is still coming together, or you’re still finding your confidence as a presenter, or someone asks a question you can’t answer – that’s okay.

That’s actually why conferences are so valuable.

They’re one of the few places where you can share your work with people who have completely different experiences and perspectives from your own. Sometimes those perspectives will challenge your thinking. Sometimes they’ll point out something you've overlooked. Sometimes they’ll suggest an approach you hadn’t even considered.

That feedback isn’t criticism; it’s an opportunity to make your research stronger.

I know… receiving feedback in a room full of people sounds wonderfully intimidating. But every researcher has a presentation they’d rather forget.

I certainly do!

Picture this: my presentation decides it doesn’t want to work, there’s a professor snoring in the front row, my lab mates are trying not to laugh in the back of the room, and then I’m hit with questions completely out of left field.

Brutal.

Now? It’s one of my favorite conference stories.

As painful as it felt in that moment, that presentation taught me far more than one where everything went “perfectly.” It taught me how to think on my feet, how to recover when things don’t go to plan, and, most importantly, that the world doesn’t end if a presentation isn’t perfect.

Do I still get nervous before every talk?

Absolutely.

But I know I can handle it.

Confidence doesn’t come from never having a bad presentation. It comes from surviving one and realizing you’re still standing afterwards.

So if things don’t go perfectly, and chances are that at some point they won’t, don’t let that define your conference experience. Learn from it, laugh about it later, and remember that every presentation is helping you become a better scientist.

Not the fated talk, but a full conference room where I presented my PhD research. This was the Reef Futures Conference in Mexico, 2024

Plan… but don’t overplan

Conferences are big. There are multiple sessions running at the same time, workshops, posters, social events... it can be complete sensory overload. You might be thinking, “Eh, I’ll just figure it out when I get there.”

Maybe don’t.

Most conferences release their programs well before the event, and it’s well worth spending half an hour (at least!) looking through it. Highlight the talks you want to see, make note of researchers whose work you’ve been following, and keep an eye out for workshops or session that spark your interest.

Having a rough plan means you’re making the most of your time instead of wandering around trying to decide where to go next while everyone else seems to know exactly where they’re headed. If you’re looking for a potential supervisor, make sure to catch their talk. Curious about a new method? Sit in that session. Going in with a bit of game plan helps you get far more out of the conference.

That said… don’t plan every minute.

Some of the best opportunities happen completely by accident. Maybe someone you’ve just met invites you to a talk you hadn’t considered, or you stumble into a session outside your field that ends up giving you a whole new perspective on your own research. Leave yourself enough flexibility to follow those unexpected opportunities; they’re often the moments you remember most.

Planning ahead also gives you the chance to reach out to people before the conference even begins. If there’s someone you’d love to meet, a potential advisor, collaborator, or researcher you admire, send them a quick email and ask if they’d have time for a coffee during one of the breaks.

I actually did this before my first “big” conference. I emailed a handful of professors whose work I was interested in, and ended up meeting several of them over coffee or lunch throughout the week. Looking back, I am so glad I reached out beforehand. Conferences are busy, and people’s schedules fill up quickly. Had I waited until I arrived, there’s a good chance they would have been booked with meetings.

The “worst case” is they don’t reply, in which case you can then find them at the conference and introduce yourself in person. But if they do respond, you’ve already broken the ice before you’ve stepped through the conference doors.

Just say hi

I know… easier said than done.

I have pretty overwhelming social anxiety that I still cope with, so walking into a room of hundreds of researchers is not exactly my idea of a relaxing afternoon. Looking back at my first conference, the only people I knew where my lab mates.

What I’ve found works for me is to simply shut my brain off for five minutes.

Don’t give yourself time to over think it.

Walk over to say, “Hi, I really enjoyed your talk,” or “I think your research is really interesting.”

That’s it.

Maybe the conversation ends there. If it does, that’s still a win. You pushed yourself outside your comfort zone.

Or… maybe it turns into a conversation that leads somewhere completely unexpected.

That’s exactly how I found my master’s supervisor.

She was giving a talk in a session I happened to be sitting in. Honestly, she wasn’t even on my list of people I wanted to hear from that day. I stayed for the whole session, listened to her presentation, and was completely fascinated by the research opportunities she was talking about.

When the session finished, I waited until the crowd had cleared and went over to introduce myself. We chatted for only a few minutes. I told her I was looking for master’s opportunities, we exchanged contact details, and agreed to stay in touch.

Fast forward one year, and I was enrolled at the University of the Virgin Islands to begin my master’s with Marilyn.

It’s still crazy to think those few minutes of conversation completely changed the direction of my career.

If I’d let my anxiety win that day, none of it would have happened.

That’s why my biggest piece of advice is simply this: say hi.

You never know where a five-minute conversation might lead.

Full circle

So here I am, a few days away from another conference, once again wondering if my presentation is good enough, if my data are ready, and if I’m actually prepared.

The funny thing is… I know I’ll probably feel the same before the next conference too.

Will my slides decide to stop working? Maybe.

Will someone ask me a question that completely catches me off guard? Probably.

Will I spend the first coffee break awkwardly wondering how on earth I’m supposed to introduce myself to people? Almost certainly.

But I also know that by the end of the week, I’ll have learned something new, met interesting people, caught up with old conference friends, and hopefully come home with a few new ideas (probably in a notebook full of scribbled notes that I’ll have to decipher later).

Looking back, I don’t remember every presentation I’ve given. I remember the conversations over coffee, the talks I almost didn’t attend, the people who took the time to answer my questions, and the opportunities that came from simply saying hello.

So it you’re feeling nervous before your next conference, you’re in good company.

Take a breath.

Have a plan.

Be open to learning.

Don’t forget to say hi.

And go enjoy it! Conferences have a funny way of becoming some of your favorite memories.