I find it increasingly difficult to understand the importance that is attached to conferences. My university e-mail is frequently stuffed full of forwarded invitations to attend a huge range of them. As it happens, I am unable to afford attendance at any of them unless they do not charge a registration fee and are also located in my home town. I often wonder whether I would bother to attend them, however, if they were both free and convenient? The answer, still, is a resounding no. Well, not completely no, I must say that postgraduate conferences can be quite entertaining, controversial, confrontational, and lively with plenty of opportunities to meet and interact with others. The academic conferences however with there rigour, lack of passion, and any signs of life from there monotonous speakers responding to the same boring questions asked, are a major snooze fest. I firmly believe that reputations in academia are a massive hindrance to stimulating discussions and answering important questions on a variety of topics. Even on what should be highly charged discussions on subjects in relation to youth justice (my field), continue in this mundane, tedious monologue. Indeed, so unmotivated have I become about the state of academia, that I don't bother to read journals or even books anymore, they're dreary for one thing; I know what they're going to say for another. That's it in a nutshell, once you've been to one conference you've been to them all (whether you realise it or not).

I think the benefits of conferences go beyond what is presented on the day. They're an opportunity to 'network' and discuss ideas. In fact, I reckon the most important part of conferences is the time between presentations.

But, yes, I agree that they are very expensive. I rather like the idea of moving to webinars wherever possible. They are shorter, free to attend and if you just want to see the conference material then just as good. Of course you miss out on the networking element though!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_conferencing

I have organised a conference in the past, just a small one with 20 or so attendees (so more of a seminar really) and I was surprised at how much time it took up - but it didn't cost a lot.

From my experience it is the accommodation in most universities that really racks up the cost. The price that colleges charge for some really quite sub-standard rooms sometimes is shocking. Add that to travel costs as well - that is where the price comes from.

Not the actual event. More webinars is what we need.

I agree that conference fees and costs can be exorbitant, and this makes it really depressing when you don't feel you get much out of them.

It sounds to me, though, that you might be selecting conferences for the wrong purpose. If you are simply going to conferences which are narrowly focused on your particular research field, and which contain the big names, it is likely that they will just be a rehash of things that you already know about. Webinars aside, at conferences of this type why bother going to listen to a paper, when you know they will be published in a journal a few months later?

The best conferences I have been to have been those that I think may be of only tangential relevance to my research, those not really in my discipline, or those large "catch all" conferences that cover a wide range of topics (e.g. the MLA conference). These can really shake up your research by offering perspectives and ideas that you may not have thought of before. Unlike reading where you browse for topics you already know will be of relevance, here you may be confronted with ideas and papers that you would never ordinarily have come across. Perhaps you should try to make your next conference one which you doubt will be of use - it may turn out to be of greater value than the ostensibly more "relevant" ones.

Hi Ali,

Sometimes, and this is my experience, you only have a limited number of conferences to attend in your field that can be justifiable expensed. Not all supervisors are that accommodating when it comes to attending only partially relevant, expensive conferences.

I think Ali's point relates to attending conferences in general. I'm sure his point applies equally well to free events within your own university. Just go along and see what happens.

It probably depends on your learning style, too. Personally I tend to have my best idead when I'm listening to others describe their research - even if it's only tangentially related - and when I'm explaining what I'm doing and why. I just work better in a "conference" environment, so I love going along and would take every opportunity. But that's just my personal preference ;)

Hi,

This is a great thread for me as I have just got back from a conference which felt like a bit of a waste of my time, however, following what Dan said above, you never know when someone you have met is going to help you out in the future.

Based on what Rachel said, I think that you need to go into a conference with an open mind if you are going to be receptive to ideas generation. It's perhaps not entirely personal style that determines whether you make new ideas at a conference, but a positive approach.

Katie

I agree that if I had to pay my own way to attend conferences, I would be attending very few, since grad students don't earn much, and postdocs not much better.

I have been fortunate in that funding has made it possible for me to attend conferences. Often this has been from grant monies from one of my advisors, sometimes from NSF funding, or from other fund pools that my department provided specifically for grad students. My current postdoc position includes an allowance for travel expenses for conferences.

It is true that I do not necessarily get much from every talk at every conference. But the talks do give me a sense of what is the current cutting edge in my field. If every talk bores you, if you are not interested in current research in your field, then you have to ask yourself why you are pursuing studies in your field.

But to echo comments by others, the far more important aspect of conferences (for me) is to network with others in my field: to renew past acquaintances, to make new ones, to get face time, to become known as a person in the field. The more you become known, the more likely you will be invited to give a talk at a conference or seminar. You never know when this may make a difference when you are on the job market, applying for your next position. As one of my thesis advisors told me, you should take every opportunity to give a talk. And remember that every talk is a job talk, whether you realize it or not, so give it your best.

Of course, if you are only pursuing a master's degree as a terminal degree, with the intention of getting a non-academic job afterwards, then conferences may indeed be a waste of time for you. But if you plan to become an academic, you need to realize the importance of conferences.

I disagree that conferences are a waste of time. Yes, they can be expensive but I think there are many benefits from attending them. As some have mentioned already, they are great places to meet people who may turn out to benefit you later on. For example, I presented at a conference recently and met someone who has subsequently decided that she wants to cite my work in a book chapter she is co-authoring with one of the most famous researchers in my area! I was thrilled!

Secondly, on a more personal note, I have found that presenting/ and or discussing research with others is a great way to keep motivated. As I am now in my final year of my PhD, it has been a great way of me re-igniting my interest and enthusiasm in my research, when I can see that others are interested in it. Again, recently I was at a conference, and getting other people's ideas and suggestions for future research has been really useful and made me think, "actually, my research really is pretty interesting!"