I just returned from a conference for writers. This was my first foray into this world and community. To be honest, it didn’t change my life. There were a few sessions that were diamonds but there was a lot of rough I had to wade through. I’ve had a few conferences where I left changed. Most of the conferences that I go to are not of this sort. But are conferences worth it? Yes, they are but it is all about expectations.

Here’s my experience. I’m a philosopher and regularly attend and make presentations at academic philosophy conferences (yes, these do exist and there’s lots of them). I often speak at Apologetics conferences. I’ve even gotten to be the lead organizer for our annual Stand Firm conference for the last few years.

Here are some thoughts about reasonable expectations at conferences…

1. Conferences are often not well oiled machines. There is literally nothing (really, I’m serious, nothing) in my training that qualifies me to be an organizer of a moderately sized conference. I don’t know how to get the word out. I don’t know how much everything costs or what’s worth spending money on. I know what I like in a conference but I have no reasonable expectation that this would be good for general consumption. This seems to be all too common (by the way, it turns out that writers are no better than academics in putting on a conference). We value certain areas of expertise and we think “hey, we should put on a conference.” Do we know the first thing about putting on conferences? No, not really.

2. People don’t typically learn a whole lot at conferences. Let’s be honest, there’s not much new under the sun and, if you are already a practitioner in a specific area, then it’s unlikely that your world gets turned upside down. I think you can reasonably expect to sharpen some skills and pick up a few knowledge nuggets. However, 95-99% of what gets presented in these sorts of conferences is someone else’s work. Some of the biggest names in Christian Apologetics are folks who are not doing original work. I’m a novice in the world of writing but even I recognized ideas that were unoriginal to the speaker. All in all , there’s nothing wrong with this. In apologetics, we desperately need this sort of dissemination and often these are able to present the ideas with a new and fresh angle. But, let’s face it, you can almost always find a few dozen different presentations of the same material on youtube from the comfort of your own home.

So my advice: Don’t go to conferences expecting great organization and don’t go expecting to come away an expert. So why should folks go to conferences?

3. It’s really all about community. The reality is that conferences provide opportunities to connect in ways and with people that are very unlikely to happen otherwise. You can often get an audience with a major figure in the field that may result in a signed book and an individualized answered question or it may turn into an ongoing relationship. Both of which often make conference attendance completely worth the price of admission. There are also many minor figures in the field at conferences. These individuals are typically much more accessible and you really can establish a relationship. They are often open to getting lunch or would be willing to have an ongoing dialogue long after the conference is over. A handful of these minor figures will become major figures in the field and it’s great when you already have connection. Finally, you are certain to meet a few folks who are peers. These are conference goers who have similar interests. Great friendships are likely to emerge precisely here.

So go to conferences. But go with a mild expectation to learn a few things and a great expectation to connect with interesting people (oh and give your conference organizers a break if not everything goes perfectly well!).