Advice for Future Attendees of the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

If you've read about the great memories made from the 2012 Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, you're hopefully considering attending the 2013 version. If so, use this post as a resource. We asked our members what advice they would give to future attendees so that they could derive the greatest possible value from the conference. Read their thoughts after the jump.

Colin Dailey: Find panelists you want to speak and try to speak to them at times other than when they first get done their panel (when they're swarmed with a ton of people). If you are prepared to speak with them at any time, you'll see them in passing later in the conference, and approach them at that point. Therefore, you'll receive more of their attention, without being mixed into the crowd of everybody else (and you'll stand out more). Also, be open to checking out new panels, as you'll probably be surprised and find something useful from panels you're unfamiliar with (topics).

Michael Hendel: My advice would be that you have to be realistic about what you want and expect from events like this. There were thousands of students and people who wanted to get jobs and meet with the sports celebrities. These guys get "hit on" anytime they are out in public and it is unreasonable for anyone to think that spending two minutes talking about a sports topic or asking questions is enough to actually get an internship. What i would do next time is talk to the attendees more than the panelists. There were representatives from 28 out of 32 basketball teams at the conference, and more teams will eventually flock to statistical conferences such as this one in the future. Talking to people around the rooms is a way to both make contacts and enjoy your time.

Adam Kirsch:
-Know what you're talking about/do your research and have questions to ask speakers
-Talk to other attendees–their backgrounds and insight will surprise you and they can often give you valuable advice
-Take notes
-Keep track of business cards/contact information you may receive and follow up within a reasonable time–remember to be gracious and grateful
-Always carry yourself in a respectful and professional manner. This is much more than confidently smiling and shaking hands.

-You should also remember that every action is a direct reflection on you, your club and your school.

Reed Longo: My best piece of advice for anyone attending this conference is to become familiar with the panelists before the conference. If you know what they do professionally, it makes the panels much easier to comprehend. Also, you never know if you have a shared connection with that person. For example, I used LinkedIn to find shared connections I had with some panelists/attendees and it helped me break barriers and make conversation. If you just do some brief research before the weekend, not only will you be able to enjoy the panels more, but it'll help you network

Daniel Lowenthal: Advice for next year is to go to what interests YOU. I went to very few panels, and chose to go to more of the EOS speeches and research presentations, and I ended up getting way more out of the conference than I did last year, when we went to almost all of the panels.

Eric Maimon: Plan what panels your going to, know the speakers well, and don't discount the attendees, some of them are bigger than the panelists.

John Rodriguez: Go to the conference with an open mind and see as many panels as you can. Do not be afraid to approach anyone you admire and have something valuable to say to them, so that the conversation of as small as 20 seconds is meaningful. Do research on the speakers and take detailed notes of the panels so that you can go back to the speakers at the end of it all with something to take away, other than a picture.

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Thank you to all the ILRSMC members that attended the SSAC and contributed to this piece. We hope to see more of you next March!