The question: Today’s question comes from Poppy Dinsey (@PoppyD) in London: Still not sure what to pack for #icny. Maybe @gingerw can advise? I have no idea how RE folk dress for conferences!
#wwgwd?
My initial response back to Poppy was, “I usually strive to dress better than most RE folk at conferences.” Packing for New York is quite an adventure for a California girl- we dress differently out west. It is not so easy to look hot when it is freezing cold.
Today I will be busy trying on 75 different outfits and packing for my adventure. This is how my packing begins:
Step 1- Throw all possible outfits on the bed.
Step 2- Try them on.
Step 3- Select winning outfits including shoes and enter the details in the trusty packing spreadsheet. YES, I do really create a packing spreadsheet (my inner geek). Every good trip must have a complete spreadsheet, otherwise you inevitably forget the underwear and phone charger.
Step 4- Identify outfits/accessories you might need and make a list of any items that might need to be purchased or borrowed- you always need to buy something.
Step 5- This step is often the trickiest step- Fold and pack and fit it all in. Don’t forget to leave a little room for any purchases you might make on the trip.
How to Dress for a Conference?
Traditional Conference- Women should plan to wear a nice dress or suit, men should wear a suit or dress pants and nice blazer.
Blogger/Social Media- Depends on the location. If the event is at a nice hotel or convention center, slacks are a good idea. At more casual venues, jeans are typically ok, unless you are speaking. Speakers should always dress a notch up!
BarCamp- BarCamps are super casual, attendee driven events. Jeans are a-ok!
Other tips:
- Conference rooms can seem cold when you are in a warm location like Las Vegas, but very warm when you are in a locale like New York in January. Always dress in layers!
- Sweatshirts are always a no-no- even if they give you one with the conference name on it. Repeat, sweatshirts =bad
- Tennis shoes should be reserved for sightseeing. Repeat, tennis shoes and conferences don’t mix.
- When in doubt, overdress.
What about Post Conference Evening Attire?
Post conference evening attire often varies depending on the type of conference and where the event is located.
- Dining with big shots from the conference? You may want to stay in your business attire. Often this is the easiest plan of action and saves packing space.
- Heading out on the town or going to a fun club with the group? A change may be in order, just don’t forget that you work with these people.
- Wear a decent pair of shoes! When I say decent, I don’t mean comfortable. That is always a bonus, of course, but make sure you have a decent pair of shoes! Many restaurants/clubs may not let you in if you have tennis shoes. Reminder, save your tennis shoes for sightseeing.
And to very specifically answering Poppy’s question, here is my packing plan for the Inman Connect conference in a nutshell:
- Barcamp- jeans
- Blogger Connect- slacks/sweater
- Main Conference- suit for when I speak, dress on second day
- Evening- jeans/slacks & cute tops or skirts with boots. It may be cold but I still want to dress cute!
- Nice warm coat
- Wool socks
- Gloves
- Tights
- Lots of layers and wool.
And that is what Ginger would do!
Ginger Knows is my personal blog. The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and are not that of my company, my employees or my kids :)
Taking notes
Excellent post! I am impressed by the use of a spreadsheet (I had a list of outfits by day…note to self – digital spreadsheet next time). According to you advice, the 5 pair of shoes for 5 days I packed is not excessive (whew!). The weather here is more mild than I expected -crisper than CA bit not unbearable with a coat…i do wish I had packed more tops that fit in the “cute” category. Well, I have all day tomorrow to shop in NY. Maybe that will help. Happy packing!
Hmmm… I’m a jeans guy. I figure if I wear them 95% of the time for all of my appointments with clients I’ll probably wear them 95% of the time for conferences. ;?) See you tomorrow (I’ll be the one in jeans)!
I feel so enlightened Ginger, thank you from the bottom of my heart!
I think I’m going to go with wrap dresses, tights and cute flats for the conference
I’m pretty much in the same boat w/ you there Dale. As an aspiring light packer, jeans are perfect because they’re so versatile.
Packing spreadsheet…pfft. I’m modding a roomba to pack my bags for me.
My vegas attire is a little different than my Inman NYC January attire.
It will definitely involve fun dresses for evening parties, a light sweater for during the conference, and of course –> great shoes!!
Guys take note- Vegas clubs will not let you in with tennis shoes, bring your dress shoes!
OooooMG! Too funny!
I gotta say – I’m going for the ‘pack lite” approach this year
Just One Q:
how many nites may I wear same lil black dress?
Coach Deb- I “plan” to pack lite, but sometimes clothes & particularly shoes creep into my bag without my packing spreadsheet knowing about it! You may wear the same black dress twice. With different accessories, no one will ever know!
What if they’re Vans? Aren’t those technically skateboarding shoes?
Sigh…
Hal,
Remember that conversation we had about being the guy with his nose pressed up against the glass?
IMOP—Yes, top notch suit/shoes to speak, but comfortable shoes can be important. Plus, nice jeans at a blogger conference? why not? (depends on how good you look in them though).
Dirty worn out tennis shoes should be a no-no, but nice ones that are comfortable ought to be ok. I’d rather look comfortable and actually BE comfortable-there is lots of walking and standing at these meetings.
Of course, I suppose there are many types of casual type shoes. Some tennis shoes are nicer than n”on-tennis” shoes.
–and what if you actually have to play tennis!!!
Dean- laughing! Is there a tennis playing session that I am not aware of? I totally agree that at Blogworld nice jeans are acceptable, and you will definitely see me in them on Saturday. Comfortable shoes are important during the day, but at night- they will leave you with your nose up against the glass. Vegas clubs have a strict dress code policy- we saw it happen last year!
HAHAHAHA! Ginger … you most certainly DO know! I just said to Jason Berman that, as a result of this spreadsheet business, I have developed a full-fledged girl crush on you.
Reasons? Where do I start?!? (A) Your bed looks just like mine (or how it WOULD look if I were still going to Vegas … but I digress) & (B) you correctly point out that “decent” aka “awesome” shoes aren’t necessarily comfortable. I’m a flip-flop wearer behind closed doors, but conferences call for something FAR sassier!
I hope to employ your techniques when I head for ICNY10 in a few months. We can compare shoes and sassiness then!
I would normally scoff and say ‘girls’, but must confess that I have made a packing spreadsheet in the past. Granted it was for my wife (so I could note what she packed on a trip) and then I packed for her on a separate ‘surprise’ trip. It worked. #nerdcon