Conferences Lesson 2: Onsite Phone

Originally this blog was called "What I Learned from Conferences".  I have done many other kinds of events (and hope to continue to do so) since, but I found an old Word doc with notes I wrote to myself to remember things I've learned from each.  Here I attempt to outline the lesson I learned about phones when you are out of the office at an event.

Rent a cell phone.  Period.

If you can find a way for the office number to be routed to that cell phone.  So much the better.  OR just some device which you and the other staff members can be reached through.  People tend to freak out if they cannot reach you... or when they are traveling... or when they can't find you.  Anytime really.

It's actually a good idea to have a mobile number where staff can be reached at any time by the participants. And DO NOT give out a staff member's personal number. NO. DON'T DO IT.  That's just asking for pestering later.  Maybe if it's a company phone that might work.  But keep pros and cons in mind.

I've been in situations where there was no way for the staff to be reached except through the venue's phone lines.  It was a huge disaster and personal numbers were given out to cover the gaps.  You can imagine how that snowballed after.

Online solutions are also available.  Being present and accessible by instant message would be a huge help.  It is the age of technology and most people have smart phones that can gain them access to anyone anywhere anytime.  Use it.

"Out of the Office" is not a valid excuse anymore.  ... hmm... though the repercussions of that may not be so great...