AFP Congress is coming up next week. If you’re a fundraiser and can make it to Toronto for this conference, don’t miss out. Every year AFP puts together a fantastic lineup of speakers over three days.

By my calculation, our team has logged between 11,200 and 20,000 hours at AFP Congress and similar conferences over the past 30 years. The low end of that estimate only accounts for Neil and Steve combined. If a name appears in brackets after a tip, that is the ST team member that suggested it.

Congress can be a marathon of learning and networking, so I’ve tapped the collective knowledge of our team to put together the best list of tips to help you prepare for those three crazy days:

1. Arrive early – but not too early
2. Pack light
3. Bring a bottle of water, stay hydrated (Sau-Fann)
4. Dress in layers
5. Clean up after yourself when your session is over (there are bins on the way out!)
6. Talk to the vendors
7. Take advantage of the coat check
8. Bring business cards, take business cards (everyone!)
9. Tip the coat check attendants
10. Turn off your phone (or, turn off the ringer if you still want to tweet! Thanks to @SylvieinToronto)
11. Introduce yourself to the person on your right and left when you get seated (Lorie)
12. Establish your goals for the AFP Congress (Max)
13. Compliment someone
14. Ask a good question during a session
15. Share your session notes with co-workers who couldn’t attend
16. Go easy on the cologne or perfume
17. Stand right, walk left when using the escalator
18. Help someone with directions if you know where you’re going
19. Chat with the student volunteers collecting the response forms
20. Have a couple of extra pens on you (Lisa)
21. Show photos of family, pets, etc. They are great for “getting to know you’s” (Sau-Fann)
22. Recommend a book to someone at the book table
23. Don’t sit with your coworkers – mingle (Lorie)
24. Remember to visit the washroom before the session (Lorie)
25. Sit at a table with strangers during meals and make new friends (Steve)
26. Ask a question to a speaker at the end of a session and exchange cards (Steve)
27. If you spot a friend in a crowd, don’t shout over people’s heads – go to them (Lisa)
28. Be mindful of other people’s time constraints (Lisa)
29. Shake Hands (Leslie) – or, fist bump to prevent the spread of germs (thanks to @rebsd)
30. Don’t clump with co-workers (Lisa, Max)
31. No other way to say this: breath mints (Lisa, Sau-Fann)
32. Be the first one to ask a question in a session (Max)
33. Arrive 5 to 10 minutes early to your session so that you can talk with your neighbors (Max)
34. Ladies – plan a sensible place to keep business cards if you don’t have pockets
35. Catch up with old friends, Make new friends (Leslie)
36. Do Lunch (Leslie)
37. Women – wear comfortable shoes (Kristen)
38. Bring a re-usable bag for carrying materials you pick up (Sau-Fann)
39. Bring handy folder/envelope for the business cards you get (Sau-Fann)
40. Camera/camera-phone for really neat things you see and people you meet (Sau-Fann)
41. Thank a speaker after their presentation (Leslie)
42. Make notes on the back of business cards about what you talked about
43. Connect with those people who shared their card with you after Congress (Debbie)
44. Offer a mint to people you’re sitting close to in a session, especially after lunch (Debbie)
45. Have extra paper and a pen to share.
46. Introduce colleagues to one another
47. Don’t be shy, talk to the folks at STTV
48. Recharge yourself and your mobile devices at the ST booth!
49. Smile