As a presenter, should I attend all days of conference?

Question

Recently, I have a paper accepted at an IEEE conference, and I am supposed to present my paper orally at the conference. The programs have been released, and it is a four day conference. I am supposed to present at the last day. The question I want to ask, is that, should I also attend the first day (openning ceremony) as well?

Answer 1

It is not necessary to attend all days of any conference, Many professionals have to miss days because of other conflicts. Perhaps you cannot afford to attend all 4 days. I would not say that, I would cite personal or professional obligations or another good reason. For your own sake, though, try and hang around for at least one more day if you can. After all, conferences are great for networking and getting ideas about your profession. Best to attend one public cocktail hour or dinner, too.

I am assuming you have to go out of town for this event so it will be costly unless you are backed up professionally. Many organizations will help defray expenses. If you live in town or in driving distance why would you not want to attend as much as possible, especially since you are a presenter? After all, they have recognized you.

But you will not be committing a professional faux pas if you are not there every day. There are articles online regarding other kinds of etiquette for these events. If this is your first, take a look!

Congratulations on the honor of having your paper selected for presentation! That is wonderful, and best of luck to you.

Kathleen