Last week a member of the RIMS Opis online community asked an important question: “What advice can RIMS Annual Conference & Exhibition veterans give to someone attending the show for the first time?” Luckily, the risk management community rushed in with some sage advice.

First and foremost, several people pointed out how helpful the First Time Attendee Orientation (4:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 23) is. Aside from getting the conference layout, attending the orientation is a great opportunity to meet and get to know people, as “networking is a huge benefit—perhaps the biggest benefit—of attending the conference.”

Here are some other tips from previous attendees to get the most out of the conference:

• Download the RIMS app. The app will help to keep you on schedule. “I love this app because you can add your own events, see who is attending and plan your schedule. It even has a map!”
• Leave the uncomfortable shoes at home. The Pennsylvania Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia is massive, and attendees will be doing a lot of walking. That said, don’t opt for flip-flops either, as most attendees are in business formal or business casual attire. One commenter shared this helpful system, “I can’t emphasize comfortable shoes enough! I log 25,000+ steps each day of RIMS and it is non-stop from morning to night. I bring a backpack and carry dressier shoes if I need to put them on for a specific meeting during the day.”
• Take advantage of free food. “If you work this out right, you won’t buy any meals (except the occasional),” one commenter said. “There are many opportunities to eat for free at a RIMS Annual Conference, and that’s just on the tradeshow floor!” There are also several evening events hosted by underwriters and brokers, some of which splurge on impressive entertainment.
• Get organized, but stay flexible. There are more than 150 education sessions, tradeshow floor activities and general sessions to attend. Before you get to Philadelphia, make note of the sessions you would like to attend, and put holds on your calendar along with location information. That way you won’t feel overwhelmed and flustered when you’re on site. There will inevitably be things that pop up when you’re at RIMS 2017—your plans will change, and that’s OK.
• Find a show veteran to tag along with. Doing this can help with maneuvering the Exhibition Hall and to learn how to “work” the tradeshow floor.
• Talk to the people around you. This can’t be emphasized enough. During down time before or after education sessions, during meals and at parties, be sure to meet new people and collect their business cards. Many business deals and careers have received big boosts from new connections made at the annual conference.
• Bring a very tall stack of business cards!

Finally, a RIMS member advised attendees who don’t want to leave their healthy habits at home amidst all of the activity and parties, to “embrace wellness” with these tips:

• Take part in the 5K Fun Run. This event will take place on Tuesday morning, before the start of educational sessions. It’s a great way to network, raise money for Spencer Educational Foundation (which supports the next generation of rising risk professionals), and experience the host city with an early morning perspective.
• Visit the Wellness ZENter. The ZENter will be located centrally in the RIMS Marketplace Exhibit Hall.
• Drink plenty of water. In addition to the health-conscious choices available at RIMS meals, look for other options, such as infusers and water bottles, in vendor handouts and giveaways.