Conventions are some of the most fun you can have with like minded people who share the same interest as you, provided that you’re going to a convention willingly!
You have such a great time with the lectures, late nights and lavish spending on that next big thing that will give you 10x gains that you go home feeling that high only a convention can provide. But then a few days later the high is gone and it’s time to take stock of what just went passed This can be difficult if you don’t plan for it so here are five ways to make the most of your post conference high.
This is applicable to any interest you have but since my interest is magic I’ll be focusing on magic examples. Feel free to substitute your own interests.
Note It Down!
You’ve spent a day or more listening to speakers share their wisdom and secrets, plus all those conversations in-between the scheduled events you mind would be buzzing from the overload of information!
So as soon as you’re able to, jot those notes down in some way:
Write it in a notebook
Type it into your phone
Voice record what you learnt
As much as you think you’re going to remember what you heard, chances are in a few days you might have the overall idea, but you’ll be struggling to remember the details, and like Reacher says, details matter (even if this isn’t an investigation).
Personally, I prefer to write in a notebook while listening to the lecture and capture the main points of each talk and any particular details I think will be important. Then I’d transfer it digitally using any online documentation program, my preference being Notion, using my Hybrid Magic Library.
Take Action
Often times after hearing a talk, you’ll come away with a couple of big ideas you want to implement, but also often time you get home and don’t end up doing anything, lost in the options of where to start!
How do you even decide where to start?
If you had notes, go back and look over them to see what specific actions you wanted to take, and then prioritise those and begin working your way from the top down. However if you don’t have notes, you’ll have to rely on your memory on what you want to start with and go from there.
Another easy way is if you bought anything at the convention, that is a good motivation to begin with that, so that your money isn’t going to waste. At the last magic convention I went to, I bought a magic book, and I’ve been working my way through it (although quite slowly).
A convention is often a great escape from the busyness of our life to focus on your passion, don’t let it go to waste by not making steps to implement what you learnt.
Reinforce Those Connections
You meet a lot of people at conventions, some you get along with, and others you really get along with!
So don’t let those connections sever when you go back to your lives, connect with them online or make sure you exchange numbers so you can help one another or just pick up where you left off. Even those you didn’t get a chance to interact with, it’s worth reaching out because they might just reply! The magic community is a great bunch of people who are more than willing to help in most cases. I’ve seen a lecture from magician, tried to note down as much details as possible but was still unclear on a few things and sent a message to him for some help and he responded with so much more detail than I expected it was not only very helpful but felt good to be heard in such a way.
Conventions are also great to catch up with friends you haven’t seen in a long time too but keep in contact in other ways until the next opportunity to meet again in person.
Share the Love
The lockdowns gave us online conventions where we could attend a virtual place to jam, listen to lectures and even buy products from the comfort of our home, and while physical conventions were sorely missed, the downside was that not everyone could go.
That’s where the convention attendees can assist in this space, by sharing their experience with others we get a glimpse into the happenings of the convention. Of course, we aren’t to publicly and freely divulge the teachings and secrets but others are okay. In the case of magic, there are often videos on YouTube showing highlights or the latest magic tricks from the magicians in attendance or there are blog posts and podcasts recapping what occurred during the convention.
In my case I wrote down my takeaways from the last convention I attended in Sydney.
Relieve The Highs
Ahhh but how do you capture that high again you experienced during your time jamming with others and learning under the tree with masters?
The best way is to meet up with others and catch up. A big part of why conventions are so great is that physical coming together of people, you chat about where you are at in your journey and share experiences to help each other. Those are the moments I enjoy, helping others and receiving help. Meeting up afterwards would allow you to see how others are going, follow up on any actions you decided to take and make plans for future meet ups.
Other minor ways to relieve the highs are to go over your notes, and tinker around with what you wrote down or bought.
Unfortunately in Australia we don’t have a big market with conventions unlike the US or UK, which often will have people travelling from all over to attend. Perhaps one day I’ll get to attend one of the big conventions and share a drink with you as we talk about our goals in magic.
What are you favourite parts of a convention and how to do extend the post conference high?
I'm hoping to meet you at a convention someday soon!
I8