With less than one week for the annual conference, here are a few things for you to double-check before the madness 
begins. Pack:
- A list (on paper or in your head) if the information you want to gather while at the conference. If you know this upfront, it will help to focus you during the event.
- 50 - 75 of your business cards. Even though we are very web 2.0, we all still value a good business card.
- Comfortable walking shoes. Whether you're in business or comfortable attire, you're feet need to be happy.
- Whatever electronic equipment you'll want to have AND the appropriate power cords.
- A USB drive, just because it may come in handy for exchanging information with others.
- Two of the following -- a marked-up copy of the conference program, a printed copy of your schedule, or a digital copy of your schedule. Don't just rely on one copy.
- A printed copy of your hotel reservation information so you can show it to the desk clerk if there are any problems.
- Information on how you're getting from the airport to the hotel or from the train station to your hotel or.... Have that information handy, so you look less like a tourist.
- Minimal amount of reading material, since you're going to return with more reading material than you arrived with. (And anyway, you're going to spend your evening attending open houses and networking, right?!)
- Lightweight clothes, since D.C. can be hot and humid. Daytime temperatures will be in the 80s with temperatures at night in the 60s and 70s (Fahrenheit). [forecast]
- An over-shirt or lightweight jacket to wear indoors, since convention centers always seem to blast their air conditioning.
- An extra $5.00 USD for the Metro. This may not make sense, but if you use the Metro (subway) and don't have enough fair on your Metro card, you'll not be able to get out! The add-fare machine can take $1s and $5s, but not $20s and not debit/credit cards.
- Your 2007 SLA water bottle, so you can stay hydrated in the hot and humid D.C. weather.
BTW the one thing that I bring to conferences now is my own badge holder. If you're picky about the type of badge holder that you'll have to hang around your head or clip on your clothes, bring your own.
If you are speaking at the conference and will be using a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation, bring multiple copies (one on your laptop and one on a USB drive), email a copy to yourself and put a copy in SlideShare (tag it with sla2009). While this may seem like overkill, this should assure that you'll actually have a copy to use if a disaster should strike.
Also if you planned on meeting up with someone at the conference, don't leave it to chance. Email them now to see if you can meet. Since everyone's schedule is going to be full, suggest meeting at an open house for a few minutes. If you want to be a real instigator, email everyone that you want to see and tell them a particular session or open house that you're going to be at and invite them to join you!
Finally, while I'm sure you have your own "I'm going to be away" routine for home and office, add to that routine some water cooler conversations with your colleagues about the SLA conference and why you're attending. Make sure they understand the benefit to them and to your workplace.
Okay, that's it. See you in D.C.!
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