Confessions of Compulsive Planner: Or How to Plan for a Successful RWA National Conference

By Robyn De Hart

I will not pretend to be an expert on RWA National Conference, as New Orleans will only mark my fourth, but I can offer some tips to make planning for the conference fun and stress free.

First, let me confess that I am a compulsive planner. I make tons of lists, charts, tables, anything that will help me visualize what needs to be done. I do this when writing books, going to the store, and especially planning for a trip. This stage is part of the fun for me, I tend to drive all my writing buddies nuts about 4 weeks before National with my constant chatter. So with that confession in mind, here is my first step to planning a successful conference. I make a chart. Here's what this year's schedule looks like.

This chart allows me to get a visual for how many and what kind of outfits I need, and how much money to bring for food as it shows all the meals included in the conference. So using the chart, I begin my list of what clothes to bring, and how much money I'll need each day.

Wednesday: No meals included. One comfortable outfit to travel in and attend the literacy signing. Since the signing is open to the public, it is fairly casual.

Thursday Lunch and evening appetizers included. Thursday starts our workshops. That evening there is a welcome reception. In the past there has been a theme and some people have dressed accordingly, but since it is the most casual of the evening events, just keep it fun. One other thing to note, there is usually a nice variety of finger foods, so you might get by without buying dinner this night.

Friday– Continental breakfast and lunch included. This is the fullest day. There are workshops all day, even in the evening, as well as the Publishing Houses' Cocktail parties (hosted for their authors), and the Moonlight Madness Bizarre. How many and what kind of outfits you need will definitely depend on what you will be attending that day. If you plan to attend workshops the whole day, you should be able to get by without changing clothes.

Saturday – Continental breakfast, lunch and evening desserts included. Saturday runs the same as Friday as far as the workshops, luncheon, then more workshops. But Saturday evening is the big night. It's Oscars night for romance authors and it brings out all the Glam. You will see everything from sequins and glitter to historical pieces and everything in between. Dress it up as much as you want, but no matter what you wear you'll fit in. After the awards there is a dessert banquet, so make sure you have plenty of cookie room in

Clothes. Everyone wants to know what to wear. The primary thing to remember is comfort. You will carry yourself more confidently and professionally if you are comfortable. The first step to this is shoes. Comfortable shoes will ensure you have a more pleasant conference, as most conference hotels are large and you will be walking quite a bit. Use your best judgement when selecting clothes to bring. You will see a little bit of everything; Sunday dresses, suits, nice jeans and blazers, slacks, etc. Find what works best for you and go from there.

When selecting your clothes for the workshops, keep these things in mind - you might end up sitting on the floor, the workshop rooms typically have either frigid air or steam, so dress in layers to keep your body temperature to your comfort, and remember you never know who you'll end up sitting next to (your favorite author or the editor/agent of your dreams.)

Don't forget to bring comfy clothes to bum around in. There is time in between some functions and you might want to head into town to have some good Cajun food and dance to some great Jazz music, or you might want to just hang out in your room, either way you'll want something casual to wear. I forgot these such clothes one year and ended up sightseeing in a dress--not fun. New Orleans in July--it's gonna be HOT!!!

Finances. This will certainly depend on what you plan to do and buy while at National. But you can do a lot even on the tightest of budgets.

When travelling, I've always been told to average meals at $10 a piece. So using the previous chart, you would need roughly $70 (keep in mind that I did not include your travel home in the schedule) this includes 3 meals on Wednesday, 2 on Thursday, and 1 both Friday and Saturday. Obviously $10 does not allow for more expensive meals and trips to the bar, so plan accordingly.

Spending money: or fun stuff to buy.

The Literacy signing is so much fun. It's a huge room filled with your favorite authors and friends signing their latest releases. Be prepared to be tempted to buy LOTS of books, and remember that all the money goes to literacy.

There is always a bookfair held during National that has great research and craft books as well as many novels. What I've done in the past to keep things to a minimum is only buy the books I might not or have not seen in a bookstore back home.

What about those wonderful writing tapes? I'm a writing tape junkie, so if it were up to me, I'd buy the whole set, but since I'm on a budget, I have a limit. Make sure you talk to your friends and critique partners about which tapes they're buying – that way you might be able to spread out and get a greater number of tapes you can trade back and forth.

Don't forget incidentals. Taxi rides, shuttles to and from the airport, tips, etc.

Extra things to consider. According to my confirmation letter received from National, we have to provide our own tote bags this year. This will be used for carrying the large notebook that contains all the handouts used in the workshops, as well as whatever else you need to have with you. I usually bring pens, highlighters, mints or gum, notepad, and business cards.

Final thoughts. I believe the most important thing you can do to ensure you have a successful conference is to set goals. Know before you get there what you want to get out of the experience. What do you want to learn? Who do you want to meet? What steps do you need to take to make sure that this conference helps create the career you want to have? Write them down, memorize them, consider them when selecting the workshops you will attend. Keep focused and you will have a successful conference.

Robyn Ratliff has been a member of San Antonio Romance Authors since 1996 and has served as President and Webmaster. When not making lists or charts she can be found writing her latest book, a romantic comedy.

©2002, San Antonio Romance Authors, all rights reserved. Articles may not be reprinted without permission.

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