Return to the International Symposium

Dr. David Flanigan, CSEP - Chapter President--2022

As the month of June starts, I am looking forward to attending the International Symposium, held in Detroit, MI at the end of the month.  It's been three years that we had attended a live IS in Orlando, and I had attended the last two IS virtually and presented in both of them, so for those new to the chapter and considering on attending, I offer a few thoughts on the IS for both live and virtual attendees. 

Connections

Arguably one of the best parts of the event!    There are plenty of opportunities to talk to people from all over the world, as you meet them in the presentation rooms, in line for lunch or at coffee/tea breaks, at tutorials, or at the various social events.  Each year, it gets cumulatively better as you get to meet up with your SE friends from previous events, and make new ones during this year.  You can make connections virtually as well, it takes a bit more effort - be sure to attend the virtual gatherings as there may be opportunities to connect, as well as reaching out directly to the authors, particularly if you have questions or topics in common.

Presentations

This is where much of the knowledge is transferred at the symposium with the formal presentations.  A good tip is to map out your talks ahead of time so you can maximize the exposure to your topics of interest.  From the last two years for the virtual IS, viewers had access to the presentation slides and recordings, if the author allowed it.  This actually gave you more exposure to the other presentations if you couldn't make it to all the ones you wanted to see (in the live IS).  This year will be a hybrid with both live and virtual participation.  When I presented in the virtual IS, there were just as many good questions from the audience as there were live participants.  Don't forget the poster sessions that are set up to allow interaction with the authors.

Tutorials

These occur two days before the IS starts, and are good ways to increase your knowledge on timely topics.  This is an additional charge to attend, and you'll likely see these authors again during the symposium.  This should benefit live and virtual attendees, as well as any follow ups with the authors.

Social Events

During the IS, there are social events typically at the end of each day.  This is a great way to connect with others that you haven't seen in a while, or make new connections.  There are dedicated events, such as for new members, as well as just for the certified SE (ASEP, CSEP, and ESEP).  Usually on Thursday, the IS holds a dinner or soiree, dependent on the location and environment, where some of the local culture is demonstrated - the performances from Edinburgh, UK and Adelaide, Australia were outstanding.  There are also booths available at the symposium from both industry and academia that are near the social events, and I've made many contacts from these events.

Host City

Don't forget to see some of the local sites of the host city!  There's plenty to take advantage of in the local area, particularly if you have some extra days or free time. I got the opportunity to explore the streets of Rome with some SE friends that I made at the symposium, and play golf with the locals in Australia.

So hopefully you've got some insight into what goes on in the IS, and maybe a few of you are convinced to attend, either in person or in a hybrid fashion.