Unless you have resided under the proverbial rock since summer, it is very evident that we are now in the season of courses and conferences. And let’s be honest, there are some brilliant opportunities to gain both inspiration and knowledge that is applicable to the industry you are working within regardless of where in the world you are based. Some of the events have 30 people in attendance, some more than 30,000, but that’s not really what matters. What matters is the depth and quality of what is being presented. Networking and socialising aside, there are plenty of opportunities for learning and growing if you take a deeper look. At the same time, there is also a good chance of being overwhelmed by the many speaker line-ups to choose from.

It may seem obvious, but navigating the talks and sessions should not be based on what people want to talk about, but what you need to be exposed to in order to advance your personal and professional you, even if the speaker may be a new name, hardly an industry star or a seasoned speaker. It’s easy to get caught up in the hypes and buzzwords of the moment which may invoke a sense of missing out if you don’t see that person talking about this and that hot topic. But is it really relevant for you? Somewhere around the corner in a less prominent venue, there may be someone opening the doorway to what will become the next big thing, not just for that person, but for you and your industry. The talk may be original, insightful, passionate and based on what that person is dedicated to doing, in a format that may be surprisingly engaging and entertaining.