🔥 The Now at Work Survival Guide 🔥

How to Get the Most Out of a 10-Hour Conference

Starting as early as October 8th, ServiceNow kicks off their worldwide Now at Work conference series, offering a free, one-day companion to the massive, week-long Knowledge Conference. Eleven cities across the globe, in the Americas, Europe, and Asia, will play host to these events, so be sure not to miss out (full list of cities and dates here)! With my home town of Dallas, Texas being one of the lucky eleven, I put together a little cheat sheet for everyone on how to get the most out of this event.

Build Your Schedule Ahead of Time

With the doors opening in the early morning and the post-conference social event extending into the evening, it's best to arrive knowing where you'll be spending your time. Each event has an overall schedule (for the Dallas event, listed here), which gives you a nice expectation for the flow of the day, but there's tons of room for customization. Each Now at Work offers a catalog of choosable content, ranging from product-specific keynotes to breakouts. That way, you can focus on what's most pertinent to you or your company. On the site, you can easily filter by session type, product line, and business objective to quickly find what you're looking for (for the Dallas event, listed here). An added bonus of signing up ahead of time is that sessions are likely to fill up; it's nice to have the first pick of the lot.

For all of those out there interested in App Engine content in Dallas, might I recommend the following, both led by Chris Haas: Sr. Principal Product Manager for the Platform.

• KEY3001: Now Platform Keynote
• BRE1005: The Now Platform Strategy and Roadmap

Attend the Opening Keynote

Though the time varies slightly from event to event, each Now at Work features a Digital Transformation Keynote at some time in the morning. These are led by the most senior leadership at ServiceNow, including dynamos like Pat Wadors, Chris Bedi, Farrell Hough, Dan Rogers, CJ Desai, and even John Donahoe himself! They all have first-hand knowledge on where ServiceNow is heading and will be sharing that with all of you, on top of the latest and greatest offerings we have available today.

For the Dallas Now at Work, we are fortunate enough to be hosting Pat Wadors (Chief Talent Officer) and Chris Bedi (Chief Information Officer)!

Make Time For Breaks

Ten hours of doing anything can get exhausting fast, so make sure to take some time out for yourself. A jam-packed schedule is great, but only if you're awake for it 😉 There are pre-set times for breakfast, coffee, and lunch, but if you need to step out, please put yourself first! I usually throw a KIND bar or something in my purse, just in case I need that 2 PM pick-me-up.

Book 1-on-1 Meetings

One of the huge benefits of Knowledge is that it gives you access to people you may not have normally. That could mean other customers, subject matter experts, and even ServiceNow leadership you would like direction and help from. Though there won't be 20,000 people at your local Now at Work, it does give the same opportunity at a local level! If you and your coworkers are registered to attend, let your account executive know, so that if a meeting would be helpful, they can help you make that happen.

Network With Other ServiceNow Customers

Similar to what I mentioned above, one of the best benefits of any conference is the opportunity for collaboration. That could be in a more formal sense, such as a pre-set, 1-on-1 meeting, but also just chatting up the people at your table or at the social event after. Don't be shy; bring some business cards, put yourself outside your comfort zone, and you never know whom you'll meet or what you'll learn!

If all of this sounds tantalizing and you're not yet registered, please click here to register today! If you've got any questions, feel free to reach out to me. I hope you enjoy your local Now at Work Conference!

To all of my Dallas attendees, I'll be attending the Now at Work as well! In the morning, I'll be helping out with the opening keynote's demo portion, but in the afternoon I am free for meetings if you'd like to chat all things App Engine. I'll also be walking around with a bag full of Now Platform pins, so if you see me walking by, don't hesitate to say hi and snag one 😎 Hope to see y'all there!