GeoCom, the AGI’s flagship event and largest independent event in the UK GI calendar, is returning to the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) (RGS-IBG) in London on 5 December 2023. The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Intelligent Geospatial for a Sustainable Future’ focusing on the increasing use of automation in geo whilst considering its sustainability, such as its digital carbon footprint. Whether this is your first time attending GeoCom or you’ve been along before, the ECN is sharing some top tips for getting the most out of the day!
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- Check out the agenda
Unlike most other conferences, GeoCom just has one track of sessions over the course of the day. The benefit of this is that you don’t need to pre-plan the sessions to attend as everything is in one room! We do however recommend you have a glance at the agenda ahead of the event so you know who is presenting and the topic of each session.
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- Familiarise yourself with the conference venue
*Especially important if this is your first time visiting the RGS-IBG* Information on how to get to the venue can be found here. You can also take a virtual tour of the space here . Access to the venue will be through the Exhibition Road entrance and the cloakroom will be open for baggage storage. Speaker presentations and panel discussions will take place in the Ondaatje Lecture Theatre. Refreshments and sponsors will be in the Hall, Education Centre and Map Room.
To stay up to date on everything that’s happening at the conference.
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- Bring a reusable water bottle
Water is available from refillable stations so please bring your own reusable water bottle. Boxed lunches, tea and coffee will be provided.
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- Bring a notepad and pen
To note down any key points that come out of the sessions, or questions you might want to ask the presenters at the end of their session.
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- Prepare a short and interesting statement about who you are and what you do
When networking between sessions you will almost certainly be asked who you are and what you do. By having this prepared you won’t feel like you are being put on the spot when someone asks.
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- Bring business cards if you have them
A virtual business card can be a great alternative to physical ones. Don’t worry about getting them printed specifically for the event though. It will be most useful to collect the cards of the people you meet, but having them allows you to provide your details in return.
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- Prepare some simple conversation starters
These can be as simple as asking someone if they have travelled far to get to the event, or if they have attended GeoCom before.
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- Come along to the AGI ECN and RGS-IBG networking session ‘Chat about Chartership’
This will be held from 12:55 – 13:25 in the Map Room. Wherever you’re at in your journey to accreditation this will be a great opportunity to drop-in and meet other ECN members in person, so please do drop by at lunchtime and say hello.
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- Follow-up with any contacts you make quickly after the event
This can be as simple as saying it was great to me them, connecting on LinkedIn and following up on conversations you had during your in-person networking at the event.
To find out more about the AGI Early Careers Network, you can:
Email us at ecn@agi.org.uk
Follow us on X @AGI_ECN and @GeoCommunity
Follow the AGI on LinkedIn
Visit our webpage
The RGS-IBG have great resources including:
Get the most out of networking
Expanding your network through professional introductions
What to expect at the RGS-IBG annual Conference (although aimed at attending large academic conferences it has some good tips on what to wear and conference etiquette)