For anyone organising an academic conference…

<h2>1 day before the conference starts&hellip;</h2> <ul> <li>Have a meeting with the boss to run through the final details</li> <li>Check the flight and hotel bookings for all the guests</li> <li>Check the conference room bookings</li> <li>Check the power points are queued in the correct order</li> <li>Check the handouts are printed</li> <li>Check the catering invoices</li> <li>Check that the biscuits are ordered (academics must have biscuits)</li> <li>Check your emails for any last minute requests</li> <li>Congratulate yourself on your impeccable organisation skills</li> </ul> <h2>2 hours before the conference starts&hellip;</h2> <ul> <li>Arrive at the conference room early in the morning</li> <li>Find that the room is locked</li> <li>Check your emails to confirm that the room should have been unlocked</li> <li>Go to the caretaker&rsquo;s office to ask for the room to be unlocked</li> <li>Find the caretaker&rsquo;s office locked and go looking for him</li> <li>Notice that the signs put up to direct guests to the conference room are all pointing the wrong way</li> <li>Regret that you delegated the job of putting up the signs to someone else</li> <li>Redo all the signs</li> <li>Return to the caretaker&rsquo;s office to find it still locked</li> <li>Go back to the conference room to find the caretaker unlocking the door</li> <li>Control your temper when the caretaker asks you why you are late</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://medium.com/jane-austens-wastebasket/for-anyone-organising-an-academic-conference-1ca463a8cf48"><strong>Learn More</strong></a></p>