So for the third year in a row, the company I work for sponsored New Adventures in Web Design, which is a conference local to our city but that attracts a lot of attention and big names. It’s a big deal.

I attended in 2011, which was the first year, and it was fairly small, maybe 250 odd people. This year, it was more like 650. And for the first time ever, we had a stall there. So not only did I get a ‘free’ ticket, I actually got paid to go to the conference. Being paid to hear Seb talk (for the second time!) must be up there with the top five things ever to happen in the universe (if you’ve ever read any of my blog posts before, you can guess that things like jQuery, kittens and cupcakes make the list). Also, I got a free lunch and free cupcakes. Not so much ‘free’ as ‘better than free’, because I got paid to eat those as well. Sorry.

BUT.

It’s a long day. A typical conference day for me lasts around 12 hours, which is 12 hours talking to people, rushing round, tweeting (and keeping an eye on Facebook), taking photos, talking to volunteers, tidying up, unpacking and repacking and setting up and setting down and making notes and answering questions and stressing about something (usually something about Tweetdeck). Compared to my usual day of eight hours sitting in front of a computer occasionally swearing at my monitor and occasionally sauntering to the kitchen for snacks (i.e., my comfort zone), it’s quite a bit of a change. When you add in pre-conf prep and post-conf prep (presentation, travel, planning, blog posts, photo uploading and editing, tweeting), it’s a hell of a lot of work.

I don’t have the luxuries of attendees. I can almost always make it to a talk (New Adventures, thankfully, is not one of those conferences where the attendees decide it’s more fun to wander round the building whilst talks are going on rather than actually attend them, meaning I have to be there to talk to them), but I can’t sit there and doodle or make notes or simply sit back and enjoy the talk. I am sitting there with 70% of my mind on the talk and 30% thinking ‘Right, when did I last tweet and have I checked to see if anyone’s tweeted me and do we have enough elastic bands and did I tell Alex where the spare carrier bags were and where did I put that business card and did I Facebook message one of the team to double check that thing and can I get away with taking yet another photo without annoying the person next to me…?’

The biggest downside is that I don’t really get to eat or drink. Considering I was up at 6am on Thursday, by 2pm I’d managed to eat a cupcake and drink most of a can of lemonade. I finally got around to eating most of my provided lunch very late in the afternoon, and only because I skipped a talk. Which then meant I wasn’t hungry for dinner, which then meant I was even more of a light-weight at the after party (which was brilliant, by the way. Even though I was nearly dead from being on the go for almost 24 hours straight and then up at 8am the next day for work. It was totally worth it – I met some great people, had a fantastic time, and finished New Adventures in true Nottingham style).

I’ve done a few of these types of events before and I know that people will inevitably ask you where the toilets are/whether they can register for the conference at your stall/where the nearest source of caffeine is/what the wi-fi details are for attendees/whether you have a pen they can borrow steal. I also know that not having an answer to these questions automatically makes you a waste of space, even if you carefully explain that you’re a sponsor and not actually directly part of the conference. So it’s best to just know all the answers about everything, or make sure you have someone in your team who knows the answers. It’s like a military operation sometimes.

For us, it’s not just a case of standing at a table and chatting. Our products and services are complex, there’s a mix of seasoned customers wanting to meet us and people who have never even heard of us, we’re simultaneously giving away a selection of free things plus putting together/handing out goody bags, surveying people, offering entries into a competition and various other things. And yes, I get bossy with my team. I try not to, but sometimes it’s inevitable. Luckily, everyone at work gets on really well so they don’t bear any grudges. And I do listen, and I’m totally happy to change my ideas (demands?!) if someone points out a better way to do things. Thankfully they’re great at putting up with me and, occasionally, I get the impression that they appreciate a bit of direction…or so they tell me ;)

But you know what? I love it. I love the planning and the organising and the talking to people and the making them happy with free stuff and meeting people I talk to all the time on Twitter (although I’m still convinced that people should be forced to wear their Twitter avatar in some form so I recognise them). I love the talks. I love being part of the community without the stress of worrying about where my next job will come from or when I’ll next get paid.

Even though I’m not a designer, I love being immersed in web stuff. It’s absorbed me for the past 12 years, and it will always be a huge part of my life. From something that was just a teenage hobby, I still find it amazing the way that professionals of 20, 30, 40 and beyond share similar experiences to me. The coding frustrations. The ‘is this actually any good?’ anxiety. The 3am happy collapse. The inevitable sea of unfinished projects (which I’m incredibly guilty about and really need to get on top of this year, as I say every year). As much as I sigh and wish I knew more and wish I ‘fitted in’ more as part of a specific community (as opposed to flitting around SEO, domaining, design, development, typography and everything else), I feel incredibly lucky. I love this part of the world. It’s who I am. It’s why, even though at times I feel frustrated and jealous and run down, I’ll always snap back into a more motivated state when it comes to websites and projects. It’s also one of the reasons why NACONF is so important – for the inspiration, and of course for lessons from the experienced.

I’d recommend checking out what’s going on in your local area, because there are tons of events worldwide on Lanyard (you can stalk me here), and there are some very cheap and free ones as well. Even if you don’t directly learn anything, you’ll feel motivated, inspired and happier. If you don’t, I owe you a drink.