I had the opportunity to attend the 2012 annual conference for ACCESS this past week in Columbia, South Carolina.  ACCESS is a national Christian distance education association, primarily composed of Christian institutions of higher education (colleges and universities), with some mission organizations and even a few working in secondary education.  The conference was hosted by Columbia International University.

Each time I attend this or any conference I am reminded of the great benefit of coming together with other individuals looking to expand their knowledge and competency.  In between conferences I start to get busy and begin to think, "do I really have time to take out of my VERY busy schedule to attend a conference where they will be talking about stuff I already am doing?"  But every time when I make the effort, and spend the money, to go I am richly rewarded.  One of those rewards comes through the various sessions.  Admittedly some are stronger than others, but if I approach each with an open mind, an amazing thing begins to happen; my mind begins to free-associate the comments from the presenter with my current needs, sometimes not even on the same subject, and I am all-of-a-sudden writing like crazy, making notes of ideas and links which could be game-changers.  Another reward is the networking which takes place and the very real friendships that can form over a period of years.  Some of my best friends have come from these conferences.  Relationships and networking are more important than ever and I make every opportunity to build bridges at these conferences, never knowing how God might use a simple conversation to open an exciting opportunity.  Another reward comes when I push myself to make a proposal and present at the conference.  Usually the presentation lasts from 45-90 minutes.  The benefit from this comes in at least two ways.  First, presenting forces me to organize my thoughts on a specific subject and to clearly articulate what and why and how so that others may take away something from the experience.  The other benefit is the opportunity to position yourself as a leader in your field.  This is part of becoming a leader.

Conclusion:  Go to a conference!  Find one with a topic which interests you, if possible make a proposal to present at the conference, and then go.  When you come back with a new thought and possibly a new friend, you and your work will benefit.