1. Echoing what others have said, before you get to the Conference have a tentative schedule figured out for each day.
- Plan ahead. Have at least two things to do each time slot. Sometimes you get to one session and find it isn't what you expected, so if you are already organized this will give you a opportunity to quietly slip out and quickly get into another session.
- Be ready to be flexible. You may discover during one session that there are other sessions coming up in topics you had not considered before and now want to attend.
- If you find you have a time slot where none of the Sessions/Presentations seems appealing, don't forget the Map Gallery and the Exhibit Hall. In particular, check out the Demo Theaters in the ESRI section of the Exhibit Hall and the "hands-on" computers available with ESRI Staff on hand to answer your questions. This is a great opportunity to get those questions answered for situations where you've always wondered "why doesn't this work" or "I wonder if that can be done with GIS".
2. The official lunch break can lead to quite a crowded lunch situation near the Convention Center. Consider instead taking the early afternoon session off and going to lunch then on some days to avoid the lunch crush. In particular, consider taking this break on Wednesday and/or Thursday, as by then one usually is in GIS saturation mode.
3. Wear comfortable shoes, as you will be walking alot.
Chris Donohue, GISP