My Dad is a (now retired) aerospace engineer. He is always sending me interesting articles that pertain to both his career and mine. I liked the guidelines in this article on how to frame attending a conference or visiting an expo. Not only are they helpful when searching for funding or sponsorship, but they also serve as a useful check-list when assessing which events are worth your time.

* Will I be exposed to knowledge / new info. that I won’t be able to attain on my own or somewhere else?
* Will there be food for thought and interesting problems / challenges to work through?
* Is this applicable to my work / what is important to me ?
* Reflect.