Out on the Town - Reflections from a Conferencing Novice: the ACERE/DIANA Conference

At the Bickley Blog, we often post details of upcoming conferences in the worlds of leadership and gender research. Many of you may wonder about the benefits of conferencing - what comes from taking the time to develop an abstract or paper for a conference (which always seem to be due when you are at your busiest!), of putting your ideas "out there" in the public arena for comment and critique, or of attending networking events to meet other people in your area of interest?

This week, we thank Ali Sumner for her guest post - she offers a personal reflection on her recent attendance at the ACERE-Diana conference held in Perth, Western Australia in January 2012.  For further information on the conference, see a past BB post here.

About Ali
Ali has a background in teaching, community development and marketing.  She completed her Masters of Leadership and Management in 2004 while working at the Department of Education and Training in Perth, Western Australia, in the area of professional learning and development. In 2006, she became the inaugural CEO of the POWA Institute, WA's not for profit institute for new thinking, established in alliance with the not-for-profit de Bono Institute (Australia). Ali is currently completing a PhD, investigating what happens in the area of Complexity Leadership when work teams use Edward de Bono's thinking tools.

Reflections from a Conferencing Novice...
After five years of part-time study as a PhD student at the Curtin Graduate School of Business, I had grown accustomed to the solitary nature of my research. Encouraged by my supervisors I had become reasonably confident that somehow, sometime, in someway, my obscure area of research would make a contribution to knowledge.

Then the unexpected opportunity to present a paper at an international conference emerged out of nowhere, the ACERE-Diana 2012 Conference was coming to Perth. ACERE is the Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship Research Exchange and the Diana Project being the world's leading conference on women's entrepreneurship.

On a steaming hot day in February, I found myself standing in front of a room full of strangers ready to deliver my first academic paper at an international academic conference. Over the following four days I experienced what it is like to go from intellectual solitary confinement to a playground of ideas I was listened to, encouraged, taken seriously, challenged, argued with and ignored... all at the same time.

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This particular conference was co-hosted by the Diana Project and this gave me the opportunity to meet academic women from countries around the world.  My reflections as a novice conference goer are coloured by the memory of listening to and talking with these great women. Papers delivered as part of the Diana conference were wide ranging from issues relating to women starting entrepreneurial ventures in their 50's through to gender and entrepreneurial self-efficacy. the glue that bound the papers together however, was the female perspective, women exploring issues of importance to women.

I came away from my first international conference with an understanding of the wonderful work women are doing in the areas of entrepreneurial research and education. I also discovered to my complete surprise that my own obscure area of research is not so obscure at all. A wonderful African American female academic from Rutgers who sat in the front row of my paper presentation assured me that my work was "right on the button", and after several lunch time chats encouraged me to "publish as soon as possible". I came away understanding why conferencing is so important - you make amazing contacts and the encouragement from more established academics makes you feel great!

Do you have a story to share?
If you have attended an event that would be of interest to our readers and would like to share your experience,  please email us at the Bickley Blog, find us on Facebook or tweet us on twitter!