How to dress up for a conferece?

[lekha]

Hi!

I am going to present a paper at an IEEE conference ( 2 days conference) at Noida, India. This is the first conference I am attending and I'm quite curious about how to dress up for it! And also , it would be appreciated if you guys could give me some tips upon how to present the paper and make the most out of it!

 

Thank you

[fuzzylogician]

There is lots of good advice on the forum about how to present your work. I'd suggest a search of previous posts in this sub-forum. If you have specific questions or concerns we may have an easier time helping you. Some advice will be field specific and also depends on how long your presentation is supposed to be. Do people in your field normally use slides when they present, or a handout? In some fields you read a paper out loud to the audience, and in others that would not be acceptable at all. Same goes for the dress code - it changes by field but without knowing more I'd say for men: slacks and a buttoned shirt, perhaps a sports jacket; for women: nice pants  or a (at least) knee-length skirt and and a blouse/sweater. Wear sensible shoes. 

 

The best advice I have without knowing more details: (1) ask your advisor for conference-specific advice. (2) practice you talk until you are comfortable delivering it. It may mean more than one practice talk, if this is your first time presenting. Time yourself so you know how fast you are going, so you can keep track of your progress during the actual presentation. Also -- have fun! Good luck. 

[gingin6789]

I would say business casual, but I found out this weekend that conference styles vary substantially!

 

I went to my very first conference this weekend. I forgot dress shoes, so I had to buy some cheap new ones on the way to the hotel where the conference was being held.  I went to the reception and, of course, my feet were killing me.  I still had my cozy boots stuffed into my giant purse, and one of the officers of the conference and a professor of a top 25 university in my field said "Yeah, just change into your boots!" Even though the boots looked ridiculous with my dress pants, nobody cared!  My thesis advisor wore hiking boots and a fleece half-zip pullover sweater.  There were folks who were dressier, but they were apt to tell folks to just be as comfortable as possible!

 

As for presenting, we sat at roundtables with a maximum of five other people present and we talked about our research and findings over breakfast. 

 

I'm going to a conference in two weeks where I'm almost positive that comfy boots will not be acceptable in dress code, and where I'll be standing in front of a larger audience to present!

 

I would definitely ask someone who has attended this specific conference about their advice on dress code.  I hope my anecdote shows the fluidity of conference dress style and presentation style =) 

[Kamisha]

If you are concerned, always veer on the side of being overdressed rather than too casual. No one will look at you oddly for presenting in a business suit, but they will often do so if you are in khakis and a denim shirt. 

[Brisingamen]

In India, you can wear traditional formals -- sarees or salwar kameez for women (go for something that looks professional and workplace appropriate, no heavy zari or beadwork), or western work formals (suits -- either with pants or a skirt). men wear suits (ties and blazers) or a muted kurta and Nehru jacket.   

[dr. t]

"The only way to atone for being occasionally a little over-dressed is by being always absolutely over-educated." -Oscar Wilde

 

I default to tweed or tweedy-looking things.