NGLA Sneak Peak 2014

We’re so excited that you will be joining us for NGLA 2014!  Our conference staff is hard at work to make sure you have the best NGLA experience possible.  I believe the NGLA annual conference showcases the best fraternity and sorority life has to offer.  You’ll get to meet and network with other students leaders who know exactly why your job is awesome some days and daunting on others.  You’ll get to experience that indescribable feeling of meeting another sister or brother you’ve never met, but you still feel this incredible connection just from sharing the same letters.  Last but certainly not least, you’ll get to learn from some of the best fraternal advisers and community members in the country: students and staff members from all over the Northeast are here to share their best practices enabling you to create your best community.

2014 marks my second year serving as a member of conference staff. I’d like to offer a few thoughts and suggestions on how to get the most our of your conference experience.

Be sure not to miss:

The Affiliation Lunch – This is definitely one of my favorite parts of the annual conference. I absolutely love meeting fellow Chi Omegas – it’s actually one of my favorite things about conferences in general.  The affiliation lunch brings your brothers or sisters directly to you!

Greek Boutique – An amazing selection of fraternity and sorority apparel.  They seem to have everything (even things I didn’t know I needed!)

The Keynote Speakers – The keynotes speakers are always awesome and this year is no exception.  I’ve always had great discussions about the keynote presentations even months after I’ve seen one.

The Closing Banquet – Super fun, super fancy.  It’s a great way to honor our fellow students and staff members for the excellent work they do during the year while enjoying a great time with friends!  You also get to be in the know about successful programming initiatives from other schools and it can start some great out of the box planning ideas!

Tips on getting the most out of your conference experience:

Be ready to learn – Bring a notepad, a book, your tablet or any other note-taking device of your choice.  Two days will fly by and you’re going to get a lot of information quickly and in a short period of time!  A notepad will guarantee that you go home with the information you want and need to bring back to your own fraternal communities.

Say hello to everyone – Conferences are a great opportunity to exchange ideas and best practices or could be the start to a great relationship with other leaders.  NGLA is an amazing and unique opportunity to meeting other student leaders who understand the unique challenges you face as a student leader.  There is no better person to talk to!

Wear comfortable shoes – It seems like a no brainier but this is not the time to be trying out those new loafers, dress shoes or heels.  Conference centers are massive and sometimes you end up walking from end to end.  You might end up getting your days worth of exercise but with an uncomfortable pair of shoes, you also likely to land a few blisters and one pair of sore feet.

Get to breakfast early – For those of you that aren’t breakfast fans, I amend this to: get your caffeine intake of choice early.  I always go down and get coffee as soon as I get up in the morning.  I avoid the inevitable lines and I don’t have to worry about rushing, being late or even worse: going without my morning cappuccino.

What I wish I had known when I first attended NGLA

This goes for any conference, but be prepared to be productively busy.  For some reason, the first conference that I attended, I thought I would be fine picking out sessions to attend on the fly.  To quote Mean Girls… I was wrong.  I was so wrong.

Pick your sessions ahead of time – I know that this kind of falls under the “tips on getting the most out of your conference experience” but look at the schedule the night before so you don’t stress out the day, hour or minute of, trying to pick the session that’s most interesting or applicable to you.

Go to the sessions you want to attend –   See the speakers you want to see.  You’ll have a much more enjoyable experience and you’ll definitely maximize your conference experience this way.

To check out the sessions pre-conference – Download the Guidebook App for smart-phone or tablet.  It’s a convenient schedule, map and personal concierge in your pocket!  It’s free for download on any app store.

Christine Kobza

About Christine:  Christine is a second year grad student at Bucknell University in Lewisburg PA. She is a proud alumna of Bucknell (‘Ray!) and working toward finishing her Master’s degree in College Student Personnel and my passion is Fraternity and Sorority Life.

Christine is excited to be returning to NGLA staff this year. She notes that the NGLA annual conference is one of her favorite weekends of the year.