With the uncertain economy, companies are just not as willing to invest in the indirect ROI to sponsored events like conferences, seminars, job fairs, etc., I was sure the annual conference AWT Austin puts on would be a success.  And it was.

It was definitely scaled back. No vendor bingo, as there were very few vendors.  The door prizes weren't as extravagant as past years.  But it still was a hard choice between the three different tracks for the three different breakout sessions. 

The biggest problem for me was the fact I was in the midst of a multi-day migraine, so I was not as focused on prep work, or at the sessions.  I forgot to bring business cards with me.  I didn't network as much as I could have. I sat like a stone a few times, dealing with the migraine.  But I did meet a few new people, and catch up with some old friends I haven't seen in a while.

I love the fact that AWT does a good job of networking, and it's looking like they're partnering up with other professional associations.  I'm really looking forward to seeing what events are coming in the coming year.  And hopefully I won't have a migraine during those.