What I Wish I Knew Before Attending USITT

I’m going to take a guess and say that most people who see this don’t know what USITT is, so allow me to explain. USITT stands for United States Institute for Theatre Technology. Basically, it’s a massive technical theatre conference held once a year. 

In 2023, I had the good fortune to attend with the help of some of my theatre professors, but it was a last-minute decision that gave me a limited amount of time to prepare. I know already that I will be attending the 2024 conference in Seattle, and I’ve been thinking a lot about what I wish I’d known ahead of time at USITT 2023. Here are some things I wish I’d known:

Register to go early.

As I said, I didn’t end up registering until maybe a month or two before the conference. It was a last-minute scramble to confirm I had transportation and housing, then such a quick turnaround to actually packing up and going! I could’ve saved myself a lot of stress if I had planned on going much sooner. 

Sign up for workshops early.

Another consequence of my late registration is that most hands-on workshops, which had a limited number of attendees allowed, were already filled up. If I had registered sooner, I would’ve been able to secure myself a spot in some of these. Fortunately, I discovered a solution—another detail I’m glad I figured out but would’ve loved to know sooner:

Get on the waitlist and show up early to workshops.

Each workshop functioned a little differently, but some made use of the digital waitlist available to sign up for online. More commonly, workshop organizers allowed audience members to join the hands-on workshops when there were no-shows. By being in the right place at the right time, I could join a workshop on gold-leafing. Once I learned that little hack, I made sure to be nearby for the Distressing for the Entertainment Industry workshop and was able to participate in that, too! However, since I hadn’t expected to be able to join some workshops, I hadn’t included all of the ones I was interested in in my schedule. If I had known I could potentially join some more, I would’ve optimized my daily schedule to be around for the start of every hands-on activity I wanted to try.

Make business cards.

Imagine my surprise when, a week before the conference, my professor informed me that I’d need business cards. I was able to quickly design a basic card and print some on cardstock, but once again, if I’d known I was going sooner (and simply realized I’d need cards for networking sooner), I could’ve gotten some nicer cards made. That is definitely one of my goals before USITT 2024!

Pack light and bring extra bags.

I way overpacked for this conference. I got so anxious about what I would need to bring, partially because I wasn’t sure what temperature and weather to expect in St. Louis in March, but also because I’d never been to a conference before. Ultimately I should’ve limited my clothes to one professional outfit, one outfit for painting which could ideally go over other clothes, and a comfortable but adaptable outfit for each day of the conference. The biggest reason to pack light is that you will come back with more stuff than you started with! The exposition floor is full of companies, programs, and vendors giving away goodies, and you’ll need some extra bags and/or space in your bags to pack everything you get at the conference. Although I got to the last USITT by car, I’ll be flying next time, so I’m going to need to be even more careful packing. 

Prioritize getting enough to eat and drink.

I am notoriously bad at drinking enough water, but USITT can be an overwhelming experience, and it’s important to stay hydrated! I also ran into trouble when I wasn’t making time for myself to eat proper meals. I had to leave a really lovely networking event for queer theatre professionals early because I hadn’t had enough for breakfast and I wasn’t feeling well. There is so much to do at USITT, and if you aren’t getting the nutrients your body needs, you won’t be able to enjoy the conference or get as much out of it. Food and water need to be a priority.

Finally, plan breaks or calmer events into your schedule.

As I’ve said, USITT can be overwhelming. There’s so much to do and so much stimulus, especially on the exposition floor. This goes hand in hand with getting enough to eat, but I wish I had strategically planned breaks into my schedule each day. I could’ve killed two birds with one stone by using those breaks to get a meal. It can feel like you’re wasting time by not cramming activities into every second of your day, but you won’t be as present or engaged in the events you’re most invested in if you’re exhausted. One way to compromise is to use calmer events as a partial break. While I gravitated mostly toward hands-on activities in the Paint Lab and exploring the exposition floor, there were also a number of talks and discussions to attend. By attending these you can at least sit down while still listening and learning something interesting. 

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