Tips for Attending a Conference

New to LPA National Conferences?
Here is some information that may be helpful. 

These tips are geared towards families.  If you have tips for any age group, please feel free to pass them on to us at [email protected].  We will update this page as needed. 

  1. Attending a conference may, or may not, qualify as a ‘vacation’. If your idea of a vacation is lots of free time and laying by a pool or beach, then this may not qualify. Conferences are action-packed, with lots of activities going on all the time, especially if you are involved or have children involved in DAAA, or have kids who will be interested in the nightly dances.
  2. Before you bring the rest of family, think about the location and activities. Talk about it as a family and decide what is right for you.
  3. Remember, though, LPA has activities geared to all ages and all groups. Average height youth have many opportunities to meet not only with each other in our average height youth program, but also to participate in LPA’s young adult, teen, and tween activities.
  4. DAAA – the Dwarf Athletic Association is a sister-organization to LPA and incredibly important. We strongly recommend everyone to make the time to participate in the DAAA activities. Boys are more apt to participate, but girls really need to participate too. It gives a whole different aspect to the week. Don’t be stopped by age or ability – give it a try! It’s a great way to make to make friends for both you and your child.
  5. Take walkie-talkies or cell phones to stay in contact with your family. LPA conferences are a relaxed family-oriented week, but parents still need to ensure their children are supervised.
  6. Try to plan at least one afternoon or day to see the local sights. Most of your time will be spent inside the hotel or at the DAAA venue. It’s nice to have one day or afternoon where you see the local city. Don’t forget to take advantage of the planned off-site events to see the city as well.
  7. Take a highlighter. When you get to conference and receive the Conference Book, go through it and highlight the events or workshops you want to attend. It’s too easy for time to get away from you and you will end up missing valuable events. If you use the app, make sure to “star” the events you don’t want to forget.
  8. Take business cards or create family business cards. You will meet many people during the course of the week. Create a family business card so that you can quickly exchange information with others. If you have a teen, have them create their own.
  9. Hotel Tips:
    • Keep your hotel key, credit cards and your cell phone separate. The cards can become demagnetized and nothing is more irritating that not being able to enter your hotel room or use your credit card when you need to.
    • Carry your ID with you at all times. Make sure your children have some type of ID on them. Also, make sure you have your LPA badge ID on you and your children so you can participate in all of the events without having to run upstairs to grab that ID.
    • Be aware going in that you may end up giving your child more freedom at a conference than you would in a typical situation. Stay in contact. Talk honestly with your kids and tell them the expectations you have of their behavior. If you are a parent of teen or pre-teen, take a book or magazine and be prepared to meet people and hang out in the lobby. LPA has everyone from brand-new parents with a baby, to young adults who are there to socialize, to seniors. Respect everyone for what they are there for. LPA serves different needs for different age groups.
  10. Attend the workshops. There is so much great information that has been carefully chosen and prepared. Please take advantage of them.
  11. Be aware of the post-conference let-down. Whether it’s you or your child, leaving the safety, comfort, and friendships at the hotel on the last day can be hard. Sometimes it's good to save a day or two on the way home just to unwind and ease back in to daily life.
  12. Embrace the week, and enjoy yourselves! This is a very unique week that most people in the world do not get to experience. Cherish the time and go all in – conferences are all about memory-making.