Conferences

[AndImFeelingSoBohemianLikeYou]

I am going to present a paper at a conference abroad (Europe) soon, DD & her dad are coming with me as I wouldn't want to leave DD for almost a week. It's a big conference in a lovely location (lots of sun), and we wouldn't usually be able to afford to go on holiday. I got funding from my uni to go to the conference.

My question is this: would it be frowned upon if I missed one afternoon of presentations? I won't miss any keynotes. The conference goes over several days, 9-6, and I'd like to spend some time with DD and enjoy the place which I wouldn't usually get to visit. Do you reckon this would be ok, or would people notice and get a bad impression of me?

My experience of conferences is that very few people attend all the sessions that are being run. Even on a recent two day conference I attended, lots of people turned up after the first sessions, left before the last ones, or took a few hours off. You only have to go to the parts of conferences that you want to (although there is a general expectation that you turn up to presentations given by collegues etc.).

So, please, make sure you enjoy your time abroad and spend some time with your family as well as attending the parts of conference that interest you.

Ooh, that's really interesting, thank you! Might skip a few papers then.