How to Make the Most of Your 2024 LCI Congress Trip
By Tammy McConaughy, Director of Education and Certification at LCI.
So, you’ve decided to attend the 2024 LCI Congress—congratulations! We’re excited to have you join us for this incredible event. Congress offers a fantastic opportunity to dive into Lean thinking and see how people worldwide are transforming the design and construction industry. Whether you’re new to Lean or a seasoned Lean coach, there’s a lot to gain from this experience.
With so much happening at Congress, it’s easy to feel underprepared or overwhelmed. To make the most of your time so you can return home with new knowledge and valuable connections, it’s important to plan ahead.
As a longtime Congress attendee and speaker, I’ve gathered some tips from my own experiences and those of my colleagues that will help you have the best possible Congress experience.
How to Plan For Your Congress Trip
How you approach the planning process when preparing for your trip will differ depending on whether you’re going alone or with your team/organization. Here’s the advice I have for each approach:
As a Team or Organization
1. Meet & Discuss
Get together with your fellow attendees for a virtual roll call so everyone can discuss their plan together. Those who have attended Congress previously can give advice to those who have not, and returning teams can hold Plus/Deltas to discuss what went well last time they attended and what they’d like to do better this year.
If nobody in your group has attended Congress before, use the Congress Interactive Event Agenda, and webpages to help you plan your trip. Leave wiggle room in your daily activities and set a goal for each person to focus on learning.
2. Plan Your Strategy
Strong team alignment leads to a better outcome, so work together to identify who is going to attend what panel or event. Plan to have a follow up meeting to discuss key learning points and actions after Congress. Having attendees share what they learned to the organization is also an important part of the learning process.
3. Create a Shared Schedule
Create a shared schedule using a tool such as OneNote to capture the schedule and easily see who is attending what, including dinners and happy hours. You can include a tab for each individual to share notes and highlights.
Additionally, it’s helpful to utilize a shared travel schedule with flight info so the group can coordinate shared rides, dinners and networking.
4. Create a Group Chat
Start a group chat with people from your team/organization using text message or a messaging platform such as Messenger or WhatsApp. This will allow for better communication before, during, and after the trip.
As an Individual
1. Define Your Goals
Define your focus and goals for attending Congress. What are you hoping to achieve? What are you hoping to learn? Once you outline a set of achievable goals, find out what panels, events, or activities best serve those goals. Remember, you do get a link to the recorded sessions and presentations after Congress so you can review what you missed.
2. Reach Out
Get in touch with colleagues you have in the industry so you can coordinate travel schedules. Ride-sharing is a great time for networking!
3. Keep an Eye on Your Inbox
Watch your incoming emails for details on happy hours and to schedule your networking opportunities.
4. Travel Light
Take it easy – Congress is not a black tie affair; business casual is normal. You will also receive a swag bag with a notebook, and a pen amongst other goodies, so it’s wise to have some room in your luggage to bring this stuff back. Personally, I usually have a colored Sharpie or tags that I can tag my notebook and water bottle with, so I don’t lose them in the mix.
Learning Days & Workshops
Start by asking yourself: What are your personal goals? What are you currently working on in your project or role? What topics or concepts do you want to learn more about?
Look for classes that align with your goals and/or development plan. Consider learning about methods you can implement right away or maybe learn a different perspective on what you are currently working on. The learning day at Congress is an excellent opportunity to take a deeper dive into topics and get applicable skills to take back to your jobsite.
Don’t miss an opportunity to learn about the LCI Certifications and the Pathway to Certification! If you have 3+ years of practical Lean experience, you can begin the process to apply for your Lean certification. If you do not yet have that Lean experience, you can plan your pathway to certification so you’re ready when the time comes.
Make a plan to attend my upcoming presentation, “Certification, What’s in it For Me?” on Wednesday, Oct. 23 from 2:15-3:00 pm!
Networking & Engaging
The most consistent thing we hear from those who attend Congress each year is how valuable it is as a networking event. People have made lifelong personal and professional bonds at Congress, sparking project partnerships and innovative ideas that have helped to transform careers and the industry as a whole.
Here’s how you can utilize networking at Congress to your advantage.
1. Plan Your Remembering Strategy
When planning your networking strategy, take advantage of the LCI Congress app to reach out and make important connections before the event begins. The LCI happy hours offer a neutral setting to meet others, continue conversations, and expand your network before dinner. Keep an eye out for additional happy hours hosted by vendors and other organizations, as they provide even more opportunities to connect.
2. Bring Business Cards – Physical or Digital
Pack your business cards and/or download a QR code app on your phone (I use Blinq – it is free and creates a contact card in someone’s phone when they scan it).
I also like to take pictures of business cards on my phone vs. taking the cards physically; I tend to lose them so taking a picture allows me to go back and refresh on who I met.
3. Visit the Exhibit Hall
Visit the vendor booths in the exhibit hall. Take the time to learn and listen – this is all about networking to see what tools that are out there and how align with your team and or organization.
4. Happy Hours & Dinners
Happy hours and dinners are a great way to network in a casual setting. Many happy hours are scheduled and can be attended by anyone. However, setting up your own networking dinners is wise as well. Try to set up a get-together with someone whose work you value or who you think could make a valuable partner down the line.
It’s wise to scope out local restaurants and make reservations in advance. Don’t forget that breakfast and coffee sessions are also great times to meet new people and build relationships. Challenge yourself and your team to not sit with the same people at lunch and breakfast.
5. Vendors & Peer Groups
Congress is a great place to explore new ideas. The event features dozens of awesome vendors from all across the industry, providing great opportunities to learn about new companies, organizations, and ideas that you have not previously explored.
In the exhibit hall, trade professionals may benefit from meeting at the Field Crew Huddle table, while owners might focus on high-level strategic networking with other executives. Make the time to meet with others in your industry to make those valuable connections and acquire new knowledge.
In the past, I have found Congress to be a great place to start my learning on a new system or method. Look for those opportunities by industry:
- Trades: Look for practical applications of Lean in the field, such as Last Planner System, Flow, or Safety practices.
- Builders: Consider classes that cover project management, Lean Project Delivery, Target Value Delivery, and collaboration techniques.
- Designers: Focus on courses such as Scrum, Target Value Delivery, Choosing By Advantages and “We Hired a Design Manager, Now What?”
- Owners: Dig into the National Owners Panel, Scrum, and “Integrated Project Delivery in Biopharma.”
Plan for Action
Partner up at the conference with someone you already know or with someone you plan to meet up with at the event. This can be highly beneficial – having someone to discuss what you learn and engage with the speakers can help reinforce the information in your mind. It’s also an excellent opportunity to network with other attendees and speakers, so be proactive in making those connections.
Once Congress is over, build on what you learn by fostering the connections that you build and by taking what you’ve learned into concrete action in the workplace. If you’re attending with a team, it would be wise to get together to discuss the most valuable insights you picked up at Congress and put together an action plan for implementing some of those new ideas.
Register for 2024 LCI Congress in San Diego, California
Not yet registered for Congress? It’s not too late to join us and surf the wave of Lean design and Construction! LCI Congress takes place from October 22-25, 2024 in San Diego, California. Register now or learn more about this exciting event.
If you are already registered for the core Congress program (Oct. 23-24) it is not too late to add a Learning Day session on Oct. 22, a Gemba session on Oct. 25 and/or the golf tournament on Oct. 21. Please contact Joan Piccariello with any questions on adding to your reg