NeurIPS 2023 - A First-Timer's Perspective
NeurIPS 2023 marked the beginning of my (so far very modest) academic career as it was my first conference. It was an amazing and great experience, albeit overwhelming but satisfying. I had the opportunity to present my own work at the Associative Memory and Hopfield Networks workshop. Nearly a month later, I wanted to jot down some of my thoughts and takeaways from participating in this conference to assist my future self in (hopefully) more conferences to come.
The Social Scene of NeurIPS
Social events and happy hours are abundant at NeurIPS, with some sort of event occurring nearly every day of the conference, and often multiple events during the main conference days. These gatherings excel in two key aspects: free food and drinks, and a sense of exclusivity. The allure of free sustenance is self-explanatory, especially given that the conference food is not particularly noteworthy. The exclusivity factor plays into the age-old idea that private events seem more upscale. However, I'd like to share my two cents on this:
- Most happy hours and socials, including those hosted by large corporations, typically offer mediocre food and complimentary beer. While enjoyable, these are not worth missing an important poster session or talk for, especially since some happy hours overlap with these sessions.
- The 'exclusivity' of private events is somewhat overstated. There's a common practice of sharing 'link-only' party invitations among conference attendees. These aren't as exclusive as they might seem. You don't need to fret over obtaining these links; a simple Twitter search for NeurIPS, along with the URLs of popular event platforms like https://lu.ma or https://partiful.com, will usually reveal most party details.
That said, the HuggingFace party this year featuring an actual llama was crazy.
Networking at NeurIPS
Many people advised me before I attended that, while talks and sessions are fun and important, the most crucial aspect to invest in is networking. NeurIPS, being a large conference, can be overwhelming; finding people relevant to your interests can be exhausting and sometimes unproductive.
However, its size is also a benefit, as it allows you to interact with individuals from various fields. This opens up opportunities to discuss topics you might not encounter in your daily research, potentially sparking new ideas. Moreover, it's always beneficial to have friends around the world in different universities for assistance. The attendees are generally very nice and kind, creating a fantastic environment for meeting new people.
Value is Everywhere
My advisor offered me this advice before I attended: Attend every session that sounds interesting without concerning yourself with its immediate relevance to our research. Reflect on its usefulness afterwards. If it proves beneficial, that's fantastic. But even if it doesn't, it's still good! You've spent time trying to forge new connections in the field you're passionate about, which is always a positive experience.
The Hidden Gems: Workshops
People often have reservations about workshops, considering them an additional expense and somewhat peripheral to the main conference agenda. However, as someone who presented at a workshop, I can attest to the wonderful atmosphere they offer. Workshops are smaller and more concentrated on specific topics, which you are more likely to find engaging. This focused environment effectively complements the vast, overwhelming experience of the main conference days, providing a more intimate and tailored experience.
