Newington's Victoria McNish rounds up Newington's top tips for Party Conference season.

Party Conference season is just around the corner, providing an opportunity to brush shoulders with politicians and high profile industry leaders in a uniquely informal setting. It’s also important not to forget that parties often use these gatherings as a platform to make announcements on their future policy directions. Whilst you won’t miss out on this latter point by checking your Twitter updates, being at the conferences allows you to see first-hand how these are received and get a feel for the current mood within the parties. 

So whether you are a seasoned conference goer or a complete newbie, check out Newington’s top tips for how to get the most out conference – and our key tips for survival!

Fringe events

• Pick fringe events in advance – have a good look through the fringe guides and plan what events you want to attend before you go. You’ll find you will get much more out of the experience if you do.
• Get to lunchtime fringes early – not only do you not want to miss out on the food, you never know who you’ll bump into when making a break for the last sandwich!
• Catch speakers at the end of the event – spot what event that MP you want to meet with is speaking at, and see if you can grab them for a quick chat afterwards. It’s even worth making a brief connection and asking for a follow up meeting in Parliament.

Bars and drinks receptions

• Head down to the main hotel bar – this is also a good place to catch people who you couldn’t pin down for a meeting.
• Regional/informal drinks receptions – similarly, informal or regional drinks receptions are often attended by MPs and junior ministers, and can be a good opportunity to talk to parliamentarians.
• ‘Unadvertised’ fringe events – many organisations will hold outside fringe events, but they’re not kept that secret (e.g. Sky and Spectator drinks). Try giving think tanks a call and ask them if they are hosting anything you can come along to – and press your contacts for invites to the good parties!
• Conference is swarming with journos – don’t forget to check your volume as some people may be a little too interested in your politics!

And some final tips for survival:

• Take a phone charger and several battery packs!
• Swap mobile numbers with everyone you’re meeting with to make sure your meetings happen.
• Save your energy for the afternoons/evenings and don’t overdo it on the first night. Conference is a marathon!