Symposium networking

Networking at #aiip24

Magnolia Hotel St. Louis
421 North 8th Street
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

April 18-21, 2024

Read what members have to say . . . and don't miss any of the #AIIP24 networking opportunities

In-Person Networking

  • Download the conference app and complete your attendee profile before you travel for easy connect-ability.
  • Meet and greet at the Opening Reception on Thursday evening, April 18.
  • Give your "elevator pitch" at our all-attendee Welcome & Introductions session on Friday morning, April 19.
  • Connect at the dedicated Networking session at 4:45 on Friday.
  • Socialize at breakfasts, lunches, and breaks - all complementary with your conference registration.
  • Sign up for group dine-arounds. (Thursday and Friday dinners are not included with your registration.)

Virtual Networking

  • Complete your attendee profile on the conference app.
  • Connect with other attendees at our Virtual Welcome session on 12:30pm CST on Thursday, April 18.
  • Come to the dedicated Networking session at 2:30pm CST on Saturday, April 20.


Connecting at the Awards Dinner

What Do Attendees Say?

The AIIP symposium will be the best gift you give to yourself! It is packed  with useful information that is immediately actionable. It is a "retreat" with people who understand your challenges. It is filled with inspiration and ideas. What more could you ask for? Marge King, nonprofit development expert, InfoRich Group


This will be my first in-person AIIP, as I attended virtually the past couple  of years (and yes, I applied for the travel stipend 😊). I have been a member since I was a library student in the mid 2000s and first learned about y'all at an SLA conference. Now that I am a full-time business, the stars are finally aligning. I used to work in the meetings and events industry and I realize the value of face-to-face meetings. I love St. Louis, so this was a win-win decision! I look forward to meeting y'all in person and learning a lot!
Marj Atkinson, researcher, AskMarj.com


Spontaneous conversations

This week, I decided to go to the collective wisdom and know-how of luminaries in the taxonomy field to ask a burning question. The conversation enabled me to move ahead with more confidence because I had spoken to the right people. How did I get this kind of response and access to these experts? In-person networking.
Ask yourself how you want to extend and engage with your network of experts. Build these relationships by participating and conversing with the people you'd like to be able to ask and receive wisdom from in your field. In addition to experts in your field, build a network of like-minded infopreneurs who may not be in your sector so that you can expand your knowledge boundaries.
Liz McLean, knowledge management strategist, Knowsaic

I have connected with so many amazing AIIPers at the three conferences I attended in person—plus our virtual conferences. There’s nothing like a personal connection—some one-on-one time with another person—to really understand what they do and the customers they serve. I look forward to the April symposium and all the value that comes from a bunch of smart solopreneurs all being in the room together working to help us all learn and grow!
Kelly Berry, business strategist, ResourceAbility LLC


June Boyle, Liz McLean, and Janel Kinlaw enjoying AIIP conference time together

The symposium is an absolute must-attend event for me, and I haven't missed one since I joined AIIP in 2005. It's where I meet and forge personal and professional relationships with other AIIP members, feel the spirit of community and camaraderie, learn from the thought-provoking presentations, and leave with a renewed sense of enthusiasm. It's truly the best way to invest in yourself and your business, with colleagues who "get" what you do and want you to succeed.
Karen Klein, research expert in advanced manufacturing, Fulcrum Information Resources


Back in 2008 I went to my first AIIP conference. I had just hung up my own shingle after years of working in a collegial, engaging, and intellectually stimulating corporate culture. That environment had been so important to me as I grew professionally, I knew I needed something like it to sustain me as I transitioned to solo practitioner.
At AIIP08, I remember thinking “This is where I belong.” I have missed only 2 annual events since, because they always give me what I need. When we reunited in person last year, the energy was amazing – it’s more palpable and gets the brilliant ideas flowing more readily. It's a different setting on the dial. AIIP24 will give you a necessary boost for your business, so if you can swing it, choose in-person, but if you can’t, come to virtual.
June Boyle, business and leadership consultant, CerCo Research

Elizabeth Hutchinson connecting virtually at AIIP23

The collective mind is priceless! I registered for BootCamp and the Symposium yesterday, and as I'm just starting my business this month, the timing is perfect! This is my first symposium with AIIP, and I am very excited to meet everyone and tap into the group knowledge. I have found so many invaluable benefits of being in AIIP, but the networking opportunities stand out because there is so much to be shared and learned from the vast expertise of the association members. For those on the fence, give the program another look, and think about how much synergy and serendipitous, just in time learning happens when you get together with a great group of people. I am not hesitating to spend the time and money to attend the symposium, because I am confident that the return on investment will be invaluable. Looking forward to seeing everyone in St. Louis!
Annie McMillion, McMillion Eolas Services


I attended my first AIIP conference in Philadelphia. While I knew a few people from my SLA activities, I met so many more people and got to know them and what they do and knew that was going to be my prime conference for as long as I keep my business going. This decision has been confirmed as the right one time and again throughout the years. I encourage any and everyone to try and participate in person if possible or at least virtually. It will be well worth your time and money. 
Richard Hulser, organizational archivist, Richard P. Hulser Consulting


Richard Hulser displays an AIIP conference bag

I attended my first AIIP conference a month before I went independent, which was both financially scary and the best money I invested in my business that year (and every year since). My business wouldn't be where it is today—30+ years later—if I hadn't made the commitment to attend the conference in person every year. The connections I make, the insights I get, the fresh perspectives I gain, I can't get anywhere else.
IMO, if I want my clients to invest in me, *I* have to invest in myself as well, and part of that investment is scrounging up the money to build my business skills and network at the AIIP conference every year. I look forward to seeing, and getting to know, lots of you at this year's meeting in St. Louis.
Mary Ellen Bates, strategic analyst, coach and author, Bates Information Services


I joined AIIP right before the 2018 conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At that time, it was hard for me to justify the cost of traveling as a newly independent infopro. Looking back now almost 6 years later, I wish I could tell that new infopro to just take the risk. The AIIP community has taught me so much. When I did attend my first conference in 2019 in Philadelphia, the warmth and welcoming truly was amazing. I enjoyed the smaller size of the conference—by the end of the three days, I had met everyone attending at least once if not twice and was hopeful to work with a few attendees in the future. Come for the community, come for the inspiration, come for the value to your business.
Janel Kinlaw, consulting project manager, Refining Workflow LLC


Networking between AIIP conference sessions

However you attend the symposium, in-person or virtually, it really is money well-spent. The ROI is immense. New ideas, new contacts, new friends, new inspirations, new perspectives.
Denise Carter, competitive intelligence researcher, DCision Consult


I will be attending the symposium virtually this year as I am based in the UK. One day I will treat myself and attend live I am sure. I have found the virtual events not only welcoming and full of content but also a great way to connect when I am so far away. Over the years I have come to know many of the members and I really look forward to connecting with them all again, even if it is within the online world again for me.
Elizabeth Hutchinson, school library advocate and trainer, Elizabeth Hutchinson.com

Page updated March 13, 2024
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