ZendCon ‘08 was my first “real” (if you don’t count local BarCamps) conference I attended and I made sure to be active on the #phpc/#phpwomen channels a few days before as well as attend the pre-conference pub crawl which really helped me meet new friends and get to know the community. I also stayed active on the IRC channels and Twitter.

Thanks to me following essentially the same guidelines I made new friends and got the opportunity to sit down and hang out with a lot of really freaking cool (and internet famous) people. Granted I’m sure some of the bigger name types were wondering what an annoying kid like me was doing around but I got what I wanted

Anybody know how many people are going to the conference? These things should let you upload a passport photo when you register, people can then match faces to names they know in advance.

Find the “big shots” who you’re interested in, email them well in advance, and try to set up a time to meet with them. Buying them lunch is the most worthwhile $20 you’ll ever spend.

If there are no sessions at a time you’re really interested in, don’t go to any of them. Hang out in the hall track instead. Preferably, find the schedule in advance and email the above people to schedule time with them.