Eight common conference disasters | Athene Donald

It's the time of year for academic conferences, but for seasoned attendees and freshers alike, potential pitfalls abound

David Lodge is an author well known for his campus novels; his dissection of the people who populate our universities, and the vagaries of academic life. These include that September regular, the academic conference (e.g. Small World), with associated out-of-hours hijinks.

Thinking about Lodge's novels prompts me to consider some of the horrors encountered during the conference season, even in the formal sessions. Such meetings may, for some, be the highlight of their professional year; for others the nerve-racking culmination of their PhD research. Conferences are meant to be that moment when academics can briefly escape to recharge their intellectual batteries and get up-to-date with the latest developments.