If you are like me, you have curated the art on the wall behind your desk, a few business shirts in rotation for your zoom meetings, and have mastered the appropriate “touch up my appearance” setting for that little extra oomph. Or maybe some days, you throw all of that out the window and just show up (or on extra long days, you just keep the camera off), also like me. We are experts at this remote work thing by now, but I cannot wait to get back out and see “real” people again!

It’s been three years since my last in-person ServiceNow Conference. I am in full dopamine chasing mode; four weeks ago, I started dusting off my suitcase, taking inventory of work clothes, and prototyping creative ways to share contact info without business cards.

Yes, the 2022 ServiceNow Knowledge conference will be different this year, but this change may provide access to those who have never attended. In order to maintain new health standards and provide as many people as possible with a safe and fun experience, ServiceNow will host in-person events in four (four!) locations across two weeks in May.

May 11-12

May 25-26

There will also be a no-cost digital experience for those who cannot travel.

Attendance at the conference is limited; all indicators point to around 2,000-5,000 attendees at each location. For comparison, at K19 in Las Vegas, there were 18,000 attendees. Even with the smaller attendance, there will still be customer presentations, hands-on labs, and an expo center. However, I predict (and I hope) that with the more intimate attendance at each location, there will be more emphasis on opportunities to network among client peers, Partners, and ServiceNow representatives.

It’s also a little crazy to think that this event will be my 14th year attending Service Now’s Knowledge conference. Over the years, I’ve gathered loads of tips and tricks for maximizing your experience. It can be a long couple of days out on the expo floor, with lots of information flying at you from everywhere, but there are ways to make it less overwhelming and walk away with valuable lessons for your organization.

Here are a few gems that have served me well over the years:

  1. Register for some sessions and breakouts that are outside your comfort zone. Growing happens! Take the track for the job you want, even if it’s not the job you have. Plus, it gives you an opportunity to see advancements on the Platform you might not have even been aware of.
  2. Two fantastic sessions at the same time? Divide and conquer with your co-workers. After the session, upload your notes and any slide decks to a shared online location so you can all revisit them throughout the year.
  3. Talk to the experts to find opportunities on the best ways to see value with ServiceNow. In this case “experts” might mean employees from ServiceNow, but it could also mean finding out what your peers are doing in their industries, or even talking with a ServiceNow Partner.
  4. Network in and outside your industry to learn from other customers’ successes and mistakes. Make notes on not only what their successes are but how they and their executives are measuring success – KPIs are important!
  5. And, maybe most importantly, wear comfortable shoes. I’m going to repeat that… WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES! Even though the scale of the conference is smaller, you’ll be doing a lot of walking.

To that last point, I also recently started a thread on the sndevs slack about avoiding blisters, and the community came up with some other great tips:

  1. Bring a pen to jot something useful to remind you why you have a person’s card and what to follow up with them about – eric
  2. Keep a change of socks with you at all times. – wiz0floyd, ajb, s.robinson, ashley
  3. If you’re not used to sleeping in a city, earplugs and an eye-mask can make a huge difference. – wiz0floyd
  4. If you aren’t already wearing flats, make sure to include a pair. Also, there are Band-Aid brand hydroseal patches that are amazing. – paige
  5. LAYERS! bring a cardigan, a scarf, etc. because them ‘muricans, especially in Las Vegas, are insane with their AC. – LH
  6. Get a button with a QR code that links to your contact info. Or just make sure to have plenty of business cards handy. – Kevin Eldridge
  7. Download a map of the area between your arrival point and the venue (airport to hotel to conference center). – ajb, paige
  8. I’m considering bringing a 3-legged stool and make sure to pack some extra masks. – jace

Are you going to K22? I hope to see you there! I’ll be speaking at CreatorCon in New York and attending Las Vegas. You’ll be able to find me either in the Acorio booth or at the ServiceNow booth. Look for the tall blonde who may or may not be following her own shoe advice.

NOTE: This content was originally posted by Carleen Carter (me!) on May 3rd, 2022 on the Acorio website at https://www.acorio.com/knowledge-tips-2022/ The Acorio brand retired in April 2023 after acquisition by NTT DATA. Some links may no longer work.