Changing motivations for conference attendance across professional careers: a case study

Background: Exploring how motivations for conference attendance can change over the course of one’s career might help organisers better cater to the diverse range of conference attendees Aims and Objectives: To explore if and how motivations for conference attendance have varied across the timeline of professional careers. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 European Respiratory Society stakeholders who were experts in their field and frequent conference attenders. Transcripts were coded using inductive thematic analysis. Results: Preliminary analyses have identified three themes of relevance to this study’s aim: (1) Early career ERS members seek knowledge gain and career inspiration from experts while requiring guidance about how to integrate into the community; (2) Mid career members attend to advance their reputation and career progression through active participation in the conference program; (3) Late career members shift their conference focus to, and draw pleasure from, helping others (e.g., PhD students) Conclusion: Motivations for conference attendance change over the course of one’s career. It may, therefore, be helpful to tailor sessions to different stages of individuals’ careers. Future research is needed to investigate what other variables contribute to variability in motivations to optimise conference utility for all.