There are many "Tips" for Lotusphere that are doing the rounds at this time of year - here I have attempted to gather the most useful ones in one place.

Session Abstracts

• You only have until Sunday the 6th of November 2011 - if you want to submit an abstract DO IT NOW!! - if you are reading this from the 7th of November 2011 onward - you are too late
• READ THIS POST by Gabriella Davis (@gabturtle) of the Turtle Partnership before you submit your session idea, honestly, its a fantastic post
• Once you have decided on a topic - READ THIS POST by Susan Bulloch (notesgoddess) before you go to the abstract page - it will explain the procedure - which has changed, it will save you much confussion
• Submit your abstract HERE - and good luck

The Build Up

• Register and take full advantage of the "Early Bird" discount - it will save you or your company a few hundred $dollars
• Book your hotel early too - try and get in the Dolphin or Swan if funds allow, if you are alone advertise on Twitter for a room buddy and split the cost
• Big party going? Rent an appartment / villa and hire a car - pro's : can save lots of money, cons : you MUST have a designated driver who doesn't drink alcohol, you'll end up with even earlier starts than normal and you may miss some of the buzz of staying on site
• Order more business cards now - you will give away LOTS, you will give away lots just on the sponsors floor leaving them for competitions, you will also trade with IBMers, Business Partners, Customers, you'll give away a lot, so order more.
• Start breaking in your shoes - everyone jokes about this, but you walk MILES and MILES - about 26 miles on average over the course of Lotusphere. You must have comfortable footware or you will really suffer.
• Study the agenda when it is released and try and plan if you can - 3 categories works well for some - Last year I broke my agenda into
  1. what I MUST see and do and really couldn't live with out
  2. what I WANTED to do if I got the chance
  3. what I would LIKE to do
  This really helped me prioritise.
• Get shopping - buy anything you need before you go, travel sized "stuff", pain killers, vitamins, band aids/plasters, caffeine tablets (for extra get up and go), travel power adaptors, basically anything you think you will need. Yes you can buy this stuff onsite as its a Disney hotel and they will sell almost anything, BUT they do know how to charge for it.

While you are there

• Pray your shoes are broken in - every guide you read mentions comfortable footware and good quality socks
• Drink plenty of water - Lotusphere is noisy, its also hot, you will need plenty of water after all the raised voices, shouting, singing etc. Plus with all the extra walking there is a chance you will become de-hydrated, especially if you partake in a little bit of social drinking ;)
• On the subject of water - Mr Handly Cameron passed on a fantasic suggestion of make sure you aquire some of the extra bottles of water distibuted throughout the day to take back to your room, that way you always have water with you. It is especially welcome after a late night of sing-along in Kimonos
• Mr Mitch Cohen suggests making sure you have a good supply of pain relief. There is a very good chance you may end up with an aching head due to heat, loud music, crowd noise, lights or over doing it in someway. If you are prone to head-aches or migraines ensure you pack a supply to last the time you are at Lotusphere
• Another favourite is Multi-vitamins - take a pill a day. The food is ok, you may not get what you need. Mr "Wild" Bill Buchan is a firm believer in Barocca - a vitamin C soluable tablet - which he claims is an instant hangover cure :) Will be interested to see if that actually works.