Dodgy title but good advice: How to win friends and influence people. http://amzn.to/aEYc04 http://amzn.to/aEYc04 For conferences: try to contact people that a

Dodgy title but good advice: How to win friends and influence people. http://amzn.to/aEYc04 http://amzn.to/aEYc04 For conferences: try to contact people that are going beforehand and talk about stuff over email. It's easier to follow up in person than to start from scratch in person.