1. Attend sessions made up of invited talks. Invited-only sessions offer the best prospect of understanding, albeit partially, the science content of the talks. Invited talks tend to be longer, which gives the speakers the chance to properly introduce their topics to nonspecialists. Short, contributed talks, by contrast, have to jump right to the results, leaving nonspecialists in a state of puzzlement.
2. Don't spend all your time in talks. When we go to meetings, it should be to meet people, as well as to learn about new work.
3. Introduce yourself to people. Eexpand your network of acquaintances and potential collaborators by introducing yourself to what I call near strangers. These are people whose papers you've read and admired or who collaborate with your collaborators but not yet with you.
4. Visit the exhibit hall. For one thing, people tend to visit the hall alone, which makes them easier to approach than if they're outside a session, talking with their friends and collaborators.