How To Prepare For AIPAC Policy Conference

AIPAC Policy Conference 2015 is in less than a week. Make sure you're prepared with this handy guide!

15. Excite Your Cadre & Calm Down Your Field Organizer

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With less than a week until Policy Conference, your cadre is likely to be freaking out: "What do I wear? What sessions do I sign-up for? It's ok if I just crash on a bench at GW, right?" Channel this collective panic into excitement, and encourage your friends to just take a deep breath -- it's not as overwhelming as it seems!

At the same time you need to energize your cadre, your field organizer is over-caffeniated and all over your case: "Are all of your members registered for policy conference? Why haven't you called more senators about Iran? Why are you not bringing your entire extended family to policy conference? Can you write an op ed for me?" Encourage your F.O to take a deep breath as well -- this is the most stressful time of year for them, so maybe drop a great GIF or two their way to distract them from the things they're trying to get you to do (oh, and at least pretending to call your members of congress wouldn't hurt, while you're at it).

14. Get Friendly With Your Professors

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While AIPAC does its best to provide stellar resources for its campus activists, as of 2015, they have not managed to hire someone who can cancel midterms, extend paper deadlines, or make attendance for orgo lab non-mandatory -- at least, not without a little phenegling on your part. Figure out what it will take: a flowery email about the importance of the US-Israel relationship might work for some professors, while others who enjoy watching young-adults suffer may make you commit to academic acrobatics ("Why sure, I would love to make up that orgo lab next Sunday!"). Whatever it takes, make sure you get the green light from all of your professors: otherwise, returning to campus is not going to be the enjoyable engagement opportunity it once was.

13. Clear Your Schedule for the Next Week (conference + recovery)

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You thought Policy Conference was only three days? You forgot to factor in a semi-obligatory pre-conference weekend in DC and the inevitable conference recovery period once you return to campus. Trust me: after three days (or more) of long hours, short breaks, and turning up on Tuesday (not to mention Sunday and Monday), you're gonna need it.

12. Confirm Your Travel To And From Washington, D.C

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Plane? Train? Your brother's friend's college roommate's cousin with a car? Months ago, you had options galore. Now, the week before one of the busiest weekends in D.C.? Get on that bus schedule, stat.

11. Confirm Your Accommodations

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The conference hotel? A more reasonably priced motel? With friends at GW/Maryland? That sketchy Air BNB your liason is trying to get you to join in on? Wherever you stay, remember, it's just for a few days: don't break the bank over it, but make sure you make arrangements before Sunday night when your only option might be bunking with that new J-Swipe match from Virginia.

10. Make Some Sense of Your AIPAC Schedule

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While Policy Conference does allow lots of flexibility, it's a good idea to have some idea of which sessions you'll be attending so that you can arrange to meet with your cadre, rabbi, grandparents, and long-lost AIPAC buddies.

In the end, don’t sweat it: you can always try to have Kessler get you into an overbooked session by schmoozing on the infamous 5 AM walk (if you can handle the 45 high schoolers)

9. Packing: Dress for Success

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Make sure your suits fit, your shirts are ironed, your shoes are shined, and you have enough business casual clothes to get you through several days of "reunions," aka, Networkingpaloozas disguised as open bars. Comfortable, sharp-looking dress clothes are a must.

8. Hone Your Lobbying Talking Points

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You've obsessively stalked your members of congress and you've got the stats on Foreign Aid and Investment (as a miniscule percentage of total budget, with high returns to the US economy, obvs) down pat. Make sure you are keeping up with current events outside of politics as well: half of the art of lobby missions is that special personal connection (and knowing your MoC's favorite sports teams' scores couldn't hurt, either)

7. Hone Your Elevator Pitch

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In between sessions, when meeting your friends' parents, with people you only talk to at AIPAC and sort of consider your BFF even though you see each other twice a year, and at those networking events/'reunions,' you're gonna inevitably have to talk about something other than Israel. Don't be caught unawares: make sure you are comfortable with small talk and are prepared to discuss your career plans with interested strangers; it just might lead to a job down the line.

6. Throw Your Expectations of Sleep Out the Window

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Engaging sessions. Critical lobby missions. Long-delayed reunions. Vital networking events. Promising J-Swipe Matches. You don't come to Policy Conference to be well rested: you'll sleep when you're home (that's why we cleared our schedules, remember?)

5. Update Your J-Swipe Profile

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Whether you're ready to settle down and meet your beshert or just need someone to split a burger and an uber to Union Station with, Policy Conference is no time for inefficiency: forget Tinder. We've got a Pro-Israel alliance to build.

+10 pts if your photo is with Alan Dershowitz, AIPAC staff, includes an Israel flag, was taken on an AIPAC conference, or is with a member of congress.

4. Perfect Those Pickup Lines

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Don't get caught with nothing to say after those inevitable "mazal tov" inducing right swipes. Are you Jewish? Cause you Israeli hot!

3. Eat a Good Meal and Get a Good Night’s Sleep

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"I was really pleasantly surprised by the quality of, access to, and affordability of food at Policy conference, as well as the ample opportunities to nap," said no one ever. Come prepared!

2. Expect the Unexpected

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Schedules change, speakers don't show up, sporadic parties are added, new bridges are built, new friendships are forged. There's no time to Carpe Diem like Policy Conference.

1. Suit Up and Smile!

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You're about to have the best three days of your life with Pro-Israel advocates from around the country. Why miss appreciating it because you're busy being stressed? No matter what happens, you're in for an experience of a lifetime.