Based on emails, status updates, tweets, and full-on hearsay, there appear to be a significant number of diabetes online community members descending upon the Moscone Center in the next few days to attend this year’s Scientific Sessions. That’s awesome. I wish I had the time, and opportunity to see all of you.

Alas, I will be working during the conference – but if you want to say hi, I’ll be monitoring sessions in rooms S-102 and S-104 pretty much non-stop.

While I won’t be able to pop in on every session that looks interesting to me, I figure it’s best to provide my ideal path through the week. You’re more than welcome to start here and modify as needed.

Above all, wear comfy shoes. There will be walking. Lots of it.

Next, the poster hall is awesome. You’ll definitely want to carve out some time there. I recommend starting in the behavior/psychosocial section and then branch out from there. If you can time it right, I also suggest spending some time to talk to the presenters if they are there. Coming to this conference is just as big a deal for them as it is for you, and most presenters have no problem explaining their work in actual english if you ask them to. While a room with over 2,000 posters can be intimidating, I promise that striking up conversations with these scientists is worth the effort.

With respect to the Exhibit Hall. It’ll be easy to get distracted by the glitz and glamour of the larger booths, but I recommend prioritizing your time with the companies with the thickest carpet (likely Johnson & Johnson), building connections with companies that you are already familiar with (like Dexcom), or taking the time to connect with companies that you have a legitimate interest in – like if you were interested in the prospect of starting to use one of the Slim-mer pumps on the market. It’s worth doing a full lap at least once to get an idea of how each of these companies approaches a convention like this, and to contrast resources used by different companies – but it won’t be the highlight of your weekend.

Finally, if you’re looking for a few sessions to bookmark, here are my recommendations:

• Depression and Diabetes (Meet the Expert) – Friday, 11:45am – 12:30pm – S-104
• Adolescent Care Transitions (Meet the Expert) – Friday, 12:45pm – 1:30pm – N-130
• Getting the Patient Perspective on Diabetes – Saturday, 8:00am – 10:00am – N-120
• Joint ADA/JDRF Symposium, The Changing Presentation (or Face) of Type 1 Diabetes – Saturday, 4:00pm – 6:00pm – S-104
• Peer Support Programs Around the World – Sunday, 8:00am – 10:00am – N-120
• Professional Interest Group Discussion on Behavioral Medicine and Psychology – 12:30pm – 1:45pm – N-132 #DOCatADA
• Closed-Loop Insulin Delivery, One Step at a Time – Sunday, 2:15pm – 4:15pm – N-134
• Joint ADA/AACC Symposium, Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose, 21st-Century Issues – Sunday, 4:30pm – 6:30pm – N-130 (Think Strip Safely)
• That Johnson and Johnson Meet & Tweet – 5pm
• Type 1 Diabetes Guidelines, Are They Enough? – Monday, 2:15pm – 4:15pm – N-120

Like I said, it’s a place to start.

Seriously, though – comfy shoes. If necessary, be gellin’.