What with more than a thousand exhibitors, literally hundreds of education and expert sessions, a fistful of keynote addresses — not to mention private meetings, parties and dinners — it would be impossible for any one person to see all of HIMSS15.

But there are a few tips and tricks to help you maximize time during this year’s conference. Indeed, many of them can be found, not surprisingly, right there in your laptop, smartphone or tablet.  

Cutting to the chase, then, here are five ways to make the most of HIMSS15: 

1. Blog carnival. It’s back again this year. Running April 6-10, the third annual HIMSS15 Blog Carnival theme is “The Future of …” with a deeper dive into a more specific topic every day that week, including in order here: connected health, big data, security, innovation, and patient engagement. And each day will feature a new social influencer hosting the carnival.  Click the button to find out more: 

2. Social Media. You likely know the usual suspects well. Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Twitter — the latter most especially for near-instant news bits and bytes from sessions and the show floor. There are also the HIMSS15 Social Media Ambassadors, an eclectic and elite rockstar lineup of influencers accredited by HIMSS to attend and cover the conference via social channels. The HIMSS social media team also compiled a list of hashtags to keep handy. Click the button to find out more:

3. Healthcare IT News @HIMSS15. By way of a confession: this one is admittedly self-serving but we will have reporters from Healthcare IT News, Healthcare Finance, Government Health IT, Medical Practice Insider and mHealth News covering the show, attending keynotes and sessions, meeting with prominent CIOs and technology vendors, posting stories all day every day throughout the conference. And judging from the registered press statistics as of publication time we will have more reporters on-site than any other news outlet. Click the button to find out more:

4. Live meetups and events. Find the HIMSS Spot in the B Lobby of the North Hall. Among the events slated to take place there are meetups spanning a variety of topics from chapter leader sessions to spotlights on ICD-10, HIE, mHealth and innovation as well as several social media events; two highlights include the #IHeartHIT and #HITChicks community meetups. Click the button to find out more:

5. HIMSS15 online. Can’t make the Monday morning keynote by Walgreens’ Alex Gourlay or heading home before national coordinator Karen DeSalvo, MD takes the stage on Thursday? And then there’s the frequent dilemma of having to pick between two sessions happening simultaneously. You can watch live simulcasts of keynotes and educational sessions by registering for HIMSS15 Online, the conference’s portal. Click the button to find out more:

What did I miss? Have any tips or tricks of your own based on previous HIMSS conferences? Comment below.