Conferences are central to sharing your research with different communities. As a doctoral researcher you have interesting research findings, theoretical advances and critical insights to bring to your disciplinary field. But the prospect of standing up and performing to a room, worst still and auditorium, of expectant faces is daunting. This session will assist you in finding ways to identify ‘your tribe’ – finding a good fit with your research orientation and identifying the audiences you want your work to inform requires some extensive exploration. You will also be introduced to the idea of collaborating and finding strength in numbers (e.g. forming a symposium, co-presenting, panel presentations). Once you have developed the skills to identify a conference where you feel (academically) at home, the task then is to gain access. The remainder of the session will focus on writing an abstract that directly addresses the conference theme.