I was once told never to wear perfume during job interviews. The reason supposedly being that you never know quite how someone will consciously or unconsciously react to fragrance. While this is clearly a rather extreme bit of advice (!), there is some truth in the fact that before you’ve even opened your mouth people will have made some sort of judgement based on how you look. While it’s certainly not fair, it is one of those annoying facts of life with some research even going as far as stating that first impressions are made within a tenth of a second of meeting someone.

And to be honest, when presenting or speaking at events there’s enough to think about without worrying about what you’re wearing. That and it helps noone’s vibe if your pre-event routine is taken up with dashing about your room in a blind panic because you’d forgotten that perfect shirt was in the wash… So whether you’re attending, or presenting at an event here are our top tips for sorting your outfit and keeping your cool.

1. Let your outfit do some of the talking

Dress to get across whatever your objective is. If you’re at a pitching competition and need to stand out, why not be that guy in the chicken suit? One of the most memorable outfits I’ve ever seen at an event was a goldfish suit worn by Burst Insight’s CEO (below) at Mass Challenge’s Minute to Pitch it event. Yes he looked utterly ridiculous, but with 49 other start-ups all pitching that night it meant nobody forgot his pitch.

2. Wear comfortable shoes

An obvious one, but trade fairs and conferences usually involve a whole lot of good old fashioned walking. Then there’s ‘conference backache’ from standing on your feet all day. And don’t forget that’ll be after you’ve trekked to whatever beautiful yet slightly isolated venue your event’s taking place in (I usually get horribly lost on route and accidentally add another couple of kilometers to my daily tally). So make sure you’re wearing comfortable shoes that you’ll be able to stamp around in for a whole day. After all, nobody want to be the person who trips up on stage….

3. It’s always better to be slightly overdressed, than underdressed

Although a lot of events are pretty casual these days (particularly in the tech sector, where the hipster look is still very much the look de jour), there’s nothing worse than rocking up in jeans when everyone else is in a suit. So if in doubt, go ahead and wear that tie or skirt you’ve been saving for a special occasion. After all, when else are you going to wear it?

4. Figure out what you’re going to wear the night before

You want to be getting in the zone the morning of your event – not having a wardrobe meltdown. Short of anything dramatic happening overnight to the weather, it always helps to figure out what you’re going to wear the night before so you can keep your calm and not have to frantically speed iron the following morning.

5. Make sure you feel comfortable
And finally, make sure you’re happy with what you’re wearing! Really, whatever you know makes you feel comfortable is going to be your perfect event outfit.