Conferences are undoubtedly an important part of academic life, but little is known about the extent to which conference presentations can advance researchers in their attempts to publish in scholarly journals. This column analyses more than 4,000 papers presented at three leading economics conferences over the 2006-2012 period, and finds that conference presentation is positively related to the likelihood of publication in high-quality journals. It also suggests that participating in major conferences helps improve research impact and visibility.