Actually, I know what I did before I discovered these Conference journals--I didn't really take notes. Way back when, I bought a very simple version of this product and reused it every year. Then in 2019 or so, there was a special journal for conference, new lay out and I really liked it. It has been revamped again, so that there are quotes from the conference before, suggestions on how to prepare and things like that. Yes, I could just use the same old file for every conference, but it is so nice to have a fresh looking cover and everything for each conference. AND it make a great gift for my bestie each conference.