A meet checklist can be found here.
Edited to add:
Something else I forgot: Most meets will require you to join the federation. There is usually a nominal fee for the year. Find this out in advance. A non-sanctioned meet rarely presents the opportunity for setting anything other than personal records, and will not allow you to qualify for a larger meet (regional, national, or world, etc.). However, they can still be excellent learning experiences. The one problem with non-sanctioned meets is that certain standards can be, well, lax. I have seen this happen in the past.
Edited to add:
Comprehensive listing of federations:
http://www.powerliftingwatch.com/pow...ng-federations