Sometime during TCEA I passed the 400 post mark. It is hard for me to believe that I have found that much to write about but according to WordPress this will be post 406. It’s kind of appropriate that I would reach this milestone here at a technology conference. Here is a list of somethings I have learned at this conference (not technology)
1. Photoshop sessions are very popular. I nearly didn’t get in one that I wanted to see today.
2. Don’t bother going to a session in a room that you want to stay in for the next session. Volunteers have the dubious pleasure of making you exit and get in line with the rest of the folks ( a pet peeve of mine – immature, I know )
3. Whatever session you want to attend next will be at the opposite end of the conference center than the previous one.
4. The little freebie backpacks do NOT have padded straps and will move from annoying to painful before the day is over.
5. Roll around carts are easy to trip over. I now HATE them. I can see why they are banned from some conferences.
6. The slowness of the people in front of you will be in direct proportion to how late you are for the next session you want to attend.
7. Take snacks just in case – nothing at the conference center will be cheap
That is all I have for now. Tomorrow we will be heading home and after what I hope is a restful weekend it will be back to work.
I will now subscribe to your blog as well!
I love that you posted this. I usually send out a note to my attendees from my district about what to expect. I list items to take:
1) A backpack with straps that are soft. The bags are nice but they cause shoulder damage.
2) Hand sanitizer because people are sickly and their germs like to jump on you.
3) Snacks – because the best sessions are sometimes during the lunch rush. Also to get to a good restaurant will require some walking and possible rest stops.
4) Water bottles or sodas – cost effective
5) Business cards – to share with only vendors that you want to get in touch with you. Saves time from filling out those slips of paper.
I also inform them on how to dress, where there is good parking, and where they can get handouts online if they miss presentations or if the room is full.
I call it “TCEA Survival Tips” – maybe they should post that on their site somewhere before the next conference.
This sounds like my TCEA First-Timer’s Guide, doesn’t it???