My first “techie” conference was a Classroom Connect conference in probably mid 1990′s in Anaheim, CA. It was interesting to me because it overlapped with my yearly Christian School Conference and so I used the Disneyland parking shuttle to jetty back and forth between the convention center and the disneyland hotel. At one conference it was so not tech……..at the other conference it was NOTHING but tech. I lived in 2 worlds for 2 days.
Things I vividly remember at the Tech Conference:
1. People walking around tables picking up EVERY handout from every session to put in a binder. (probably never to be seen again)
2. Laser Discs — the newest and biggest idea in Tech. You needed to get one today
3. United Streaming, but I think it was called something else then……and the video on a SNEEZE that captured everyone’s attention.
But what I remember the most is the fact that I NEVER EVER felt the need to carry a computer. The leaders of the sessions, well yeah, they needed a computer……but not me. Mine stayed home, sitting on my desk. In fact, I would say that MOST of the presenters did not even have laptops. But used the desktops provided for them. And internet connectivity — LOL — I don’t even think it was a phrase in our vocabulary.
We were fed information……..and we greedily partook of every morsel. But honestly, what was offered to us was more than adequate……..and the only thing we complained about was the cost of convention center food.
Now jump ahead 10 years and compare.
What I vividly see:
1. Everyone has a laptop………..and expects a plug and connectivity to be available everywhere.
2. No one needs handouts on a table, either you can download it from the internet or “just put it on my flash drive please” (remember when we could sync palms?? — miss those days!)
3. Interactivity opportunities and collaboration ideas……… easy as 1, 2, 3 — or so they make it seem.
But what I am seeing the most is that MOST conferences are still planning looking at needs from 10 years ago.
And this is what I want to ask conference committees –
a. What is included in your discussions regarding connectivity? Are you booking the convention center because it can handle the crowds or are you booking the convention center because it can handle the needs? If you have booked a conference center 5 years in advance, how can you be assured it will meet the requirements necessary to have a true “TECH” conference.
b. Are you looking at options other than convention centers? What about high schools or schools in general? Lausanne Conference in Memphis, TN puts on one of the nicest conferences each year….it is at a school….the guests are shuttled from the hotel……internet has never been an issue. (that i have seen) Sure it is a smaller conference………but if bigger means less opportunities, then maybe I will stick with the smaller conferences.
c. Are you challenging the costs the “center” is charging you for internet usage? Next week I am attending a conference and I have been told that charge for connections is $100 each (33 connections) for 2 days. That means they are charging $3,300 just to log onto the internet. Hmmm, I pay $34.95 a month at home. There is something wrong here — and someone needs to start questioning two things: 1. why do we pay this and 2. how come they get away with it?
I guess where my final thoughts are today is……….what do I expect my conference dollars:
1. I want to be able to be totally wired from the getgo…….both in content and in connectivity!!
2. I don’t ever every want to worry about presenting and not having enough bandwidth.
3. I want the same for every single person attending.
Now…….as for the cost of food at conventions……………LOL, that will have to be another blog post.
What do you expect from an upcoming conference…….and what are some things you will not settle for??
Jen
Amen.
I hope people in charge of conferences and accepting proposals also think about these issues. I’ve been to too many conferences where the session message is great, but it’s “stand and deliver.” I’ve presented at conferences where that was the expectation, and I would much rather facilitate a session where people are learning and exploring together. But yet… nearly every conference is set up for a majority of stand and deliver sessions. I get more out of the unconferences, to be honest.
As for the connectivity issue- we live in a digital world where people still think in analog mode. Hotels and conference centers make a KILLING on internet charges. Personally, I’m just going to bring a broadband card and bypass them all. I’m done paying their exorbitant prices for crappy service.
Great post (as always!)!!
We’ve been running the NEIT (NYSAIS Education and Information Technology) conference as an unconference with internet access for the past couple of years:
http://neit.wikispaces.com
We spoke about it here:
http://edtechtalk.com/21cl_83
- Alex
Jen,
I too am presenting at a conference next week and was told that I would not have an Internet connection because the cost was too high. What this is “forcing” me to do is to get a new smartphone that allows laptop tethering so I can use the phone as my own broadband connection. Okay, I’ve been wanting one for quite a while now and this is just as good an excuse as any, but it did get me thinking. I wonder how far away we are from everyone having their own portable Internet connection? How long will it be before public WiFi is as obsolete as the pay phone?
Looking at laptop computers recently I noticed that several now offer a built-in 3G modem. I think one of the reasons conference centers charge so much for access is “because they can”. They have no competition. I wonder what will happen when most people start bringing their own connection.
And how soon will it be before kids start coming to school with their own laptops or handheld devices with their own Internet access – separate from the school’s web filter? Will schools ban them like so many ban cell phones?
Thanks Jen for an interesting post. You always get me thinking.
I agree on the Internet. I have an air card I carry now, but inside many of the facilities, the signal is too weak to do much with it. I am presenting a social networking session in March in Austin, TX. I was told there might or might not be internet. I told her to put my class on an outside wall then because I was going to use the air card and want to Skype a few folks in. We’ll see how it goes.
As for the ridiculous charge for it, they do the same with the food. We were paying $35 for boxed lunches at the Austin Convention Center. Crappy sandwich, cookie, bag of chips, banana, and a drink. It’s a shame they get away with that kind of stuff. Many people pass on the box and walk across the street to a real restaurant and pay much less for far better food. That is how I feel about the Internet and the air card I carry. Better (generally) and cheaper.