Dr. is “in”/Conference Planning station Summary

This booth is set up to provide three main services: computer troubleshooting, printing and online conference planning. It is staffed by over 18 year old students from local IT support programs. They wear doctor’s scrubs and offer technical support, advice and troubleshooting duties. They are also called upon to support attendees’ needs with regard to wireless access, handheld program informational download issues, as they arise. You will experience technical glitches in this location, so staff with adult monitors with technical expertise to oversee the student workers. Also – have a direct connection to conference IT staff to address systemic issues.

Be aware of the rush to print out boarding passes on the last day. No concern or disclaimer was offered with regard to damage or loss of data. I’d recommend a clear disclaimer for 2006 to protect against the possibility of inadvertent damage or loss to attendees’ equipment by these student or adult workers.

One issue that arose was printer IP addresses. They were set up to be DHCP and would not operate with personal laptops connected via Ethernet, so they had to reset these printers with fixed IP addresses.

Info Booth Summary

The info booth was situated near the registration, ISTE booth, poster sessions and entrance to the conference sessions, exhibit hall and showcase, not too far from the conference headquarters. Affiliate volunteers, convention center staff and other locals staffed the booth. They distribute additional conference materials, guides, timelines and local information. Be prepared to over-staff during rush periods. Positive attitude, patience and a good sense of humor is highly recommended! For next year, we would suggest to coordinate regularly with “Ask me” staff and to offer the luggage storage for more than the last day of the conference.

Also, be prepared to refer technical questions to appropriate experts. Attendees will assume you have access to all answers when working this booth, so this task requires volunteers that are well connected to all teams, and able to think quickly on their feet. You’ll need a radio in this booth, as many issues will come up beyond your scope and responsibility.

Additional Comments

- Comments: Opening and Closing sessions

Both of these were well attended, in fact the opening keynote overflowed into two additional rooms, outpacing capacity beyond expectations. I’d recommend providing increased space for attendees in 2006.

Closing session – provide the 2007 team with access to the hall prior to their last day. This was helpful to us, as we prepared for our skit. The raffle was done in a pre-drawn, rapid-fire format that was well received. Repeat this as closely as possible.

- Comments: Other events

I attended the president’s reception late Monday night (9-11pm). This was well-attended and provided VIPS, speakers and sponsors to mingle in a casual atmosphere with light refreshments. ISTE managed this event well, despite a rainy evening. I highly recommend continuing this event as it is.

I also attended the affiliate reception Saturday evening (7-8:30pm). This event was great in that affiliate leaders could network in a relaxed atmosphere and put faces to names. We also shared tips, tricks and resources. I highly recommend continuing this event as it is.

- Suggestions and Comments: Volunteers

Local volunteers are highly recommended, as they can provide invaluable assistance in navigation, local flavor and other tips.

Overbook volunteers, since they can drop out last minute. Given that their registration is not waived, these attendees could chose not to participate with little or no penalty.

Daily debriefs are valuable and provide incredible cross-conference information for all involved.

Read the conference blogs to get a solid sense of the “street level” view of the conference and be able to respond to needs brought up through this avenue.

- Suggestions: Local Flavor for San Diego

Info booth: Have maps, restaurant suggestions, transportation tips and schedules of events available.

Dr. is “in”: Have stations for laptop plug-ins, be ready to print boarding passes and assist with palm Bluetooth downloading stations. There was some complaint with these, as they seemed to have less functionality this year. Communicate regularly with IT staff to make sure that the wireless network is up and accessible.