Monday, May 6, 2013

#NGS2013 – Attendee Final Preparations

NGS 2013 Official BloggerWith the 2013 annual conference of the National Genealogical Society quick on the scene, here’s some information conference attendees will want to know. (I’m taken most of these from “Tips for First Time Conference Attendees,” although they are applicable to all.)

  • Check out the program beforehand and plan what sessions you might want to attend. I like to print out the schedule and highlight sessions of interest. A list of sessions is on the NGS website. Alternatively, you can download the entire conference program booklet and print just the daily schedules. It is moderately big at 10 MB. The schedules are pages 22-29.
  • Bring some pre-printed address labels to use in the exhibit hall. If you want a vendor to send you additional information, stick an address label on the form so you don’t have to write out your address. I prefer getting brochures in the mail over carrying them in my bag and my luggage.
  • If you bring a laptop to the conference, you can access the syllabus off a flash drive provided by the conference. If not, and if you want printed copies of session handouts, you can download the entire syllabus as a PDF file before coming to the conference. It’s big (70 MB), so it will take a while to download. In a pinch you can print in the hotel business center, but that could be expensive.
  • If you pre-registered, you can avoid the crowd Wednesday morning by checking-in Tuesday night up to 7:00pm.
  • Don’t ask me why this country keeps its indoor spaces icy cold, even during winter time. You may well need a sweater or jacket inside the convention center.
  • The letter at the beginning of a session number indicates the day of the week, W, T, F, and S. Knowing this can help when leafing through the conference program or syllabus.

Stay tuned for conference coverage this week…

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