Today’s blog post about the conference seems, well, empty. I made it down to the conference level in time for the two last sessions, but I ended up not attending any. I picked up the recording of my second lab, and learned they were supposed to record the other lab instead of mine. I could have turned off the recorder, but I let it go. So now I can listen to how it went.
Daniel bolted out of the IAJGS board meeting and I walked him to registration, I had lunch with Schelly, and returned to my room, curious when Elise was leaving. She walked into the room only minutes after I got there, and I walked her down too.
After she was gone, I headed out to see the city. I’m here until Sunday, so I have some time. I was last in Washington, D.C. in 1994.
This has been the most unusual IAJGS conference that I’ve been to in that I barely attended any sessions. I spent my time either in meetings or socializing. And I don’t feel like I missed very much. I seem to spend less time in lectures each year. I guess it’s good preparation for 2014, when I won’t have time for such things.
What happens in 2014?
In 2014, the conference will be in Salt Lake City. As far as I know, I will be a co-chair. I don’t think that leaves a lot of time to attend sessions.
This was my 1st IAJGS conference, and I didn’t go to many sessions either. In talking with some of the presenters and others, it seems many sessions are geared toward the beginner / low intermediate level. One of the things we talked about in the Next Gen BOF was that by having a technology track, it could allow for more advanced sessions, which might be good for those who have attended many of these conferences.
Overall, I was happy with how the conference went for me. I helped launch the Webmasters Roundtable and Next Gen, got to hear about some alternative sources and new databases coming online, and had a great time socializing every night with a great group of people.