Past NIWeek Discussions
When and How do I sign up for the technical sessions?
@cbutcher wrote:
Moving on to the topic of this thread, is registering for sessions a requirement? This is the first time I'm attending NI Week and so I'm excited but have no idea what the structure/system will be like. Will there be a booklet/guide to the sessions?
You don't have to register for the session but some of the popular ones will fill up. At the door to each room someone will scan your badge to let you in. This keeps the room from over filling. If you registered it tells NI you intend on going to it, and gives you priority over someone just walking up and deciding to go to that session. I'm unaware of the specifics but I'm guessing NI will eventually give away a registered seat if you just didn't show up. There will be booklet for each day showing the sessions, where they are, what the subject is etc. I usually use a combination of booklet, mobile app, and desktop view to get the best understanding of what sessions are going on and what ones I want to go to. I see registering as essential, just because there maybe multiple sessions going on that I'm interested in, and having a schedule which tells me where I need to go next helps with organization.
@cbutcher wrote:
Short of finding a bed to sleep in (done), what should I do before setting off to Austin?
Bring business cards. Often at sessions, at lunch, a bar, a restaurant, or just sitting around you will meet interesting people who you will connect with. I have a few small boxes of business cards I've gotten from NI Week and I usually scribble down something about them on the back, like what subject we talked about, or what they do. Also a rental car really isn't required. When I first went to NI Week I got one and it was a waste. Take the bus from the airport to downtown, for $1.25 (bring exact change), and then I usually call a cab to go to the airport because I leave before they are running in the morning, and I don't want to be late. Other than that I'd say not much is required.
I'd also highly recommend the Advanced User Track sessions. Over the years NI has gotten feedback from people that NI Week isn't technical enough, and sometimes has sessions that focus on what a company can do or has accomplished and less on what they can teach. One way NI is trying to fix this is by having a set of sessions that are given by respected technical experts in their field and reviewed by others giving presentations in this track. These sessions are also approved by members of the community and NI is less hands on. Resulting is useful topics that maybe NI would reject for the normal session tracks, for one reason or another.
And outside of the conference you may want to look into the LAVA BBQ. Great networking opportunity, the cost of the BBQ supports the community, great food, and usually a set of door prizes you could win.
Although I also don't know, I would guess that the button you're looking for is "Check In". On the android app this is a bit above the bar with 'bookmark' and 'add'. 'Bookmark' seems to add it to the list of bookmarks, which you can separately browse, whilst 'Add' places it on the schedule you can plan out. There doesn't seem to be any restriction on adding multiple events at the same time (at least, I haven't found one). I don't know if the 'Check-in' function checks that - I haven't used it much yet (on account of having multiple events to choose between. Hmm...)
