TIP Conference

I spent most of yesterday monitoring sessions at the Techs In Paradise Conference here at the UH Manoa Campus. Thus far, I'm afraid I haven't gotten much out of it. Still, for those who are wondering what a monitor does, it's pretty basic. I'm stationed in a room, provisioned with a radio. Any issues that crop up, I either deal with it, or call in someone who can. This can run the gamut from misbehaving electronics, noisy people in the halls, or random speaker requests. Also, given this is Hawaii, I'm also responsible for presenting the speakers with a lei.

Some lessons learned. 1.) Bring food. 2.) Bring a book or laptop or anything to work on during downtime. There's a lot of downtime. 3.) Keeping a memory stick with you isn't a bad idea should a computer malfunction, then you can transfer their presentation to another machine. 4.) Bring business cards, people expect it.

Observations:

There are an insane number of tiny little computers around here.

Business cards in Asian cultures are a very formal affair. They are presented with two hands and a bow, and received in the same way, accompanied by an inspection of the card. A far cry from the standard American action of immediately shoving it in a pocket.