Packing for the FGS Conference

FGS 2013 Ambassador BadgeThe 2013 FGS Conference is less than a month away and it is time for serious conference planning and last minute details. I have made a list of the sessions I plan to attend and the exhibitors I want to visit. But what do I want to take and carry with me to the conference each day?

I plan to drive back and forth to the conference every day so I won’t have to pack for an overnight stay. However, I have stayed over at a number of conferences and there are a few items I always pack–comfortable shoes and clothing items I can layer. Although it may be hot in Fort Wayne in August, the conference rooms at the Grand Wayne Center may be cool. Having a light sweater is always a good idea.

Plus I always pack an electrical strip with multiple outlets so I can charge all my electronic devices in my room overnight.

Here is what I will be taking with me to the conference every day:

  • Android phone and/or tablet. Useful for:

Guidebook app [I’m sure the conference planners will have conference information available on this app. With this handy app I can see the conference schedule, plan my schedule, see the list of exhibitors and venue map, create a to-do list, and more. This is a great free app!]

Evernote app [To access my shopping list, to-do list and other notes, and to create notes.]

Dropbox app–[To access the whole conference syllabus and my other saved documents I might want to look at.]

Gedstar Pro app [To access all of my family genealogy.]

Access to the Internet

  • Handouts for that day’s sessions [I still like to print and take hard copies of the handouts for sessions I will attend that day. Then I make my notes right on those pages.. I will copy the handouts once the conference syllabus is available to download.]
  • Cross body bag/purse [A small, hands-free bag with lots of pockets is very handy. Vera Bradly, Baggallini and Thirty-One have some great little purses.]
  • Business cards with my contact information and my website address.
  • Expandable/collapsible back pack for books and other items I might buy. [Light weight and not much to carry around, but available if I need it.]
  • Water [Although there will probably be water available, I carry a bottle and refill it at a drinking fountain.]
  • Power bar [If I get tired or hungry or don’t attend a luncheon I can usually get by with a power bar and some caffeinated tea.]

I find, as the conference progresses, that I take and carry less and less each day. I don’t like to carry around heavy bags and, since I can do so much with my android phone, I probably won’t have to take my android tablet.

For those who plan to research at the Allen County Public Library I suggest taking a research list, thumb drive and a wand scanner. A camera or camera phone can also be used to photograph pages and even microfilm images. This way you digitize your research finds as you go!

The 2013 FGS Conference is 21-24 August. It is not to late to register for the whole conference or just one day. Visit https://www.fgsconference.org for details.

I hope to see you in Fort Wayne next month!

 

 

 

 

5 comments

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    • Waldo on July 27, 2013 at 8:22 am
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    Remember how that silly two wheeled scooter that you stand on was supposed to change the world….and then nothing really changed. Yet the digital camera came on the scene without such fanfare (though everyone wanted one, except maybe the guys selling film cameras), and have indeed changed the world. Down to mundane things like record keeping and paper passing at conferences to personal protection from liers (or political word spinners as they might be called) and criminals. From cops recording the license number of every car they pass to satelites watching whole countries military development, to drones taking out powerful enemies, to family members taking insane numbers of useless photographs, it all comes to this single change in technology. Technology that is actually taken for granted most of the time with cell phones and tiny cameras everywhere.

    • Brenda Leyndyke on August 1, 2013 at 8:01 am
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    Sounds like you are ready for Fort Wayne. Have a great time. See you there.

    1. Ready and waiting! Yes, see there in a few weeks.

  1. Thanks for suggesting the Guidebook app. See you at the conference.

    1. You are welcome! It is a handy app.

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