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CreatorCon is just around the corner. Right around this time every year, the reality sets in: I HAVE TO PACK! I then start the process of trying to remember all of the things that I wish I’d remembered last year - what to bring, what to wear, what to prepare for.
Here’s the rundown on how I enjoy (and survive) Knowledge every year.
Wear Comfy Shoes
No, seriously. Everyone has been talking about this for weeks now, but don’t take this lightly. Wear shoes that you’re comfortable in, and perhaps even more important: don’t wear a brand new pair if you can help it. I wore a new pair at Knowledge 13, and there was much regret by day 2 (and for the entire following week). I’ve been told that end-to-end, parts of the conference center are almost a mile long. That’s a lot of walking.
Hydrate, Caffeinate
It’s 88F in Orlando as I write this, and it’s going to be in the 80s/90s next week. Don’t get dehydrated and collapse while running to your next session. This sounds obvious, but it’s so easy to forget in the midst of a crazy week.
And caffeine…this goes without saying.
Give Yourself Plenty of Travel Time
This is the first year we’ve had to worry about shuttles to/from our hotels to the conference center. Head to the conference center earlier than you normally would and give yourself time to get up to speed on the shuttle situation.
The OCCC is HUGE. Make sure you factor this in if you’re attending sessions that are physically far apart. Running into people in the hallways is one of my favorite things about Knowledge, but make sure you give yourself enough time to get to the next thing.
Bring your Laptop!
If you’re participating in hands-on labs or workshops (you are, right?!), you’ll need your laptop. A tablet won’t be sufficient for some labs - for example, my “Inbound OAuth - Auth Code Grant Flow” lab asks you to install an API testing tool called Postman, and there are other labs with similar requirements. This won’t work on a tablet.
Have a GitHub account
Quite a few labs this year will leverage Source Control as a way to provide “checkpoints” throughout the lab. These repositories will be hosted on GitHub, and you’ll almost certainly have to log into GitHub at least once during the week. If you don’t have an account, create one now!
Make your New Backpack Stand Out
Every year, there’s a great new backpack (I had an entire section in a closet dedicated to these bags at one point, but I digress). Guess what happens when you set your backpack down in the breakfast area while you grab a fresh cup of coffeeb &next to the 10 other identical backpacks at your table. Bring a luggage tag, or a colorful carabiner, or something that’ll set your backpack apart from the rest of the crowd. Make sure you have contact info in there somewhere in case there’s a mixup.
Portable Power
If you can, bring a portable power charger for your phone and an extra charging cable. And bring some Clif bars or the protein of your choice to keep YOU up and running.
Honorable Mentions
Some more things to think about in no particular order: (this might just be MY packing listb &)
- Business cards
- Allergy (or other) meds
- Sunscreen - it’s Florida after all
- A Fitbit or similar device if you have one (track those steps!)
- USB drive - never know when you might need one
- Bring your badge to the party at Universal Studios
Did I miss something that you think is critical to a great Knowledge/CreatorCon experience? Leave a comment and I’ll add it to the list!
Photos by Victor Semionov and Global Panorama
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