NECC 2008 Reflections

I thought I’d share a few thoughts about some sessions and NECC 2008 in general. Overall, I had another good experience at NECC, learned some new things and built relationships with colleagues…all good stuff. Here are just a few general comments with more detailed session comments to follow:

1. I felt like the things I wanted to learn about were represented at NECC. Most of what I wanted to accomplish, both on the vendor floor and in sessions, I did.
2. Going to NECC with a team is great. You can share so much more and generate more ideas. If your district can swing the cost, I highly recommend it. There's a lot of value added in sending more than just one or two people.
3. While I hate to think that anyone would have to be excluded, I cannot help but suggest that something must be done about the size of this conference. I love telling friends and family that I’m at an educational conference that draws 15-20,000 people ("Wow!") but there just aren’t enough sessions to go around. Fortunately, this year, several of my goals involved exhibitors so I could always go to the floor if I couldn’t get in a session but I showed up 45 minutes early for one that was closed already. I think this is going to continue to be a problem if it’s not addressed. Showing up 30 minutes early to a session only to find it's already full was a regular occurrence.
4. I hear comments from people that the sessions don’t serve them very well and their most valuable time is networking and conversing with people; well, heaven help us when engaging in conversation with colleagues isn’t one of our most valuable activities! Many of the people I hang with are definitely past where these sessions will take them, but there are clearly about 10,000 more people who are still learning from even the most basic session (myself included); they – we- still need NECC and such conferences.
5. On a practical side, San Antonio is a GREAT convention town…good convention center, plenty of hotels, restaurants, etc. to accommodate a conference of this magnitude. Thank you to a great host city!

This was my 6th year at NECC; it has been, and I hope will continue to be, one of the highlights of my year. I’m grateful to my district for sending me and more and more of my colleagues so that our experiences can be even richer.