ATE-CON is now HI-TEC

A group of committee members convened in Phoenix, November 12-13, to conduct site visits to the venues under consideration and hold planning meetings. The following are the outcomes of these planning meetings.

New name and branding

The group spent a lot of time brainstorming potential names for the conference. After careful deliberation, the group has decided on the following name for the conference:
HI-TEC (High Impact Technology Exchange Conference)

The group has decided on the following tagline for the conference:
Educating America’s Technical Workforce

Here are some logo ideas that were suggested:

The new URL for the conference will be http://www.highimpact-tec.org/. Website content is still under development. Also, the new blog for this conference will now be at http://www.highimpact-tec.blogspot.com/. Be sure to bookmark those two pages for conference updates.

Location

The group ranked the three potential venues as follows: 1) Fairmont Scottsdale, 2) Westin Kierland, and 3) Sheraton Downtown.

The group recommends the Fairmont Scottsdale as the venue of choice. There were many reasons for this decision, among these are:
- Resort atmosphere would encourage attendees to bring their families and make it a vacation in addition to professional development
- Attendees would be the only group in the hotel, so there would be lots of networking opportunities throughout the hotel since all the other guests are there for the same purpose
- The meeting space is all in one area and can accommodate the exhibits, keynotes, and workshops/sessions
- Free Internet access in guest rooms

The next step is to aggressively negotiate with the Fairmont and the Westin for the best deal, preferably for the week of July 27 with the weeks of July 20 and August 3 as alternatives in that order of preference.

Marketing Update

The Marketing Committee held several discussions during the past week. They will bring new conference name suggestions along with logo and color scheme options to the face-to-face meeting next week in Phoenix.

ATE-CON at NCPN

The table for ATE-CON at the NCPN conference was a success thanks to Julie at OP-TEC. Here is a picture of the setup:

ATE-CON Website is Live

The placeholder website for ATE-CON is now live. Please visit www.ate-con.org and leave any feedback as a comment to this post. This is a placeholder site for now until the third party management team is in place since they will take over the website design (with input from the marketing committee).

Of particular note is the sponsorship page. Thanks to all of the centers who have already committed. You will see a link to the order form for securing your pre-paid registrations here: http://www.ate-con.org/pdf/Order_Form.pdf

So far, one center (MATEC) and one project (eSyst) have paid for their registration codes. We encourage others to start the ordering process in order to receive your codes in time for the registration site going live in January. Order forms will also be available at the PI conference. Please stop by the ATE-CON booth (#3) if you are at the PI conference this week.

ATE-CON at the ATE PI conference

ATE-CON will make its grand debut at the ATE PI Conference on October 29-31 in Washington, DC. ATE-CON will have a booth during all three days of the showcase. If you will be attending the ATE PI Conference and would like to volunteer to man the ATE-CON booth (#3), please leave a comment with your name, affiliation, and the time that you are available. Here is the showcase schedule:

Showcase 1: Centers Showcase

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Showcase Set-up: 3:30 - 6:00 p.m.

Showcase Sesssion: 7:30 - 10:00 p.m.

Showcase Tear Down: 10:00 - 11:00 p.m.

Showcase 2: Project Showcase

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Showcase Set-up: 7:30 - 8:45 a.m.

Showcase Session: 12:00 - 2:30 p.m.

Showcase Tear Down: 2:30 - 3:15 p.m.

Showcase 3: Project Showcase

Friday, October 31, 2008

Showcase Set-up: 7:30 - 8:45 a.m.

Showcase Session: 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Showcase Tear Down: 12:30 - 1:15 p.m.

MATEC will take care of set up and tear down - we just need volunteers for the times that the showcase is open.

Another strategy that the ATE-CON planning committee is going to employ is visiting other booths during the showcase. The ATE-CON executive committee and any other interested planning committee members will visit the ATE project and center booths that aren't aware of ATE-CON to talk to them personally about how they can get involved.

Also, the marketing committee is working on some posters that sustaining and contributing centers can have at their booths to show their support of ATE-CON, as well as stickers that ATE center personnel can wear saying "Ask me about ATE-CON" in the hopes that this will generate interest about ATE-CON at other centers' booths. Here are samples of those marketing strategies that are in the works:

Business Update

The business/venue subcommittee met on Wednesday, October 1 and reviewed the budget, discussed the RFP, and got an update on the venue options.

The budget has been updated with decorator fees, a column for 800 attendees, and 1 more night for the hotel rebate. There is also a section for exhibit revenue, but it is not populated yet. This will be populated once the third party management company is selected and the revenue sharing strategy is determined.

The conference will break even at 350 attendees, but the goal is 600 attendees so that there are some carry forward funds for 2010 and beyond.

The business committee is starting to shape an effort to target large corporate sponsors for ATE-CON. The approach is "join the NSF as a premier sponsor of this event." The goal is to secure two or three large sponsorships. If a center attracts a large sponsor, they could receive a complimentary sustaining center sponsorship in return. This will be discussed further at the next business committee meeting on October 15 at 8:30 AM PDT.

The business/venue committee also discussed the venue. The venue thread of this blog has been updated to reflect the most recent site visit to the Fairmont in Scottsdale. Please scroll down for the venue options and take a moment to vote in the venue poll on the right hand side of this page. Currently, the Sheraton Downtown seems like the best option. The next step is to tentatively hold space at the Sheraton.

The RFP for the third party management organization has been submitted to the purchasing department and is expected to go out for bids next week.

The business committee will create an order form for the ATE PI conference so that ATE centers and projects can sign up as sustaining centers, contributing centers, or partners. Here are the centers that are currently committed:

Sustaining centers (225 registrations total): Bio-Link, CTC, GeoTech, MATEC, ICT Center (formerly NCTT), NCME, OP-TEC, SCME, SpaceTEC

Contributing centers (80 registrations total): BATEC, CARCAM, CREATE, FLATE, MatEd, NACK, RapidTech, RCNGM

The save the date for the face-to-face planning meeting was sent out to all those involved in the ATE-CON planning process, as well as other centers who may want to become involved. This meeting will be held on November 12-14 in Phoenix, AZ. If you didn't receive a save the date and would like to receive more information, please email atecon@matec.org.

Marketing Update

The ATE-CON marketing subcommittee met on Tuesday, September 30 and they have been hard at work completing their deliverables. These deliverables are:

- Table at the NCPN conference for ATE-CON materials (Julie is creating a one-page flyer to target CTE educators as well as response forms for people to sign up for the ATE-CON mailing list)
- Create one-page flyer for inclusion in the ATE PI conference program to submit to Ellen at AACC by 10/2 (this is complete - see below for the final product)
- Create graphics for banner for ATE PI booth by 10/1 and get them printed in order to ship to the PI conference by 10/15 (in process, should have this done by 10/3)
- Email blast to ATE PI conference attendees inviting them to visit the ATE-CON booth at the PI conference (send out email mid-October)
- Create one-page flyer for inclusion in the ATE PI conference materials and provide Ellen at AACC with 800 color copies of this flyer by October 22 (can be two-sided if needed)
- Create the informational page for the ATE-CON website (essentially the same content as the one-page flyer for ATE PI) to debut at ATE PI conference (needs to be live by 10/24)

The ATE-CON marketing subcommittee has created the flyer for the ATE PI conference program. Their first deliverable is now complete! Many thanks to CAPT for their support of this marketing effort by donating graphic design skills and time.

ATE-CON will have a booth during all three showcases at the ATE PI conference. If you are going to be at ATE PI conference and would like to assist with staffing the booth, please contact atecon@matec.org. The banner for the ATE-CON booth at the PI conference is going to look like this:

Gordon with the ICT Center created this promotional video for ATE-CON. This could be used at the ATE PI conference and/or on the ATE-CON website.

If you have any feedback for the marketing subcommittee, please leave a comment. The next marketing subcommittee meeting will be on October 9 at 2:00 PM CDT.

Program Update

The ATE-CON program subcommittee met today. They are working on finalizing the call for papers that will be sent out to the sustaining and contributing centers the week of October 6 for their workshop and session ideas.

Here is the current text of the call for papers:

When: July 26-30 or August 3-6, 2009 (depending on hotel selection)

Where: Phoenix, AZ (hotel TBA)

What: Submit your proposed session, workshop, and/or keynote speaker ideas to the Program Committee by November 7, 2008.

A. SESSIONS

Guidelines: All sessions will be 90 minutes long, scheduled on Wednesday or Thursday during the conference, and will be held in rooms with a capacity of 100 people in theater style seating. The coordinating center will be responsible for providing a projector and laptop for their session, as well as any additional AV specific to the session. A screen, data package (AV cart and necessary power cords), and Internet connection will be provided by the hotel. Coordinating center(s) will be responsible for any fees associated with producing the proposed session.
Required Information for technical session proposals:

B. Submitting center(s)

C. Contact information for person(s) coordinating the session from the center(s)

D. Session title

E. Speaker(s) – name(s) and contact information. If you don’t have name(s), please submit the number of speaker(s) and your expected composition (i.e. educator, center personnel, industry leaders, technicians, etc). The program committee will need more detailed speaker information prior to registration opening in January if you don’t have it now.

F. Topic area
a. Technical (please specify technology or technologies covered)
b. Educational (includes pedagogy, learning styles, recruitment, retention, assessment, etc.)
c. Grant development
d. Other, please specify: ________________________

G. 150 word description

B. WORKSHOPS

Guidelines: Workshops will be scheduled on either Monday or Tuesday in ½ day (3.5 hour) OR full day (7 hour) blocks and accommodate up to 50 people in classroom style seating. Please note in your description if you will require a special set up (i.e. extra tables for equipment/demos, roundtables instead of classroom seating, etc). The coordinating center will be responsible for providing a projector and laptop for their workshop, as well as any additional AV specific to the workshop. A screen, data package (AV cart and necessary power cords), and Internet will be provided by the hotel. Coordinating center(s) will be responsible for any fees associated with producing the proposed workshop.

Required information for workshop proposals:

I. Submitting center(s)

J. Contact information for person(s) coordinating workshop

K. Workshop title

L. Facilitator(s)/ instructor(s) – name(s) and contact information. If you don’t have names, please submit the number of facilitator(s)/ instructor(s) and your expected composition (i.e. educator, center personnel, industry leaders, technicians, etc). The program committee will need more detailed speaker information prior to registration opening in January if you don’t have it now.

M. Topic area
a. Technical (please specify technology or technologies covered)
b. Educational (includes pedagogy, learning styles, recruitment, retention, assessment, etc)
c. Grant development
d. Other, please specify: ___________________________

N. 200 Word description

C. KEYNOTE SPEAKERS (OPTIONAL)

Centers are invited to propose ideas for keynote speakers. Keynotes will be invited to speak during one of the keynote slots (breakfast or lunch on Wednesday or Thursday). Please suggest any speakers and the topic area they would present. The conference will pay for any speaker fees or travel associated with the selection of a suggested keynote (within reason).

SPEAKER: _________________________________
Title, Affiliation: __________________________________
TOPIC: ______________________________________

Every proposal accepted will have to meet the deadlines for content information.
December 12, 2008 for the conference website
May 1, 2009 for the conference program

Deadlines are subject to change. Center(s) will be provided with more information upon acceptance of their proposal.

Submit your session proposal via email to the program committee co-chairs by November 7, 2008.

If you have input on the call for papers, please leave a comment. The next program subcommittee meeting will be on Wednesday, October 8 at 2:00 PM EDT.

ATE-CON Site Selection

We are excited to be hosting the inaugural year of ATE-CON in Phoenix, AZ, MATEC's headquarters, and have begun preliminary site visits to possible hotels. The dates under consideration are July 26-30 or August 3-6, 2009. Here are the potential sites thus far:

Sheraton Downtown
The Sheraton is a brand new hotel (opening at the end of this month) in the heart of Downtown Phoenix. With 1,000 sleeping rooms and over 80,000 square feet of meeting space, the Sheraton can easily accommodate ATE-CON, even if the conference expands to 1,000 attendees. They really thought outside the box when they designed this hotel with a mobile registration desk, electronic reader boards outside each breakout room, and plenty of comfy couches for taking a break and networking. Granted, the exhibits and/or keynotes may be on the second level in the Phoenix ballroom, but it's only a short escalator ride away, and for the most part all of the meeting rooms are centrally located on one floor.

With the light rail set to open in December 2008, transportation from the airport to the hotel will be extremely convenient and affordable ($1.25 per ride). You can also take the light rail to downtown Tempe. There is even a complimentary downtown shuttle, the DASH, that takes you around downtown. As if that wasn't enough, the hotel is right across the street from the Arizona Center, with plenty of shops and restaurants at your disposal.

Westin Kierland Resort
The Westin Kierland is an oasis in the desert. Twenty miles and a $50 taxi ride from the airport later and you will truly be glad that you found this oasis, even if you were the last stop on the $20 Super Shuttle. The Westin Kierland is a spectacular property with over 700 sleeping rooms and 175,000 square feet of meeting space. All of the meeting space we would need is contained in one central area using the Kierland Grand Ballroom, the nearby Merriam, Lowell, Powell, and Cushing meeting rooms, as well as the Trailblazers Terrace for the exhibits (there is an 11,000 square foot air conditioned tent on this terrace that is perfect for the exhibit space). There is even a built-in registration desk next to the ballroom with locking storage (every meeting planner's dream!). There is also a complimentary shuttle to the Kierland Commons for plenty of shopping and dining options in addition to their two onsite restuarants.

Arizona Biltmore Resort
The Biltmore is a historic Arizona hotel, dating back to 1929 with exquisite architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright. The property has over 700 sleeping rooms and 100,000 square feet of meeting space, but it is a little spread out with sleeping rooms and meeting space that you have to walk outside to access - not exactly a thrilling prospect in Phoenix in July. They are offering a more reasonable room rate than the other hotels, which includes free high-speed Internet access and a complimentary shuttle to the Biltmore Fashion Park.

Fairmont Scottsdale
The Fairmont is a bit further out from the airport than the Westin, $50 taxi and $20 shuttle again, but they have availability for both July and August. Their meeting space includes a 20,000+ square foot ballroom with breakout rooms surrounding the ballroom. There are only six breakout rooms that would be big enough to accommodate the workshops and sessions, so we would be limited on space and restricted in the number of workshops and sessions we could offer at any one time. Also, the exhibits would have to be out in the foyer outside of the ballroom. This hotel would fit us, but it could be restrictive.

We welcome your input on these potential sites for ATE-CON. Please take our poll on the right side of this page.