2015 Conference Eblasts to AttendeesEmailed on October 20, 2015Hello VLA attendees, It’s hard to believe we are THISCLOSE to the conference! We’ve had a few quick updates since yesterday, so bear with us:
Emailed on October 19, 2015Hello VLA 2015 Attendees! Tuesday, October 20 is our last full day in the office. Tomorrow, we pack up and then we drive to Richmond for setup. If you need to contact VLA staff, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. Registration and packet pickup are in the Richmond Marriott on the Street Level, at the rear of the Grand Ballroom. Registration desks are open from 9am – 5pm on Thursday and 8:30 am – 2pm on Friday. Coming in on Wednesday? We’ll be on the street level of the Marriott in the Conference Center from 3pm – 4pm. Pick up your packet early and avoid a line on Thursday. Speaking of lines: Pro Tip from a conference regular: “When the ribbon is cut on the exhibit hall, don’t rush to registration! Spend some time browsing the exhibit, grab a cup of coffee or a snack, and wait until the line slows down. It usually only takes 15 minutes.” Session presenters have been asked to upload their presentation materials to Dropbox. You do not *need* an account to access Dropbox. Our 2015 VLA Dropbox is organized alphabetically by the name of the session. If you elected to go green, we’ve attached the conference program for you; you can also download the Boopsie for Libraries app. The registration desk, exhibit hall, box lunches (Thursday), poster sessions, coffee breaks, the social…are in the Richmond Marriott. Three sessions per time slot are in the Greater Richmond Convention Center, just across Fifth Street. You will need a separate wifi login at the hotel and at the convention center. The password for both places is 2015vla. Conveniently, that’s also our hashtag! #2015VLA You can still buy scholarship tickets in advance and/or donate a basket when you arrive! Pro Tip from a conference regular: “Bring a sheet of printed labels with your name, organization and cell phone number, and you can stick those on your scholarship raffle tickets. Saves a TON of time. Volunteer to help! Our sign-up genius page has all the details and volunteer descriptions. We know you love to help people – here’s a chance to help your colleagues! Take time to talk to vendors! Their purchase of a booth helps keep conference costs steady year after year. Pro tip: “I used to walk through the exhibit hall with my head down, and say ‘I don’t make decisions.’ But I was attending conferences so I could be a decision-maker one day. I wish I’d made contacts then….once I got promoted, I had to make purchasing decisions quickly; it would have helped if I’d talked to more vendors at conferences.” We’ve sent several emails to attendees in the past few weeks. All of them are linked here. Pro Tip: “Read Lisa’s emails before you leave for Richmond!” Your feedback about this conference matters – it helps to shape future conferences. Each session will have individual evaluation forms and you’ll receive a link to our overall conference evaluation in your email on Thursday. Remember to pack: a tote bag and your business cards! Pro Tip: “Temperatures in conferences venues can vary. Dress in layers and bring a light jacket/sweater. Wear comfortable shoes!” We look forward to seeing you and your 600+ colleagues this week! Lisa R. Varga, VLA Executive Director and the 2015 Conference Committee October 16, 2015Hello! We are looking forward to seeing you in Richmond next week! (Please note, the text of all previous communications to attendees is included below, in case you have registered since these messages were sent.) Reminders VLA is a "Bring Your Own Tote Bag" conference. There is a charge to park in Richmond. Click here for the City of Richmond Parking website. Other websites (such as Richmond Parking Finder) provide detailed parking information. If you are staying at the Marriott, parking is not included in your room rate. There is still time to sign up for Wednesday tours, including those at the Library of Virginia. Our presenters have begun to upload their presentations to the VLA Conference Dropbox. You do not need a Dropbox account to access the folder. A receipt will only be included in your packet if you have a balance due. If you are curious about which events you have added to your registration, you can log into the registration form at any time. Temperatures will vary in the hotel and convention center. We recommend dressing in layers. The Exhibit Hall and many sessions will be held in the Marriott. Sessions will also be held in rooms B17, B18 and B19 in the Greater Richmond Convention Center (GRCC.) This is an aerial view of the Marriott and GRCC. Attendees will cross Fifth Street from the main Marriott entrace to get to the rooms at the GRCC. Entering the GRCC from 5th street is the quickest way to reach rooms B17-B19. There is also a skywalk from the Marriott parking lot to the GRCC. Wi-fi is free in the Marriott Conference Center area, and the password is 2015vla. More information about wireless access at the Convention Center will be provided onsite. If you use social media, we ask you to join in the conversation by tagging your posts with #2015VLA. Follow us on Twitter! VLA needs volunteers for a host of activities at our conference. Visit our Sign-Up Genius to peruse the opportunities and add your name to the list today! If you signed up to attend the Thursday Dine-Arounds, you'll be sent a message later this week with more details. Safe travels to Richmond. If you have any questions, please email VLA Executive Director Lisa R. Varga at [email protected]. The 2015 VLA Conference Committee October 8, 2015Hello VLA Conference Attendees, We hope you’re getting as excited as we are to see you in just two short weeks in Richmond, VA! A few things to note: Our Conference Program has been finalized and is available here. (Before you print, please note, the document is 60 pages.) VLA needs volunteers for a host of activities at our conference. Visit our Sign-Up Genius to peruse the opportunities and add your name to the list today! We also have a conference app, thanks to Boopsie! Please go to your app store and download Boopsie for Libraries. VLA 2015 should be at the top of the list (though you may have to search for it the first time you open the app.) You can save a list of sessions you want to attend, exhibitors you want to visit…even link to the VLA Dropbox where our presenters will be loading their presentations and handouts in the weeks to come! If you’re on social media, join along in the conversation with #2015VLA. Please click here to see the VLA New Members Round Table Forum Pub Crawl itinerary for Wednesday, October 21. The NMRT (and VLA) appreciate the generous support of the Chesapeake Public Library Foundation and VCU, who have made transportation for this event possible. Our Local Arrangements Committee has created a wonderful list of Things to do in Richmond for you; please take a peek! Sign-up sheets for Thursday Dine-Arounds will be available in the Exhibit Hall at the Richmond Marriott beginning Thursday at 9am (near the VLA Registration Desk in the back of the hall). We will send more details about the restaurants in our eblast next week. Remember to pack your business cards (for networking!) and your return address labels (an easy way to complete raffle tickets for our Annual Scholarship Raffle.) You can also purchase tickets in advance and pick them up at the Scholarship Booth! We've included the message sent to attendees last week to make sure all those who registered in the past week have all of the details they need for a successful conference. September 30, 2015Hello, We are just a few weeks away from our Annual Conference, Libraries @ the Center, at the Richmond Marriott and Convention Center. As each week approaches, we’ll send you some reminders and things to expect. Please feel free to ask us any questions you may be thinking of…odds are, other attendees might want to know the answer, too! 1) If you’ve been unable to get a room at the Richmond Marriott at the preferred rate (our deadline to get their rate was 9/27), there is a small block of rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn across the street. Please use this link: https://aws.passkey.com/g/52903562 2) Remember this is a Bring Your Own Bag conference. A few years ago, in the interest of eliminating waste, we began asking attendees to bring their own tote bags to the event. 3) Parking: There is a charge to park in and around the hotel and convention center area. These garages are owned by the City and parking cannot be waived by the Hotel or Convention Center. Onsite parking at the hotel is $17 per day, or $27 per day for valet service. Here is a map of downtown parking lots: The second and third pages provide pricing for each lot. 4) If your employer doesn’t pay for meal tickets, you are still able to log back into your conference registration form and add those tickets at your expense. Please let us know if you have any questions, or need help doing so. 5) Remember to pack your business cards (for networking!) and your return address labels (an easy way to complete raffle tickets for our Annual Scholarship Raffle.) If you haven’t registered yet, please do so by October 7 to avoid a late fee: http://www.vla.org/2015-conference We’re looking forward to seeing you as we welcome authors Carrie Brown, Lydia Netzer, Gail Jarrow, Seymour Simon, Kat Spears, Tom Angleberger, Cece Bell, and more! Sincerely, The 2015 VLA Conference Committee |
