Looks like we are rolling! I had tons of positive feedback about the conference; there were many great talks, and it looks like there were no major hiccups (although we will know next week!)
Conference Day 1
Tag: conference
Pre-conference
Several times a day, I think I should write down everything that happens over just a couple of hours: how many conference-related messages I receive, what they are about, and how many responses I need to send out.
It couldn’t be further from “me doing it all alone,” nothing like that! Many people are helping me and handling huge portions of the work, including catering, sending sponsor information, sending messages to attendees, managing social media, and more!
Still… each time I look at the phone or open my laptop to write something personal, I see yet another thing I need to take care of, respond to, or plan.
The conference is just a week away, and I can’t believe it. And there are so many things to do – still!
Pictures From The Conference
This year, I felt way more “in the right place” than in Montreal last year. I do not know whether to blame the conference or myself :). Below are the pictures from the conference social media or taken by other people.
Not An Unnamed Company
While explaining my choice of vendor for our conference merch, I was telling everyone that I would rather order from a local vendor than from “an unnamed Chinese company.” Alas, when it came to ordering lanyards, I gave up because I could not find a local company that would be open to the design I had in mind, and even non-local, but at least US-based companies I came across didn’t allow me to build the design I wanted. On top of that, we had a lanyard sponsor, so I was under pressure to make it perfect without overspending :).
That’s how I ended up with a Chinese company on Amazon, and I instantly liked the way they allowed me to change each part of the design to adjust the color, fonts, and all other pieces. They even sent me the proof. Since I still wanted to see the real product before ordering 200+, I started by ordering 50 lanyards and paid for expedited delivery (it was still within the budget). When the package arrived, I realized that the sponsor’s logo was not as visible as I thought it would be (it was a difficult choice of the lanyard color, and actually, the sponsor themselves approved). I know that blue is a difficult color, and it often doesn’t look the same in reality as it does on the screen. However, this time I couldn’t even say it looked different: it was just a subtle difference in shade that made the logo less visible than I would have liked. I reached out to the sponsor, and they came up with a white logo that would work.
I quickly put together a new order, but when I was ready to submit, I saw that it didn’t offer express delivery, and a regular delivery could be late. I became a little bit desperate because I didn’t have time for one more experiment with another company. Then I realized I had a human email address because a real person had sent me the first design proof, and I emailed him. The next morning, he replied: apologies, the person who is in charge of express shipping was on vacation, but now he is back, and you should be able to choose it when placing the order.
I thanked him and placed the order, and noted that I needed a design proof. When the proof arrived the next day, I saw that it was using the previous design, which I already knew would not work. Since I already received a shipping label notification, I immediately replied: “That’s a wrong design! The logo should be all white! Please make sure this big order has the correct design!” They replied: so sorry, my mistake! I will start working on the new design immediately!
The next morning, I received the correct design and approved it, and a week later, the package arrived. I didn’t have to acknowledge its arrival. After all, the sale was conducted through Amazon, but I felt we had already built some connection, so I emailed them back: “The lanyards arrived, and they look great!” They replied:
That’s really great. Thank you for your sincere feedback. Wish your event all the best.
At that moment, I realized that’s not an abstract Chinese company anymore 🙂
Nordic PG Day
It was a good event, although I had a feeling it was too brief: not much time before or during the breaks. I was hoping to have more talks with the fellow organizers, friends, and sponsors, and I simply didn’t have enough time, especially because I only skipped one session; otherwise, I was actively listening.
My talk was very well received.
It turned out that Boris mentioned at the last Helsinki PUG that there would be an opportunity to have the Query Optimization signed by two of the three authors, and several people approached us with paper copies. 😀
I attended several incredibly interesting talks, and I am planning to follow up with some people because I want to explore more of what they are doing.
After the conference was over, those who didn’t leave to catch their flights went for drinks at the hotel bar. Boris and I wanted to take a couple of people whom we knew and who were in Helsinki for the first time, for one more round of Finnish authentic food, and we walked to the Konstan Möljä restaurant. Since my friend Zoya introduced us to this place, we’ve loved it! Our guests also liked it!
In Helsinki
This year, Nordic PG Day was in Helsinki, which is why I submitted the talk, and I would actually go even if my talk won’t be accepted:). However, it is still a very busy time because all the other days are working days.
I arrived on Sunday, and Boris and I went to the Baroque concert in the Old Church. They performed a Resurrection Story by Heinrich Schütz. It was very interesting, definitely something I had never heard before, so I count it as a positive experience, even though it was difficult to stay awake after the long flight 🙂
On Monday morning, I went to VALO co-working, and as always, it was very welcoming, and the way their environment is set up really helps to focus on work.
In the evening, we went to the speakers’ dinner at Zetor. I passed this place dozens of time, and never knew that it is considered a big touris attraction. I didn’t have time to take pictures of the interior, because I was talking to people all the time, so the pictures are from the restaurant website:)
I took some pictures of the food we were served. The salmon soup was not the one I was expecting, so this was an experience rather than a success:
The raindeer meat was awesome, as well as the dessert.
Boris and I went back home at the first opportunity, and I do not know how people who went to the bar afterwards, could participate in the conference the next day – this remains a mystery!
A Busy Monday
Monday ended up being another overloaded day. There was a lot to do at work (no missed workday goes unpunished!), and I also needed to visit our prospective conference site (planned for 2027). I loved it when I visited for the first time, and now that another Organizational committee member was in town, I wanted to show it to him.
He also loved it and shared my excitement, so I think we made up our minds for the next season, although we still need to make sure this year’s conference is a success 🙂
Later on Monday, I went to pick up the first batch of conference t-shirts. I’ve under-estimated how far the place was from the Roosevelt Red Line, so it took me way longer than I planned (and I still needed to see my mom afterwards).
Still, I am so happy that I could feel and touch them!
The best thing happened when I finally got home: a letter from the Illinois AG office informed me that our organization it finally officially registered and can solicit donations in the State of Illinois!
Talking To People at SCaLE
This conference was very productive: I reconnected with many of my existing professional and personal contacts and established many new connections. I know very well that out of ten people who express interest in my projects and my conference, not more than one will end up coming back to me or participating in my events. Still, I need to talk to everyone, because that’s the only way to find new partners and allies.
It was work. Both days at the conference were work and work. Today, I spent more than 10 hours emailing and messaging people solely about conference-related topics: sponsorship, volunteering, promotion, and participation. I’m tired. My head is heavy. But I am happy I’ve expanded my network, and that I did it in real-life, not following the LinkedIn algorithm :).
It’s insanely difficult, but I am building trust and recognition, and I hope that all of this contributes to community building.
At SCaLE in Pasadena
This year, I came to SCaLE for two days only, and I am busier than ever! It’s nice, warm, and sunny outside, but I was barely out both days, trying to catch up with a couple of dozen people, building new connections, and doing the outreach.
That’s me talking at the educational track! But overall, I talked to way more people!
I am still at the conference, taking a Red Eye flight back to Chicago tonight!
ACM Meetup, and What’s Next
Today was one of the rare occasions that I was able to attend an ACM meetup in person. Most of the time, they are scheduled at the last minute, and I almost certainly have conflicts (no matter how many times I ask to schedule in advance).
Today’s meetup was very interesting; the speaker talked about data visualization and appealed to the broadest possible audience. I believe we have his presentation slides available, and if so, I will share. For now, just two pictures as examples:
Tomorrow, I am going to Pasadena to SCaLE. Usually, I go there for three and a half days, but this time it will be just for two, and the number of people who want to meet with me definitely will not fit into these two days.
Hettie's Reflections 