This page contains instructions for all conference aides for SIGCSE 2008.
When you arrive at the conference, you should proceed directly
to the
conference aide office which is located in
room A104 on the level one of the convention center.
You will receive your registration packet, specific instructions for your assignment(s), along with a t-shirt and several other goodies.
It is very important that you perform the duties assigned to you during
the conference. We depend on you to help us make SIGCSE 2008 a success.
You will be amazed at how many attendees really appreciate your help
during the conference.
Your conference aide and student activities coordinators this year are:
Important Links
Current Conference Aide Assignments
Click
HERE
for the current aide assignments. Report any scheduling problems to
one of the conference aide coordinators immediately.
Maps
Convention Center
Oregon Convention Center - Level One
Exhibit Halls and Meeting Rooms are on
this level. The conference aide office is in room A104 on the right side of the
above map.
Oregon Convention Center - Level Two
Ballrooms are on this level.
Check the ICC Specifications (PDF) for meeting room capacities and more information.
Hilton Portland & Executive Tower
The Hilton Hotel is the site for the Birds of a Feather sessions and SIGCSE
Reception.
Map from
Convention Center to Hilton as well as
Hilton floorplans.
Hilton Portland - Plaza Level
The reception is held in the in the Pavilion. BoFs ae held in the
Broadway rooms and the Plaza suite.
Hilton Portland - Ballroom Level
BoFs will be held in the Parlor and Galleria rooms.
Hilton Portland - Third Floor
BoFs will be held in Studio, Director's, Council, Forum, Cabinet,
Executive, and Senate Suites.
General Instructions
Please read these instructions carefully. Specific instructions for
your assigned duties are listed below the general instructions.
-
You should report to your assignment on time (preferably a few
minutes early). PLEASE DO NOT BE LATE, OR YOU MAY FORCE ANOTHER VOLUNTEER
TO WORK EXTRA TIME TO COVER FOR YOU.
-
Please wear your conference aide t-shirt at all times while you are
working! Attendees will look for those shirts to find help! (You may
wear the shirt at other times if you wish.)
-
If your assignment requires you to work with a session/workshop
chairperson, please go up and introduce yourself and ask how you can be of
assistance.
-
In some cases, you may be assigned to multiple sessions running at the
same time. If so, please do your best to meet each session chairperson
briefly and make yourself visible regularly between the sessions. Keep
moving around from room to room!
-
For each session/workshop where you assist (if any), you will be required
to get a count of the approximate number of attendees in the audience and
a signature of the chairperson. You will be given a form for this
information at the Conference Aide desk. You must submit this
completed form to us for approval of a refund of your student registration
fee after you have completed your assignment(s).
-
If there is a problem that you cannot take care of, you should contact one
of the conference aide coordinators (Jeff Forbes or Dan Garcia) as soon
as possible. You will be given a sheet with important phone numbers and
convention center information. Please report any suspicious behavior
immediately.
-
CONFERENCE PHOTOS NEEDED: If you have a digital camera or cell
phone, please take some pictures of the conference and its attendees.
You can take pictures of yourselves as well! You will receive instructions
for uploading pictures to us if you do take some pictures. This is a
SIGCSE tradition, with photos being displayed during the Saturday
luncheon.
Pizza Party Invitation!
To thank you for all of your hard work, we would like to invite you to a
special CONFERENCE AIDE PIZZA PARTY being held on
Friday, March 14
5:30-6:30PM
Room B115
Come and enjoy some free pizza and drinks, and celebrate a job well done!
(Or celebrate a job that will be well done on Saturday!)
We will be giving away some valuable prizes from our conference sponsors
at the party, so you might walk away with a full belly and a neat prize!
(Note: Please do not eat the prizes.)
This party is open to conference aide volunteers ONLY. Other student
attendees are not permitted to attend this exclusive party.
Instructions: Opening Session, Keynote Session
-
These sessions are held in Ballrooms 201-203. Report to your
assigned entrance ON TIME. As attendees arrive, please welcome them with
a smile. Some attendees will have questions or need directions, so please
help them as best you can. Consult your convention center map or
conference schedule.
-
When the session starts, please stand near the back
of the room near the doors so you are visible.
At the middle of the talk, please discreetly count the number of
people in your specific ballroom section (201, 202, or 203) and write down an
estimate on your conference aide form.
-
As the session ends, please move to the outside hallway so you can
assist attendees with questions as they leave the ballroom. Remove the
sign(s) for your session to reveal the signs for the next session.
Discard the old sign. Do not remove or rearrange any other signs.
-
Get a signature from a Conference Aide Coordinator (Jeff Forbes or Dan Garcia) once you are done.
Instructions: Paper/Panel/Special Sessions
-
These sessions are held in all of the meeting rooms in the convention center
(A105-A109, B113-B114, B116-B118, C121-C123).
Report to the entrance assigned to you ON TIME.
-
Check your assigned room for any bags left from a previous session.
If anyone leaves personal belongings in the room, please bring them to
the registration desk. Check with any attendee still present in case it
is his or her bag.
-
Check the sign outside of your room to see that it lists the correct
session, day and time. If the sign from the previous session is still
there, please remove it from the easel board and discard it. The sign for
your session should be behind the sign for the previous session.
If the sign for your session is missing, please notify one of the
conference aide coordinators immediately.
-
Introduce yourself to the session chair and ask if there are any problems.
Consult your contact sheet for A/V problems or other issues. Please
assist the chair if handouts need to be distributed.
-
As attendees arrive, please welcome them with a
smile. Some attendees will have questions or need directions, so please
help them as best you can. Consult your convention center map or
conference schedule.
-
When the session starts, please stand near the back
of the room near the doors so you are visible. For paper sessions, count
the number of attendees for each presenter. For panel and special
sessions, count the number of attendees several times during the session
and compute the average. Write down the number(s) on your conference aide
form.
-
After the session ends, please move to the outside hallway so you can
assist attendees with questions as they leave the room. Remove the sign
for your session to reveal the sign for the next session. Discard the
old sign. Do not remove or reshuffle any other signs.
-
Get a signature from the session chair at the end of the session.
Instructions: Workshops
-
These sessions are held in all of the meeting rooms in the convention center. Report to the
Conference Aide desk ON TIME to meet the Workshops Coordinator.
The Workshops Coordinator will give you specific instructions for
your assigned workshop rooms.
-
Check the sign outside of your room to see that it lists the correct
session, day and time. If the sign from the previous session is still
there, please remove it from the easel board and discard it. The sign for
your session should be behind the sign for the previous session.
If the sign for your session is missing, please notify one of the
conference aide coordinators immediately.
-
Assist each workshop presenter with setup as needed according to the
instructions of the Workshop Coordinator.
-
During the 10 minutes before the workshops begin, please stand in the
hallways near your rooms to assist with attendees looking for their
workshops.
-
When the workshop begins, collect attendees' workshop tickets. Point out
to attendees without tickets that workshops require registration. Be dour
and discouraging to freeloaders, but don't get into confrontations. You
aren't a bouncer. Please write down names of people who claim to be
registered but forgot tickets. When you've collected tix from each
workshop, returned the piles of tickets + names to volunteer headquarters.
(Keep workshops' piles separate since we need individual counts.)
-
Next, move around between your assigned rooms quietly to see that all is
running well. If there are any problems, contact the Workshops Coordinator
who should be nearby. You may also contact one of the Conference Aide
Coordinators if they are nearby. Please do not sit in one workshop and
ignore the others that you are assigned to. Keep alert for any assistance
that may be needed.
-
When the breaks begin (at the half-way point approximately), please assist
attendees with directions to restrooms, etc. Once the breaks start, you
can take a one-hour break if your sessions are running smoothly.
-
You will be needed back on duty for the last half-hour to collect
evaluation forms and to help with clean-up. Please ensure that rooms are
returned to the same configuration they were in when the workshop began.
If presenters moved furniture, ask politely for their help to move it back.
-
Once you are done, you may remove the sign for your workshops from the
easels. Do not remove or reshuffle any other signs.
-
Get a signature for your conference aide form from the Workshops
Coordinator.
Instructions: Exhibit Hall Entrance
-
The Exhibit Hall A entrance is on the first floor. Report to the entrance
ON TIME. The aide working before you cannot leave until you arrive.
-
As people approach the entrance, check for conference badges. People
without conference badges are not allowed to enter the exhibit hall.
Please do not leave the door unattended at any time during your
assignment.
-
If someone tries to enter the exhibit hall without a badge or other
conference or convention center identification, you may ask for
identification. If the person gives you a
problem, please call the volunteer at the Registration
Desk. The Registration Desk will be near the Exhibit Hall entrance on the
first floor. You may also call one of the Conference Aide
coordinators.
-
Please report any suspicious behavior to the Conference Aide coordinators
or Convention Center staff immediately.
-
Please stay on duty until your replacement arrives for duty (except if the
exhibits close). If your replacement does not arrive after 10 minutes,
you can call Laurence Merkle at the Registration Desk or one of the
Conference Aide coordinators for assistance.
-
Once you are done, get a signature for your conference aide form from
Laurence Merkle at the Registration Desk or one of the Conference Aide Coordinators.
Instructions: Birds Of A Feather (BOF) Sessions
-
These sessions are held in the Hilton. We will need eight volunteers to guide
attendees from the Convention Center to the Hilton. Two volunteers will
guide attendees to the MAX Light Rail RED or BLUE line westbound toward
City Center. Tell everyone to exit at the Pioneer Square North Stop after
an approximately 12 minute ride. Two volunteers will be at the Pioneer
Square stop instructing attendees to exit the MAX and Walk south along
Pioneer Square to the intersection of SW 6th Avenue and SW Yamhill
Street. Two volunteers should be at this intersection to guide attendees one
and a half blocks south on SW 6th Avenue to the Hilton entrance on your
right. A volunteer at the Hilton entrance should guide attendees to correct
rooms. Consult the map to the BoF
for more information.
Report to your assigned position ON TIME. You will be working with
another volunteer during your session, so try to locate him or her
quickly.
- Other volunteers will be at have a block of BoF rooms.
Check the sign outside of your room to see that it lists the correct
session, day and time. If the sign from the previous session is still
there, please remove it from the easel board and discard it. The sign for
your session should be behind the sign for the previous session.
If the sign for your session is missing, please notify one of the
conference aide coordinators immediately.
-
One of you should visit each of your rooms to check to see if there are
any problems that need to be addressed. (Typically, BoFs are informal
gatherings and do not require significant setup or audio-visual
equipment.) The other volunteer should stay in the main hallway to
direct attendees to the correct room for their BOF. There are 18 BoFs
running simultaneously, so assist attendees with directions and consult
your conference schedule for room assignments and last minute changes.
-
Once the BOF sessions begin, move around between your assigned rooms
quietly to see that all is running well. If there are any problems,
contact a Conference Aide coordinator. Please do not sit in
one BOF session and ignore the others that you are assigned to. Keep alert
for any assistance that may be needed.
-
At approximately the half-way point in the BOF sessions, make a count of
the number of attendees in each session and write this down on your
conference aide form.
-
Once the BOF session is nearly over, you may remove and discard the sign
for your BoFs from the easels. Do not remove or reshuffle any other signs.
-
Get a signature for your conference aide form from a Conference Aide
coordinator.
Instructions: Registration Desk & Exhibit Hall Events
REGISTRATION DESK
-
The registration desk is located on the first floor of the convention
center. Please arrive ON TIME for your assigned time, with your t-shirt
on. Introduce yourself to the registration staff.
-
Registration staff will instruct you on how to perform your duties at the
desk. Early assignments on Wednesday will need to help stuff conference
bags for attendees.
-
As you work at the desk, please greet attendees with a smile and a warm
welcome!
-
When you are done with your assigned time, please have Laurence Merkle or
someone else at the registration desk sign your conference aide form.
EXHIBIT HALL EVENTS
-
A number of conference events occur inside the exhibit hall during
exhibit hours. This includes faculty and student posters and the NSF
Showcase. Please arrive ON TIME for your assigned time, with your t-shirt
on.
-
You will assigned to check on the event area from one half-hour
before the event starts to at least one half-hour after the event starts.
Your main job is to greet presenters, help them find their spot and assist
them as necessary. If any presenter requires assistance that you cannot
provide, please report their request to the Registration
Desk or to one of the Conference Aide Coordinators.
-
When you are done with your assigned time, please have Laurence Merkle
(Registration Desk) or one of the Conference Aide Coordinators
sign your conference aide form.
Instructions:
Food Events (First Timers' Lunch and Thursday Evening Reception)
FIRST TIMERS' LUNCH
-
For the First Timers' lunch, please welcome the attendees with a warm
smile and direct them upstairs to the entrance of Ballroom 204.
-
Please report to your position
ON TIME (this will be before the attendees start arriving). If you
are assigned to this lunch, you do not have to stay outside the rooms for
the entire time. You will only be assigned for the half-hour before and
after the lunch starts.
-
Get a signature from one of the Conference Aide Coordinators (Jeff Forbes
or Dan Garcia) after your assignment is done.
THURSDAY EVENING RECEPTION
-
For the Thursday evening reception in the Hilton, there will be four volunteers
assigned.
Please report to the reception entrance ON TIME (this will be before the
attendees start arriving).
-
Please greet attendees with a warm smile. Attendees should
display a ticket for entrance into the reception. If they do not have a
ticket but obviously look like an attendee (badge, conference bag), you
can still let them in. You do not have to collect the ticket, but you
should make announcements periodically that attendees must have a drink
ticket to receive their free drink. You will not have extra tickets.
-
Once the reception is underway for at least an hour and
if the traffic entering the reception is
light, one volunteer at a time may enter the reception to get some
food. Please stay on duty until the end of the reception in case you
are needed for any assistance.
-
Get a signature from one of the Conference Aide Coordinators (Jeff Forbes
or Dan Garcia) after your assignment is done.
Instructions: CS Kids 4 Fun
Scratch Volunteers for Thursday and Friday mornings
- Meet with the Scratch sessions coordinators (Ursula Wolz and Monisha
Pulimood) on Wednesday evening at 7 PM in the CS Kids 4 Fun room (C126) to
review plans.
- Report to the kids' room at 9:45 AM. Check in with the
KiddieCorp staff. Make sure the computers are on and ready to go.
- Introduce yourselves to the kids.
- Christopher Dunne and Nikhil
Pulimood will be in charge of activities. Assist the kids with whatever
activities Chris and Nikhil have planned.
- Get a signature from one of
the Kiddie Corp staff after your
assignment is done.
Alice Volunteers for Friday and Saturday afternoons
- Meet with the Alice sessions coordinator (Pam Cutter) on Thursday
afternoon at 3:30PM outside of the CS Kids 4 Fun room (C126) to review
plans.
- Report to the kids' room 15 minutes before the session is scheduled to
start (report at 1:45 on Friday, 1:15 on Saturday). Check in with the
KiddieCorp staff. Make sure the computers are on and ready to go.
- Introduce yourselves to the kids.
- The Alice activities are self-paced. Help the kids with ideas and
implementations as they work. Show them some examples to give them ideas.
- Get a signature from one of
the Kiddie Corp staff after your
assignment is done.
CS Unplugged, Scavenger Hunt Volunteers for Thursday afternoon
- Meet outside the CS Kids 4 Fun room (C126) at 12:45 PM. Check in with
the KiddieCorp staff.
- Introduce yourselves to the kids.
- Assist if
needed for the CS Unplugged activities with Tim Bell.
- For the scavenger
hunt, divide the kids into several groups (2/3/4). Accompany them to the
Exhibit Hall to search for the specified items. A KiddieCorp staff member
will also accompany you to the Exhibit Hall. Don't let the kids run wild.
- If you are done real early, there are other CS Unplugged activities you
could do.
- Get a signature from one of the Kiddie Corp staff
after your assignment is done.
Scavenger Hunt Volunteers for Saturday morning
- Meet outside the CS Kids 4 Fun room (C126) at 10:30 AM. Check in with
the KiddieCorp staff.
- Introduce yourselves to the kids.
- Divide the kids into several groups (2/3/4). Take them out into the
hallways and/or Exhibit Hall to meet people. You may need to help them
find particular people. A KiddieCorp staff member will also accompany you.
- If you are done real early, there are other CS Unplugged activities you
could do.
- Get a signature from one of the KiddieCorp staff
after your assignment is done.
Questions? Please contact:
Dan Garcia and Jeff Forbes
SIGCSE 2008 Student Conference Aide Coordinators
ddgarcia@cs.berkeley.edu
and
forbes@cs.duke.edu
