Preparing for a Jasig Conference

The program committee is sometimes asked, "how do I prepare for the upcoming Jasig conference." The reality is, you can't prepare for it. Jasig conferences are usually known for exceeding the expectations of the attendees. With key notes by noted industry heavyweights such as Justin Erenkrantz from the Apache Software Foundation, Rod Johnson from SpringSource, and Gregory Jackson from EDUCAUSE, everyone is sure to find something to keep them riveted. Add to that tons of presentations on open source projects such as CAS, uPortal, Bedework, Kuali, HelpDesk, Spring Security and more, and you're sure to learn something! Pre-Conference and Post-Conference seminars add an extra level of learning to an already full conference. Despite this, there are a few things you can try to do to prepare for the conference:

Read Up on the Projects so you know which presentations to visit (we include descriptions in the program you'll receive)
• Get in shape! The Jasig Running Club is looking for more runners!
• Do some stomach exercises! Jasig Conferences are known for their excellent food choices and dine-around options, not to mention all the camaraderie that happens at the bars!
• Be prepared to learn - Forget all that useless trivia about Saved By the Bell episodes and stop quoting from Disney movies! You'll need that space for the presentations on Groovy, Terracotta, Spring Security, and more!
• Be Prepared to Code - If you're attending the developer days, you can look forward to helping out your favorite Jasig project with some open JIRA issues
• Get All the Extra Sleep You Can - With tons of presentations, new people to meet, ideas to share, and beers to drink (and then run off), there isn't much time for sleeping
• Write Down Any Questions - This is the perfect opportunity to ask your peers for answers to your unanswered questions or to pick the brains of the developers of the projects
• Sign Up to Facilitate a Session - It helps us, which should give you a warm fuzzy feeling.
• Prepare a Lightning Talk - Not ready for a full out hour to present. Give a short presentation that can lead to later discussions.
• Create a Poster - present a poster during the reception.

Not registered for the conference? There's still time to register at the conference web site.