Databus Issue: 2005 1 02/07/2005
Cetpa 44th Annual Conference Overview
CETPA Board DirectorHere’s brief review of some of the activities
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Keynote Addresses: Highlight of Conference
The keynote address this year was a big highlight of the conference! Howard Charney, executive vice president of CISCO Systems, gave a unique perspective on the evolution of technology and the potential of the Internet. California State Attorney General Bill Lockyer presented a view of law enforcement.
Hands-on Sessions Proved Very Useful
The Hands-on sessions were very useful, giving attendees an educational experience targeted to particular products used daily in their educational environment. Windows Server 2003, iLife, Netboot, Microsoft Exchange, Mac OS X/Active Directory, and Web Applications were all valuable topics presented in a lab format. Thank you to Apple and Microsoft for sponsorship. Without their support, CETPA could not continue to offer these quality workshops at the annual conference.
Breakout Sessions a Big Success!
The Breakout Sessions were a great success! Thank you to all presenters and be sure to check the Web site for copies of their presentations.
Helpful information presented by K-12 technologists and K-12 vendors was disbursed throughout the three-day conference in 36 different sessions. A big topic this year was interoperability. Many districts see the advantages of making systems work together to provide data and assessment to their schools. Our sessions covered several data warehousing tools and techniques, online testing, online training and data analysis. Helpful sessions on network tools, services and creating and supporting Web sites wowed the more technical folks. The peer interaction is always a big plus and this year was no different with people sharing experiences, ideas and lessons learned.
Vendor Exhibition Had Largest Turnout Ever!
This year’s conference had the largest vendor exhibition space and the most number of vendors in CETPA’s history. A record 127 exhibitors enjoyed more than 30,000 square feet of space. The Sacramento Convention Center proved to be a perfect venue for the conference exhibitors. The extra space allowed for a creative floor plan that permitted a free flow between exhibitors with no one stuck in a corner. Quite a few vendors remarked about the layout and were pleased with how many attendees stopped by their booths. A big thank you to Spectrum Communications for allowing the expansion of the floor space into its area.
Attendees also expressed satisfaction with the flow of the exhibition space. With a CETPA lounge and CETPA/CPSI watering hole, there was incentive to roam the entire area. TriCord, the convention services company, helped create a pleasing and attractive environment. The black pipe-and-drape added a dramatic backdrop for vendors that helped to highlight products and services. The signage was colorful and informative.
Many vendors provided items for the end-of-show raffle. These ranged from tee shirts to golf bags to an HP All-in-One printer. Many attendees walked away, arms laden with give-a-ways and raffle items. One lucky attendee won a weekend trip to Las Vegas. While CETPA tries to improve the experience of the vendor show each year, some things will remain constant. CETPA will continue to offer a one-day vendor-only experience. We try to showcase our partnership with exhibitors and want them to have the full attention of attendees. Vendors are also very cooperative about spending lunch with attendees and shutting down the exhibit hall for this function. Future conferences will build upon experiences like Sacramento and CETPA’s intent is to continue to provide “the best ever vendor show.”
Tournament Attracts 90 Golfers
The 9th annual best-ever CETPA golf tournament was arguably the most successful yet! There were approximately 90 players in the tournament sponsored by Maximus, Inc.
After a week of low overcast and fog, common to Sacramento at this time of year, the cloud cover broke to give us a bright sunny day, just in time for a great round of golf at Teal Bend Golf Club. A light breeze kept things cool, but not uncomfortably so. And a beverage cart provided refreshments for all the players.
Available hole-in-one prizes included a Lexus SUV and a golf vacation package. The Lexus was available on the 12th hole, while the vacation package was available on every Par 3 hole. Unfortunately, nobody was able to pick off one of these prizes, but several people came close.
There were also awards for the longest drive (men); longest drive (women); closest to the hole (men) (Tim Hansen); and closest to the hole (women) (Jane Kauble). The winning foursome in this scramble event was the team of Mike Fury, Stacy Grant, Tim Templeton and Wade Williams. And, to finish off a fine day, CETPA sponsored refreshments and a prize drawing following the tournament.
CETPA would like to thank the Teal Bend Golf Club for hosting the tournament and reception following the tournament, Golf Destinations International for assisting us in making arrangements and running the tournament, Kim Caskey for verifying the 12th hole results, and especially to Maximus, Inc. for sponsoring the tournament. And, of course, thanks to all the attendees, vendors and guests that made this tournament such great fun.
Be ready for the 10th annual best-ever CETPA golf tournament following the 2005 CETPA Conference in Santa Barbara. You can bet that CETPA will have something special ready for all you golfers!
