Print yer own handouts.

Mark,

I lobbied for this format to save costs for the organization. Idaho has been giving out DVD's for the last 2 years that I was at their conference with no paper copies.

You really are only encouraged to bring your laptop for the Montana Coordinate Data Base presentation by RJ Zimmer. It will be hands on use for understanding and using the state data base site.

I assume I will see you in Billings?

Kurt

Print yer handouts.

They talked about setting up a booth for somebody like Ricoh and you went to them and got the handouts of the classes you wanted, but it never happened.

They were handing out CD's with all the info from all the classes, for a few years, but it was tough to get the data from the speakers on time.

Good luck with your little endeavor, let us know how it turns out.

Radar

Great excuse to buy a Kindle, an Ipad, or a netbook computer.

I like the idea of downloading/printing your own handouts.

> ... you will be given a thumb drive w/ files of all the presentations.

Wonder if putting them on a CD would be cheaper than giving out thumb-drives?

Print yer handouts.

I've been to several conferences where they've moved to electronic distribution of the handout materials. Printing handouts is an expensive proposition and a lot of the handouts really don't amount to much that you'd ever use them outside of the presentation.

The handout materials I produce typically are much more than a copy of the PowerPoint presentation. They're designed to be used as a resource and are in book form, usually around 80 to 100 pages. I'd highly recommend that they be printed in advance of the presentation, reviewed and used during the presentation for notes and simply to follow along. That's been a disadvantage having the no-print material policies to some degree, but you can usually have better quality material produced on your own.

It is pretty simple to have the material printed on your own and bound into a three-ring binder or coil binding. You can email the pdf files to a place like FedEx Office and they'll have them printed and coil-bound in around an hour or so for around $15 to $20. I'd suggest that you download the material from the website, and review it to determine which material is worth printing. Then upload it to an online printing site and either have it delivered or pick it up on the way to the conference.

I'll be missing out on the MT conference this year. Have a great time, Rankin. Maybe I'll get a return invitation next year. ;o)

JBS

Texas has done this for the past few years.

Actually works well in that I could also print from other classes that I didnt have a chance to attend.

NY went there last year

I just got back from the Illinois conference, and we had to print our own out, plus they gave us a thumb drive with everything on it.

Minnesota didn't print any of the materials this year. The presenters, at least most of them, submitted materials to MSPS and they are posted on the MSPS website www.mnsurveyor.com

Print yer own handouts.> MA

We'll be doing it at the 2011 Mass. conference. I like the idea.

As a presentor ....

I've got to say I don't like it. Like JB, my handouts are more than a set of the power points.

But more importantly, there are occasions during the session that I want to refer to a certain handout to make a point and it is difficult when everyone does not have them in hand.

I know it saves money, but there are other considerations as well. And quite frankly, for what people are paying for these workshops they deserve something more than a CD.

Print yer handouts.

I typically follow along using the paper handouts, highlighting and making notes in the margins. Can't do that on a computer screen.

A lot of speakers' handouts are just printouts of their Power Point presentations. Some of those I can do without carrying the paper around, but sometimes even those have enough solid info on them that I will highlight and make notes on.

I also like having the electronic copies. Almost invariably, there are sessions I would like to attend scheduled at the same time. The electronic files allow me to print those out later.

Some might be comfortable typing out any notes they take on their laptops in the sessions, but a lot of surveyors are more like me in that we are closer to hunt-n-peck typers than we are to real typists.

Besides, having laptops all over those skinny little tables that they set us at are going to add other annoying dimensions to the experience, like the glow of all the screens in front of you distracting from the actual presentation, the annoying clickity clack of dozens of keyboards all around you while your trying to listen, and the hazard of your water or coffee slopping on your computer and frying it when someone bumps the table trying to get in our out of their seat. If that happens with paper notes, you mutter a bit about furniture sized and spaced for middle schoolers and the clumsy knucklehead who just spilled your coffee and simply wipe off your notes and carry on. Your computer gets a good spill on it and your done following along at best and you ruin a computer at worst. But then, maybe some dim bulb will next decide that the next cost cutting measure should be doing away with the coffee and water.

A good solution might be to offer either an on-site printing service or a pay for option on the registration form to receive paper copies at the conference.

As a presentor ....

Good points from Ingram & Stahl. I guess it does have its drawbacks.

Even if they are still made available in paper format at the workshops, I would also like them on a CD or link to the website where I can download a copy.

The Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon didn't print handouts for the Conference in January this year but made them available on the PLSO web page for those who had registered.

It was like pulling teeth go get some of the presentations. I'm not being critical of anyone in particular, but we were still getting some in the day before, and even afterwards, which makes it difficult for people use them. I know it's difficult sometimes to have a final presentation ready until just before you have to give it. Nearly all, including the PowerPoint Presentations, were turned into PDF files for download. I saw one Kindle in use at the Conference.

It is a very difficult decision whether to print or not. We had a few sessions which were over-attended and there would have been a big shortage of handouts. Similarly, some which we expected to be very well attended had hardly anyone there. Somehow, you just can't win.

Tyler

> ...but we were still getting some in the day before, and even afterwards, which makes it difficult for people use them....

Actually, that is an argument in favor of pdf's - assuming the attendees have some sort of web capable device. The conference hall had wireless internet, as most do.

Print yer handouts.

> The handout materials I produce typically are much more than a copy of the PowerPoint presentation. They're designed to be used as a resource and are in book form, usually around 80 to 100 pages.

I can vouch for that. JB's "handout" from the 2010 Oregon Conference is 98 pages long and is virtually a textbook on Oregon Survey Law, complete with Table of Contents.

Print yer handouts.

As FLS noted above, NY did not print the handouts either.

Copies for all the courses provided (well almost all, a couple of instructors were late) were made available on the NYSAPLS web site for download.

I thought it worked out well.

Last minute attendees could download them after the conference. Putting them on the website eliminates the cost and logistics of creating and distributing CDs or thumb drives.

KS