Here it is! The big post of all the things you need to know about attending edUi 2017. If we left anything out, shoot us a note at info@eduiconf.org.

How to Get to the Hotels

Coming in By Air
Residence Inn offers an airport shuttle for guests. Contact the hotel to make arrangements. The Omni doesn’t have a courtesy shuttle, so you’ll need to take a cab (or use Uber) to get to the hotel.

Coming in By Train
The train station is approximately 1/2 mile from the conference hotels. Walking (especially with luggage) is not recommended. We suggest taking a cab, using Uber, or catching the Charlottesville Free Trolley.

Parking

Parking is free for guests at both the Omni and Residence Inn.

We recommend that day trippers park at the Omni. Parking is $12/day. There will be a limited number of parking vouchers for the Omni available for day trippers at the edUi info table (located at Live Arts and the Jefferson) available on a first-come, first-served basis.

There is other parking downtown, but it’s significantly more expensive.

How to Get to the Venues

edUi takes place at four venues on Charlottesville’s downtown mall.

Keynotes
Jefferson Theater – 110 East Main Street

General Sessions

• Live Arts – 123 Water Street East
• Old Metropolitan Hall – 101 East Main Street
• City Space (Analytics Workshop) – 100 5th Street NE

Opening Night Reception – 9/25
Random Row Brewery – 608 Preston Ave A

It’s a 10 minute walk from the Omni hotel. A shuttle will be available, picking up and dropping off from the public bus stop on Water St. behind the Omni.

After-Party – 9/26
The Ante Room – 219 Water Street

Here’s a map. You’ll be walking between venues a bit. So bring a coat and pack an umbrella (just in case).

 

When to Arrive

Check in and breakfast starts Monday at 8:00 am at The Jefferson Theater.

What to Wear

We lean towards the casual side of business casual. You can wear a tie or a pant-suit if you like. But you can also wear that awesome new Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. II t-shirt you bought yourself for your birthday. You’re among geek-kindred here, it’s OK.

Keep in mind, it is September in Virginia. Weather can be unpredictable. So bring an umbrella and pack some layers.

Food

Breakfast
We’ll provide coffee and light nosh each morning from a local baker (Paradox Pastry).

Monday Lunch
We’re treating you to lunch at one of 3 local restaurants on Monday. There will be vegetarian and vegan options. Menus will be available ahead of time and you’ll pick your restaurant when you check in for the conference. Preview the menus here.

Other Lunches On Your Own
Grab one of your new edUi friends and go get a bite on the downtown mall. There are so many good places to eat we can’t list them all. We’ll include a few recommendations in your conference materials that are good and fast and will get you back to edUi in time for the next session.

Snacks
We’ll have a selection of snacks available throughout the conference at Live Arts in the lobby. Pop over whenever you need a caloric pick-me up.

Opening Night Reception
We’ll gather at Random Row Brewery and enjoy local craft brews and a Super Smash Bros. tournament (signup in advance). You can look forward to some delicious local BBQ (pork, chicken, and tofu) plus some assorted sides.

After Party
Following two days of getting your UX on, we’ll blow off some steam at The Ante Room for an after party featuring karaoke with a live band (pick your song now!). First round of drinks is on us. We’ll have some light bar food and a full menu will be available if you choose to order dinner. Don’t get too rowdy, there are still half-day workshops the next morning!

Workshops

This year, our half-day workshops all happen on Wed. Sept. 27. Pre-registration is required. Your conference packet will include a reminder of what workshop you signed up for.

The mini-workshops sprinkled throughout the schedule do not require registration and you can come and go from those as you like.

Conference Schedule

We’ll give you a pared down print schedule when you check in. But you should rely on our online schedule to keep track of what’s happening where and when.

How to Behave

edUi has a conference code of conduct. It’s pretty simple. Just be nice. But you should probably give it a quick read before you come.

Will There Be WiFi?

Yep. We’ve made arrangements with Blue Ridge Internetworks to provide wifi at Live Arts, The Jefferson, and CitySpace. The Old Met has it’s own in-house wifi too.

You should be able to do email and social media and stuff like that as needed.

If you need to do serious work (we know it’s unavoidable sometimes), please head to the Omni where the network can handle that kind of connectivity you’ll require. Your fellow attendees will thank you.

#Hashtags

Find us at @edUiConf on Twitter and Facebook and tag your posts with #edUiconf on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pintrest… You get the idea.