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First Time attending a COMMON conference?

This page includes the following sections:

• How to Register to Attend
• Staying in Touch
• Visit the Web Site Early and Often
• Planning Your Course Schedule
• Pre-Register for Labs
• Odds and Ends
• Guide to COMMON Acronyms
• How to Read a Session Grid
• Take Advantage of a COMMON Mentor
• Your First Stop at the Conference: Registration
• Special Sessions and Services for First-Timers
• Key Sunday Sessions
• Networking and Information-Sharing Opportunities
• Check COMMON Conference Daily for Last-Minute Changes
• Answers Are Available at the Conference
• Consider Volunteering

If you'd like to download a PDF that contains all the information on this page, click here. (Right-click on the link and select "Save Target as" to download.)

Click here to access a video that offers a taste of what you'll experience at a COMMON conference.

Before the Conference

How to Register to Attend

Please note that you must be a current COMMON member to attend a conference—you can join on-line.

Every conference features special "early bird" savings on registration fees, so sign up to attend as soon as possible.

Once you decide to attend the next COMMON conference, there are several ways to register. Approximately four months before the conference, you can register on-line from a link on our home page. Hard copies of the registration form are also available in issues of our bimonthly magazine COMMON.CONNECT , advance mailings to members and prospects and select industry publications. You can also download a copy of the registration form from our Web site.

Staying in Touch
Once your registration has been processed, COMMON may send you e-mail updates to keep you informed. In the past, we’ve used these communications to invite attendees to tour the IBM Rochester Lab (at our Spring 2006 conference), and to let them know about breaking news related to the conference.

Depending on how soon before the conference we receive your registration, COMMON may mail out your attendee badge and other materials, or we may ask you to collect those items when you register on-site at the conference.

COMMON conferences have been recognized by the IT industry as one of the highest-quality education conferences when ranked by usefulness and industry expert presentation and participation. One of the reasons COMMON conferences receive high ratings is simply the breadth of education session offerings: COMMON conferences offer four solid days of IT education.

Navigating successfully through a conference requires planning. We want you to get the most out of COMMON Conferences. And the information on this Web page will help you plan your week—and return home from the Conference ready to apply what you’ve learned.

Visit the Web Site Early and Often
About 16 weeks prior to the Conference, COMMON begins posting conference information on the Web site. In addition to general information about the host city for the conference, some basic Course of Study and session abstract (course description) information will be available. While some of the information will be preliminary at this stage, the information is updated continuously. The closer the conference starting date, the more detailed the information will become. So be sure to tune in to www.common.org early and often.

Planning Your Course Schedule
About eight weeks prior to the Conference, detailed education session and Lab information will be posted on COMMON’s Web site. To ensure a successful and productive week at the Conference, it is critical that you review the session grids on the Web site and prepare a schedule for yourself before you arrive at the Conference. (See the "How to Read a Session Grid" section for important details.)

Pre-Register for Labs
Although you do not have to pre-register for the standard education sessions, you DO have to register for the hands-on Labs. COMMON’s hands-on Labs are invaluable experiences that you shouldn’t miss out on. These Labs fill up early, however, so be sure to pre-register online. Lab registration is usually available on the Web site about eight weeks prior to the Conference.

You can make changes to your Lab registrations via the Web site, and after you arrive on-site as well. Check with the Registration Desk on-site for more information after you arrive.

Before & During the Conference

Odds and Ends
Dress Code. The dress code for the Conference is casual. Close to conference time, check local Internet sites for the host city to find out what the average temperatures are, and pack accordingly. Pack a light sweater or jacket for temperatures that vary in meeting rooms, and be sure to wear comfortable shoes!

Food. Cash food stations will be available in the Expo hall; snack and beverage stations will be located at various locations in the conference facilities. If you are attending sessions into the evening, but sure to pick up a snack during the day; most conference facilities stop selling food after lunch.

Cyber Corner and Bookstore. Laptop computers will be available for you at no charge to check your e-mail while on-site. Please note that the Cyber Corner laptops do not have floppy drives but you can access the Internet from any of them. Come prepared with instructions on how to access your e-mail online.

COMMON will also host a bookstore where you’ll find new releases by COMMON speakers.

Restaurants and Sightseeing. Restaurant and tourism information will be provided on-site to assist with your after-Conference activities.

GTCA:Guide to COMMON Acronyms
Over the years, COMMON has developed a language of its own. With this handy guide, you’ll know what to say when someone at MOM asks if you met a SME at CUDS last night.

During the conference, you may hear acronyms that aren’t included on this list. Check here for a complete and current list of acronyms.

BOFS = Birds-of-a-feather sessions
CET = Conference education team
COS = Course of Study
CUDS = COMMON user discussion session
DSA = Distinguished Service Award
HOBO = Honorary board official
JAC = Judicial affairs council
LUG = Local user group
MOM = Meeting of the Members
SME = Subject Matter Expert
SUG = Sister user group
TLC = Tactical liaisons to curriculum
VPS = Vendor product session
YIP = Young iSeries Professional

How to Read a Session Grid
To prepare your schedule roadmap, you will need to be familiar with COMMON’s daily session grids. In addition to being posted on the Web site, session grids will also be published in each issue of COMMON Conference Daily, our on-site newspaper. Please note that grids are subject to change, and you should always check the latest edition of the newspaper before heading to your sessions each day.

To begin, you need to know that each day of the conference is assigned a number and that all sessions are keyed according to these numbers:

Sunday = Day 1
Monday = Day 2
Tuesday = Day 3
Wednesday = Day 4
Thursday = Day 5

COMMON’s grids are designed to show you an entire day’s sessions at a glance. Horizontal rows show the location of each session. Vertical columns show time and day. Both location and time have a two-digit code, and these combine to form a four-digit Agenda number for each session. Example: Session 32CS will be held on Day 3 (Tuesday) during the time slot designated as #2, or 9:30 – 10:45 a.m. It will be in the room designated "CS" (which is named on the grid).

You’ll find details about the room, including location and capacity, in the left column of each grid.

When planning your day, you can highlight each session on the grid and will be able to tell at a glance if you have overlapping commitments.

You can also create personalized grids online, selecting specific sessions and special events you’re interested in attending.

Take Advantage of a COMMON Mentor for Help with Planning
Seasoned COMMON members have volunteered to mentor first-time attendees. Mentors are also available on-site at the Conference if you need them.

To sign up for this complimentary program, just send an e-mail stating your interest to: VolunteerLiaison@common.org, or call 800.777.6734, ext. 0243. The liaison will need your complete name, city and state, e-mail address and phone number.

Your First Stop at the Conference: Registration
Even though you have pre-registered for the Conference, you must check in at the Registration Desk on-site to pick up your conference materials. Registration usually opens early on Sunday morning, so be sure to register in time to attend the Sunday afternoon Conference events.

Special Sessions and Services for First-Timers
COMMON offers two identical First-Timers’ Sessions on-site to provide an overview of what to expect during the conference week. Also, you’ll receive valuable tips on how to get the most out of the conference. These sessions are usually offered on Sunday and Monday. Check COMMON’s Web site prior to the conference for exact dates and times.

A First-Timers’ Social offers a chance to network with other members and volunteers while you enjoy fun, food and prizes! The social is usually held on Sunday afternoon.

And a First-Timers’ Focus Group, held on the last day of the conference, is extremely valuable to COMMON. We want to hear your insights and ideas regarding your first conference. Bring your own lunch and join us for this important session.

These sessions are not only informational; they also offer the perfect opportunity to network and make new friends with peers from all over the country. So don’t miss these valuable opportunities.

You’ll receive a badge either in the mail or when you register onsite. This badge is required for entrance into all COMMON sessions and events, including the First-Timers’ events. Your badge should be worn at all times during the conference.

Key Sunday Sessions
Opening Session occurs on Sunday afternoon. That will be your first opportunity to hear from COMMON’s president and from IBM’s top midrange executives about industry developments and announcements to come. Don’t miss it.

The Expo opens at midday on Sunday. Learn about the latest in product developments from technical experts at IBM and other exhibiting vendors. Although the Conference runs through Thursday, the product Expo continues through Tuesday only. So don’t miss the opportunity to meet with technical experts and see product demonstrations of the latest and greatest high-tech solutions for your IT challenges.

Networking and Information-Sharing Opportunities
COMMON’s education sessions are outstanding. But the Conference attendees who take advantage of COMMON’s informal networking sessions often take back with them something the other attendees don’t: answers to those tough IT problems that they’ve been struggling with.

COMMON offers several sessions that allow you to rub shoulders with technical experts from IBM and other leading industry organizations. Be sure to include CUDS (COMMON User Group Discussion Socials), BOFS (Birds of a Feather Sessions), and the Closing Event in your schedule. There is a special "Ask the Experts" CUDS session that allows you to meet with peers and experts in a specific technical area. Check the session grids on the Web site or in the daily on-site conference newspaper for dates and times.

Check COMMON Conference Daily for Last-Minute Changes
Life is sometimes unpredictable. And sometimes unexpected changes in our instructors’ schedules force us to make last-minute changes to sessions and Labs. When you arrive at the Conference, be sure to pick up that day’s COMMON Conference Daily to check for any last-minute changes to the sessions and Labs. Check the newspaper every day during the Conference, because that is where you will find all last-minute changes to the Conference schedule.

Answers Are Available at the Conference
Have a question during the conference? Volunteers wearing blue vests circulate throughout the conference facilities and between sessions. They’re available and approachable. Don’t hesitate to stop and ask one of them for help.

Consider Volunteering
COMMON is a volunteer-based organization. One of the best ways to learn how the organization works—and make new friends—is to contribute a little time as a volunteer during or after the conference. Open positions are posted on COMMON’s Web site, or you can visit the onsite Headquarters office during the conference to see if there are any opportunities that match your skills and abilities.