Just a little over a week ago I had the privilege of attending the annual MACUL conference down in Grand Rapids. You have likely already seen me write a couple of posts about Grand Rapids and this conference is the main reason I was there.
MACUL stands for Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning and it dates all the way back to 1975 when computers were just a blip on the radar of schools and education as a whole. It would take another five or six years before Apple IIe's would start to trickle into classrooms.
This conference is much different from the one I usually attend in the fall simply for the fact that it is mostly geared towards teachers. It still focuses heavily on technology, but the conference I attend in October each year has to do with switches and servers, this one is all about classroom tools.
For that reason, I generally don't attend this conference. I usually send teachers and deal with all of the emails I get after they return with all of these great tech ideas they want to suddenly implement in their classrooms. This year, I was given a scholarship to attend the conference for free, so I figured "why not". If I had known I would come home with strep throat, I might have reconsidered.
There was actually another conference happening the same time we had ours. It was a food and beverage conference and they mocked up the entrance to one of the exhibit halls with this faux storefront. It also included the car you see in the opening photo. It was meant to replicate the storefront of the Van Eerden Co. that used to be in Grand Rapids back in the day.
By the time we left on Friday, all of that had been cleared out to make way for a large women's conference that was happening. When visited our exhibit hall for the last time before heading home on Friday, there was a line of women snaking through the foyer waiting to get into their own event. I was going to take a photo, but large groups of people like that can get a little funny about people taking photos.
Every other year, the conference switches locations between Grand Rapids and Detroit, MI. I have attended the conference in both cities and I have to admit that I prefer it in Grand Rapids. As I have already stated though, Grand Rapids is one of my favorite larger cities in the state, so that probably isn't much of a surprise.
The architecture of DeVos Place where the event is held is pretty impressive with sweeping lines and lots of natural light coming in. On days like the one from these photos the effect can be quite dramatic.
This is a photo of the foyer I was talking about earlier. Just ahead to the right is the self serve registration stations for the conference and then beyond those is the exhibit hall. That's one of the main reasons a lot of people come to this conference. Being able to talk one on one with some of the vendors that we use on a daily basis is a huge draw.
In fact, I touched base with quite a few vendors and have some more meetings set up in the future thanks to this conference.
This photo really doesn't do it justice, but it kind of gives you an idea of just how large the exhibit hall is. In fact, behind me to the left is a full service food court in case you get hungry while you are browsing the vendors.
One thing which is a bummer about the vendor hall is the fact that we work for public school districts. Given that fact, vendors have very specific guidelines they need to adhere to when it comes to giving out free stuff. Back in the day you used to be able to clean up at places like this. These days, due to the $50 limit, the SWAG (stuff we all get) is reduced to pens, chapstick, and various other worthless items.
I did get a nice T-Shirt from one of the vendors I have a long standing relationship with though.
If you continue through the foyer, it takes you out to a nice riverside promenade and patio area where I believe they often hold outdoor events in the warmer months. Despite the sun being out in these photos, it was still quite chilly.
I'd never heard of William Alden Smith before, but he was a former US senator from Michigan. They have a statue of him on that back patio area.
Despite the size of DeVos Place, it still isn't big enough for the whole conference. The photo above shows one of the smaller conference rooms inside the facility. They actually have to split the thousands of educators between two separate buildings for the conference. Sessions are also held back at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel that I wrote a this post about.
Back at the Amway Grand, I got the chance to attend the administrators luncheon since I am technically an administrator at my school district. I felt a bit out of my element and I needed to draw from my "Pretty Woman" knowledge to remember which utensil to use when. I've never seen so many forks, knives, and spoons in one table setting before!
The food was really good, and overall it was a really nice time. I should have mentioned, DeVos Place also holds a large auditorium for guest speakers and in addition to that it is connected to an even larger performance hall and several other facilities. It's pretty impressive if you ever get the chance to visit I highly recommend it.
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I’ve seen so many times when you talk about conference
It looks like you attend conferences a lot
Right?
No, not really. Maybe two times a year or so. There are dozens that are held throughout the year for different groups. I have couple other ones I could go to each year if I wanted to. I don't like being away from home that much though.
The place looks nice. Sucks that you got strep throat though.
Thanks! The good thing is, it wasn't until I was home that I started having symptoms. This place has an upper level too which is kind of cool. It has big windows overlooking the river, but I didn't visit that part of the building on this occasion.
From the looks of it, you really enjoyed your lunch moment
Yeah, it was a little awkward because I had to make small talk with people I didn't know, but I was able to manage it!
Glad to hear and everything went well, even though it was a little awkward but it was resolved well 😉
Shadow fingers itchy to get in try that desert, one of those photos not planned. 🙃
The cheesecake actually wasn't as good as it looked. It wasn't bad, but I have had better. The chicken was dang good though!
Looked a tasty meal, venue had some interesting little surprises especially antique vehicle being eye candy.
I don't get to many conferences. They can be pretty expensive and you usually need an employer who will pay for the trip. I do treat myself to things like Hivefest though. Looks like a nice venue. I hope you found some interesting stuff.
I am going to cover more of the things I learned in a future post. I wouldn't go to any of these if my work didn't pay for it. The hotel alone was something like $170 per night. We do have to buy our own meals at this one, but we get reimbursed for the food, but obviously not the alcohol if we have it.
I'm sure the hotels and restaurants do well from conferences. People spend more when they are on expenses.
Oh yes, Sometimes a vendor will buy out a whole bar and have special events there for their loyal customers. I could have went to a free wine tasting and dinner at a farm to table place, but I am not much of a wine guy.
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That food looks great for a conference! It looks like a nice area though. I've never spent much time around there, which is ironic because I've worked all over the country at one point or another except for Hawaii and Alaska!
This side of the state has a lot of charm. All the way up and down the coast. There is a reason the rich folks congregate towards it.
You must be moving on up to rich side! Well maybe if this bull run treats us right!
No, I live on the other side of the state. The poorer side.
It really is a waste of money to invest in big houses, I've known so many people who have lost money that way!
I totally agree. We have a pretty small house and my wife would still like to downsize.