SIGGRAPH Conference Report

Several of our students were fortunate enough to attend the 2010 SIGGRAPH conference. Here's what one of them had to say about the experience:

SIGGRAPH 2010 Conference Los Angeles

I have to say the trip to Siggraph 2010 Conference in Los Angeles California was an incredible experience. There is so much to see and so much to do in so little time. Also, I have to say the people that I went with on the trip are amazing people, so full of energy. I think it takes people like them to make a trip a better trip.

Because this trip was my first time, I feel that the basic pass was just right. My intention of going to the trip was not only to learn about the topics but to explore the whole convention, setups and the people there. To me time went by quickly. I planned my days accordingly and tried to meet those goals. For example, the first day I went scouting around the whole convention, setups and saw how people interacted with the space. With that I understood my ground. On the second day I used my camera/camcorder to capture only the things that I needed. On the third day, I was more engaged in the events and interacted more with the workshops, sessions, listening to great speakers and so on. The last couple days, I used to explore more in-depth and went to the workshops for very specific topic areas.

My experience was not only exploring the conference itself: I also took some time with my group to scout around the down town of Los Angeles. Sorry to sound like I’ve never been in large cities, which I have many times, but it was new environment, new people and different locations. The story will be long if I go into details but I have to say we had a blast, trying food, seeing events and capturing footage.

Overall, if you are someone like me who just wants to explore - follow my methods. Otherwise, if you know exactly what you want to get out of it, I think that’s even better. For that you will need to get the full pass. If I have a chance to go again next time I will certainly buy the full pass and really plan ahead. Lastly, prepare yourself to feel aching pain, on both feet and upper body,

Thanks!

Sai Xiong
xiongsa@my.uwstout.edu
Multimedia Major
Applied Photography Minor