State of Conferences
Greetings, friends! I’m David Elden, the judge conferences lead in the Great Lakes region. I wanted to take some time to talk about how judge conferences have been going this year, what’s coming up, and what I’m excited about as far as conferences are concerned.
So far this year
Our regional plan includes one conference per month, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. The Great Lakes region has had 4 judge conferences so far, one in each state. I went to each one of them, and am very excited about what I have seen. With over 50 unique attendees, we are certainly doing well in our goal to make more judge conferences available to more judges. The engagement and quality of presentations and workshops has been great as well. If you want to see what you’ve been missing, check out the JudgingFtW YouTube channel, where recordings of our conference presentations are hosted.
Of particular note is the area conference in Columbus that took place in February. This was a worst tournament ever conference, the first of four in our region this year, in which attendees got real live experience judging in a simulated tournament environment. If that sounds like fun, it is! I’ve gotten overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees eager to see more. Each state will have its own area conference to get that same experience. One is scheduled for each quarter this year.
What’s coming up
And the next one is next month. The next conference in our region will be the area conference in Louisville on May 12, which promises to be as great a time as our first one. After that, I hope to see many of you in the local conference in Cincinnati on June 9. Applications for that one close TOMORROW (April 27), so click this link and apply now! Then, there’s another area conference at the new BC Comix store in Howell, Michigan, coming up in August. Keep your eyes peeled for the application for that, which should be going live in the next few weeks.
The Big One
Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about Indiana, or the month of July! Applications are open now for the regional conference in Ft. Wayne, Indiana on July 21. This will be the biggest conference of the year, with space for 125 judges, and it’s already filling fast! Don’t miss regional addresses from our RC and project leads, networking and fellowship with judges from all around the region, and awesome presentations, including one from a very special secret guest! Apply today, and if you’re interested in presenting, e-mail JudgingFtW@gmail.com.
Wrap up
Conferences this year have been amazing, and we’re just getting started. If you haven’t been to one ever, or if it’s been a while since your last time, I definitely recommend giving it a shot. There’s something about the atmosphere of a room full of judges, all gathered together to learn and have fun that no other event can replicate. As always, my mailbox is open. If you have any questions about conferences in the Great Lakes region or if you have any feedback or suggestions related to conferences, send a message to JudgingFtW@gmail.com.