InstructureCon 2016 Post-Conference Feedback

[jordan]

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tl;dr: This is an open discussion where you all can publicly share your qualitative thoughts and feedback about InstructureCon 2016! Please post before reading the comments from others. Then feel free to reply to others!

Once again we were stunned by another kumbayawesome InstructureCon! Fortunately the great sessions, ideas, and connections we made, can live on within our Canvas Community and in the InstructureCon 2016 community space! Remember that you can keep the conversation alive, around each breakout session, by adding comments! This is a great way to connect with the presenters and share thoughts/ideas with other participants.

Please be sure to take that survey that our marketing team sends out, so we can make instcon even better next year. That quantitative feedback is invaluable.

In addition we wanted to have an open discussion where you all can publicly share your qualitative thoughts and feedback about InstructureCon 2016!

Here's some things you might want to talk about: the sessions, the keynotes, the activities, the online schedule, the app, the booths, the venue, opportunities to connect, ideas for the Community Team to improve community interaction and engagement.

Thanks for your help Canvas Community...  We ❤️ you!

Onward and upward!

PS... Don't forget to add all those kumbayawesome photos you took, to the Camp Canvas Photo Gallery...

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In your responses please @mention other community friends or use the "Share" tool to encourage others to offer their feedback as well!

Let's kick off this discussion with some @mentions:

 @KristinL ​,  @jward ​,  @tom_gibson ​,  @kub26 ​, kdfrench​,  @rseilham ​,  @ckofeldt ​,  @ktesterman1 ,  @roush_94 ​, amber_morse​,  @dlyons ​,  @mjevins ​,  @hyrum ​, lalevesque​,  @mfgu ​, kbeimfohr​,  @jasond ​,  @britain_woodman ​, regina_mccurdy​,  @hsiao_62 ​, shortridge​,  @stuart_ryan ​, lambj​ @lindalee ​, awilliams​,  @thatcher_bohrma ​,  @crystal_trotter ​, Deactivated user​, 985706039​, bsargent​,  @bwalters ​,  @travis_cox ​,  @beth_ritter-gut ​,  @tmercer ​, mouldera​, Deactivated user​, sblyth​,  @tawnya_means ​,  @michellemeazell ​,  @mlattke ​, jray11​, Deactivated user​, mlove​,  @colleen_ortega ​, whitney.kilgore​,  @victoria-maloy ​,  @arovner ​,  @kevin1 ​,  @lstark ​, dtheriault​, kmiller​,  @BethCrook ​,  @grahamb ​,  @Chris_Hofer ​, floria​, sphoward​, Deactivated user​, dhawley​, jwhite​, mmorvant​, goodrum​,  @kristie_johnson ​, Deactivated user​, hooker.24​, lydia​, yotebrarian​, A00015317​, catherine_gregory​,  @kyle_johnson ​,  @timothy_mckean ​,  @murphy_1527 ​,  @sbeck1 ​,  @ewilson ​,  @lclontz ​,  @straussi ​, chriscas​,  @candace_girard ​,  @p_bier ​,  @kdscholl ​, bigenhoc​ aharris​,  @dave-long ​,  @kschneider25 ​, 16247​,  @skowlaski ​, msl_adm​, evans.1517​, eanderson3​,  @jbrady2 ​,  @Adrienne_J_Gaut ​,  @np ​,  @ebaker ​, timf​,  @travis_thurston ​, Deactivated user​, jap98y​, seneman​,  @SchaeferG ​, stefaniesanders​,  @Renee_Carney ​,  @scottdennis ​,  @biray ​

[Stef_retired]

Agreed on all counts, and especially the app,  @jbrady2 . It was handy and I appreciated the event reminders. I would have liked to have been able to add all the events, not just the sessions, and to be able to add my own appointments to the schedule.

[chriscas]

TL;DR, good conference but could definitely use some tweaking in various areas for next year.

Things that were great

• The keystone employees.  Super friendly and helpful everywhere we saw them.  Even providing rides on their carts if you could find them (more on that in the tweaking section)
• The scenery was even better than park city!  Gorgeous mountains to see in the morning and before bed
• The selection of non-conference activities was also nice.  The free bike rides, paddle boats, etc were a refreshing break from all of the learning!
• It was great to have most sessions in one place (the convention center), though capacity seemed to still be a big issue this year.
• The swag, as always, was fabulous!

Things that could use some tweaking

• I would 3rd (or 4th or 5th by now) the comments about accessibility.  The amount of stairs (or even steep ramps) needing to be traversed form breakfast to conference to lunch to conference to dinner was way too much for a co-worker who had gotten injured the week before.  Luckily we did run into a golfcart-like shuttle a couple times that helped us out, but there was no predictable place to find them at all.
• I'd also agree with more covered spaces for breakfast/lunch/dinner.  I know Instructure can't control the weather, but it seems there should always be a plan for the worst case (and the plan shouldn't be to hand out ponchos and let people's food get soggy sitting/standing in the rain).  Having tables sit at also really facilitates starting conversations as people come and sit down.  Wandering around in open spaces just didn't have the same effect (for me anyways).
• For the sessions, I wish there was some sort of "level" indicator, in addition to the K-12/higher ed classifications.  This is out 3rd year on Canvas, and it's really hard sometimes to figure out which sessions were meant for beginners or which were for more advanced users.  I also agree with the comments on capacity for the breakouts.  There were 3 sessions I couldn't attend because they were full (including quizzes 2.0 and customer service).  Not sure hot to fix that with so many attendees and not so many breakout rooms, but it was definitely an issue this year.
• Food was good overall, but I think the breakfasts at Park City were slightly better (at least for my preferences, I loved the sausages there). I'm more of a "simple" food person, and would really have loved to have a burger or pizza option at the river-run street food night.  There were a lot of different options, but most of them just weren't my taste at all.  The Tuesday and Thursday dinners were awesome though!
• I'd echo the comments about the guest pass price.  I'd love to bring my fiance (wife by next year), but $400 for 7 meals and no swag or anything definitely seems expensive.  I wonder if the price was intentionally set high to discourage families from coming and leaving more room available for attendees instead?

-Chris

[saalex]

I enjoyed the conference. The location was beautiful and the Keystone Inn had a really great staff. In all it was a really good conference experience.

But...

• I was shut out of two breakout sessions. I agree with others that popular sessions need to be moved to larger venues. Offering a second session is good, but when the second session is created after other plans have been made, you miss out.
• Some way to get a better idea on the target audience of the presentations (Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced). I had heard complaints that some sessions that sounded advanced were actually geared toward beginners.
• More tables to eat at, preferably covered. The only time I was able to really talk to anyone during meal time was when I arrived early with a colleague and we were able to get a table under a tent. People are more relaxed and more willing to chat when they don't have to stand up and avoid the rain, or sun.

[KristinL]

Scott, I really like your idea of clarifying the target audience. This year, I appreciated having the "tracks" - HE, K12, Admin - but to know the level or amount of experience would be very helpful when determining which session to attend.

[KristinL]

InstCon was a great experience! I am sure I'm not the only one trying to sort through all of the ideas collected in those few days.

The keynotes were amazing. Thank you for inviting speakers to share their experiences with InstCon...Marc and Angela were relevant and engaging!

The marketing team deserves a major shout-out. The hours of design time that must have gone into transforming Keystone into Camp Canvas must have been tremendous. There were so many small details, and the graphics tied the entire "camp" experience together.

I think the conference rooms, while not planned perfectly, were better than last year. I think opening up the sessions as events prior to scheduling them was a great idea. I hope that next year more attendees actively add their yes/maybe votes in order to help the Events Team plan for high-demand sessions. I also liked how there were two places (rather than several) to travel between this year. The extra time between the sessions allowed me to walk between the main conference center and Keystone Lodge & Spa without any issues.

The app was awesome. It was so much more convenient than the pocket guide. I also liked that the information from The Community was linked into session details. However, it would be helpful if you could add items to your schedule. I had a few meetings other than the sessions, and it would have been great to be able to see my InstCon experience all in one place...and be able to add notifications/reminders for important items.

The food was plentiful! I'm thankful that it was easy to grab a meal or snack and be on my way. However, it was sometimes hard to find a place to eat (with the exception of the Hoedown) without feeling rushed so the next person could use the space. It would be great to have more standing tables and some options for sitting next year.

[straussi]

Let's see ... :smileycool: cool things:  Canvas people, They Might Be Giants, Quizzing Engine (Jason Sparks), Gradebook Features. The app got better as we went along. Session seating was better and an actual conference center was waaay better than Park City. Sunsets! Wednesday Street Party Food.

Argh :smileyconfused: things: rain when we had outdoor activities, altitude sickness, airport shuttle buses, resort shuttle buses (I even got left in the middle of the wrong parking lot once).

I gotta say, I appreciate the outdoorsy scene as much as anyone (I was in Boy Scouts both as a youth and a leader), but it might really be time to go to a nice large conference center in a city where we have lots of lodging, sessions space, indoor eating, and the only bus ride is the start and end of the day ...

[DrNufer]

I'm glad you mentioned that.  I was an Eagle scout and have worked in scouting as a leader.  But sometimes you do have a certain expectation of comfort when you go to a professional conference.  I like that this conference wasn't just a sterile environment where the only time I go outside is because I haven't been outside all day and I guess I should probably go outside because yesterday I didn't go outside...  That gives me a headache just thinking about it.  :smileysilly:

[DrNufer]

Overall I give InstructureCon an A- and continue to rank this conference as one of my two favorite conferences of the year.  I was thrilled to be in attendance and continue to have that exhilarating feeling of post-conference inspiration.  My thoughts for constructive feedback:

• Having to fly to Denver, wait for the next resort shuttle, and then travel for another 2+ hours (we were not the first people to be dropped off on the route) was quite onerous.  I was exhausted by the time I got there.  Keystone is a wonderful place, but the venue is a bit remote.
• I ended up reserving a timeshare by myself, but I found the "rent a room with other people and split the cost" to be very confusing and I really wanted to just stay in a simple studio close to the conference center.  I had no other same gender colleagues who attended and I couldn't find a stranger to bunk with.
• My suggestion for every InstructureCon is actually: can we extend it for one more day?  We don't need massive celebrations each and every night, but one more day of sessions would be so beneficial.
• A great many of the sessions were beyond capacity.  I think were the fire marshall present for the O365 integration session, he would have a panic attack.  I think there were even chants among the audience regarding moving the session to the ballroom. 
• Despite me whining about the remoteness of the venue in the first bullet, I would think that Vail would be a venue better able to accommodate InstructureCon.  Keystone is not a very accessible place (someone else on this thread already elaborated on that) and I honestly think that we have outgrown it. 

It sounds like all I have are complaints, but really that was a wonderful conference.  I have never seen that level of attention to detail - even at the very large conferences that I have been to with 8k attendees.  Keystone was completely transformed.  It became Canvastone for the week. 

[DrNufer]

After all that complaining, I feel like I need a follow up to say that this InstructureCon was such a great experience.  I'll definitely always remember the conference, the cheerful Canvas employees, the wonderful design and marketing that went into everything...  Great job everyone.  If you end up just duplicating this conference next year then I will definitely come again.

[fosterl]

I definitely want to join the chorus for adding another day! I think there is plenty of content to justify a third full day.

[stuart_ryan]

I second, or third (or however many we are up to now) this!

As a first timer to the conference (we only signed on three weeks ago), the sheer information intake was incredible. I would love to see a plan for occasional double ups of sessions, it would help ease capacity issues, however also force some downtime where people could collaborate, discuss and meet. I felt that I had to actively miss out on sessions to be able to talk to vendors, have meetings and so on.

Perhaps a block per day where there is no session (i.e. outside of lunch), something that is for collaboration/downtime/catch up on email/meetings etc?

[dave-long]

This was my first InstructureCon, and it was great.  Here's a few points for feedback:

Plusses:

• Interesting and engaging sessions
• Social events, good opportunities for networking
• Great mobile app for checking the schedule / getting updates
• The mountains and venue were wonderful!

Deltas (things to change):

• A bigger venue for next year, there were a few sessions I couldn't get into because the room was too full.
• A schedule of sessions that is put together two to three weeks in advance
• An accessible venue & events.  Accessibility doesn't just apply to things in the digital space
• More sessions from customers/institutions

[rseilham]

As always I enjoyed InstructureCon. This was my fourth. I can't honest say this was my favorite, but it's still way better than most conferences.

Prettay, Prettay, Prettay Good

• The mountain setting was amazing. I don't care if you want to hold this in Yellowstone, I just don't want to see this conference moved to a big city. I understand we are making some concessions, but if I want a big city conference I'll go to EDUCAUSE, OLC, or Blackboard World (well not this one, heh).
• Instructure keynotes were great like always, and even better than the topic keynotes.
• Having all session in only two venues was really nice.
• The ballroom was great for large events.
• The quality and usefulness of the swag was the best ever!
• The app was helpful, but I'd suggest a different partner next year. Maybe Modo Labs? They make a great campus/event app with interactive maps, iBeacons, etc.
• Instructure has the best employees, hands down. Also willing to listen and share. I wish more could have been there.
• I found the busses to be great. They were abundant and easy to find.
• I thought the shuttles to and from the airport were comfortable, quick, and professional.

Less Prettay, Prettay, Prettay Good:

• The venue for social events and networking. I think the venue was great, but when it came to being social and networking, I thought Park City had a better set up. Everything was in one place and its a more intimate setting. I found it hard to network organically. It seemed to be crowded with fewer activities to get people removed from their typical groups. Maybe it's a product of growth, but I found this conference to be less connected than the previous three.
• Basically every session I attended was full. In fact, I had to close the door 10 minutes before my presentation. I'm not sure if there is a solution at Keystone, but maybe using the community to better gauge attendees, or offering sessions more than once?
• The night events were "okay". I really liked the Park City venue for night events. Everything was in one place. The movie nights on Wednesday and Thursday were basically empty.
• Wifi wasn't great, but never has been. I wanted to do more live blogging and twitter'ing and couldn't.
• More tents, more standing tables, more focus on accessibility, especially in the field.
• Most of instructure employees look tired and were tasked with many things. It would be nice to see more at the conference to allow time to meet and greet.
• The Canvas community has produced many different user groups and it was sometimes difficult to find a good venue to meet up. Some were planned during the night events, which can be difficult.
• On Tuesday and Wednesday night I got approached by intoxicated, pushy vendors. :smileyangry:
• Not having Deactivated user​,  @kona ​, or st2840​ there.

Suggestions:

• I'd love to see more opportunities to find people with my interests. This is generally a "birds of a feather" session. They are specific (mobile, outcomes, 1:1, etc) and not general like (HE, K12, etc). These can take place during lunch or take the place of a session.
• It was hard to identify Instructure employees. Maybe next year their name badge can be a different color?
• Less rain, seriously, can't Instructure fix this? (:
• Maybe start the night events a little earlier. Maybe 5:30 or 6? Anything later is tough on us East Coasters.
• I ran into a few people who didn't have smartphones and were expecting a printed schedule. I wonder if a quick "at a glance" schedule can be available on request.

[kona]

I don't care if you want to hold this in Yellowstone, I just don't want to see this conference moved to a big city. I understand we are making some concessions, but if I want a big city conference I'll go to EDUCAUSE, OLC, or Blackboard World (well not this one, heh).

YES! THIS ^!! Even though I couldn't attend this year I've been the previous three years and plan to attend next year, and definitely do NOT want to see InstCon moved to a big city conference center!! I've been to Bb World a couple of times and the feeling is 100% completely different. With the city right there most people want to go out and experience the city and it's venues and don't stick around to really talk and network like they do at InstCon. I attribute this a lot to a captive audience. There isn't much to do beyond InstCon so why not stick around and be a part of it... all of it!

Not having Jordan Dayton, Kona Jones, or Sandesh Tuladhar there.

Thank you!! Coming from someone like you - who I consider to be pretty awesome and a major influence in the Canvas Community and beyond - that means a lot! I have to admit I've been super bummed since way back in Dec when I realized I couldn't attend InstCon this year and the closer it got the more bummed I got - Missing out on InstructureCon.   Knowing I was missed helps and we will definitely be there next year!

[rseilham]

Thanks of the kind words! You would have definitely like Keystone. You're name was ALL around the conference, so it was like you were there, but you were definitely missed by many. I send my best for you, your family, and the "little bundle of Jones joy". I can't wait to see you next year!

[KristinL]

I like the idea of tracking on themes/interests rather than institution/role. I know many of the topics overlap from K-12 to Higher Ed, and we need to collaborate! This year, although I teach high school, I bounced between the tracks several times because of my interest in topics.

[rseilham]

I agree, my presentation was good for all levels and roles.

[KristinL]

I'm going to continue this thought... It would be neat to see sessions "tagged" for themes/interests as well as institution level/canvas role. That way, you could choose how to build your session sequence. Participants could sort by keyword, interest, theme, role, etc and find their way to sessions that were most relevant to their needs. It would take some time to build the set of keywords, but searching for sessions of interest or need could be simplified

[scottdennis]

Adding tags to the session events in such a way that we could then surface themes and tracks in widgets or tiles is a great idea,  @KristinL and something we'll explore for next year.

[mzucal]

I'm in agreement on the no big city conference. If my paraplegic cousin can snow ski at resorts like this one Instructure can surely make it more accessible for everyone.

[admin]

I didn't like that there was a long break between the last session of the day and the hoe-down. It was raining, so there wasn't much to do, and many of us had already checked out of our hotels, so didn't have anywhere else to go. If there was one more session in the day, or if the dinner started earlier, that would have been better than aimlessly wandering around then ultimately just plopping down and checking email for an hour.

Also, as an "admin," it was tricky for me to identify by the session titles what exactly they were about. Sessions were coded PK-12 or HE, but that wasn't useful for me. I went to many HE sessions that were just as relevant as PK-12 ones. It would be great to tag courses into categories like "Instructional Design" "Feature/Product Forecast" "SIS" "API" "Technical/Coding"...stuff like that. And then not clump them all into one time slot. I remember there was one time there were about 3 sessions that looked interesting, but a few other time slots where there wasn't much relevant to admin stuff.

Great conference! I really hope I can go back next year!

[mzucal]

I had the same issues with sessions I wanted to attend being in the same time slot. Adding another day or half-day to the conference would to help offer some of these sessions multiple times. I also like the idea of tracking the sessions as interests first and then maybe HE or k-12 etc as a subcategory.

[victor]

Internet/WiFi was a hit and a miss.  It was only really a hit when people left the conference center for lunch or dinner :smileylaugh:

App worked well since it didn't need to load much off the internet.

Hopefully you can dedicate some people to plan the infrastructure of the internet for improvement next year working with the venue.

[cms_hickss]

My first item is something that Instructure could do nothing about and is more for everyone else so if we are at Keystone again next year you can plan and/or pack accordingly.

This would definitely have been nice to know before hand and we've scoured the Keystone resort page and still can't find anything that says it does or does not, but the Condos in the River Run area did NOT have A/C, just heat. A heater that we could not get turned off

The nice little message on the thermostat said: “Adjusting the thermostat down will shut off the heat, but will not cool the room. For your comfort, the building is built to retain heat very well so if it gets too warm, please feel free to open a window for awhile to release some of the warm air.”

Depending on the rain and the room you had your window options were limited and the breeze was not always directionally helpful. I know of one person that only had a skylight.

[Stef_retired]

cms_hickss​, various people at InstCon told me that the weather we experienced is typical for that time of year. Specifically, it's monsoon season. But to be honest, I didn't know that ahead of time, and if I had, I have a nice little rain hat (not unlike this one) I could have crammed into my suitcase. So I'm filing that under "good to know," along with a reminder to myself to pack a small tube of Vaseline (for the dryness) and gloves (again, Floridian here).

[sbeck1]

Jordan,

First and foremost, we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful backdrop for this conference. The weather was perfect and the scenery was beautiful. Not only was I still working, but I was relaxing and recharging at the same time. I got to meet a lot a great new people, and look forward to the opportunity to continue connecting, as we are finishing up our transition to Canvas.

I might suggest having some sort of area available for a meeting space. We would have liked a space to be able to sit down as a group to discuss what new things we were excited about, and game plan the next day’s schedule.

You might also consider adding a messaging area for postings. I would’ve liked a place to post for meeting up with others from our region, other instructional designers, etc. The WiFi was flaky at times, and missed some of the community posts of get togethers. This area would’ve allowed me to manually post those things.

You might also consider adding tracks to the breakout sessions. That would’ve helped me focus my efforts in a direction that is important to our institution. Some of the sessions I attended were exactly what the description said, while others varied slightly.

Thank you so much for this opportunity! It was informational and fun!

Thanks,

Shandy

[rseilham]

Great ideas! Especially a meeting space, or a place to advertise your interests.

[travis_cox]

Room for improvement

1. Location: Although some people loved the location, I admit to not caring if it's in a city or a rural location. That said, I've never understood the mentality of attending a conference, and then wandering off in the middle of it (down the street, kayaking, or up a mountain). I experienced Keystone only as a series of disconnected places (bedroom vs conference centre vs lodge) so it could be moved if necessary.
2. Wifi: This was woefully inadequate, forcing me to use a data plan which I'd hoped to avoid.
3. App: I agree with  @BethCrook ​ that the app needed *all* sessions, and more information. Given the wifi situation, I'd have preferred to have the information available in the app without the need to be connected. Perhaps use a service that downloads new schedule updates, and stores it offline so it's quick to check, but stays up to date?
4. Duration: An extra day of conference would support the spreading of sessions a little more, and avoid the problem of the Canvas Roadmap being jammed up against client sessions.
5. Food in the rain: I arrived at the hoedown a bit later than others, and by that time, the food was wet, including a bowl of wet shredded cheese with water pooling in the bottom of the bowl. Mmmm....

Good

1. Hack night / Course Hack Night: Definitely a winner, great chance to explore and well organised without being structured.
2. Movie nights were a good idea, though the selected movies were not really crowdpleasers, and the rain on top of that killed them.
3. Focus on data and evidence through the various sessions.

[cms_hickss]

Now conference stuff.

edcamp

• Loved it.​ The ability to drive the session options is always great. Even if you can't split yourself into three people so you can go to several breakout session at once.
  
• ​The only thing I would change is the day. I hate to say it, but maybe Monday? Tuesdays seem to be becoming more and more busy with pre-conferences, meetings with CSMs and community groups.

tuesday's evening keynote

• What was up with the lights? Up, down, bright, dim. Depending on where you were sitting it washed out the screens. It was more distracting than anything else; and just very weird. Okay, and a little amusing.

tool roadmap sessions

• The Good: I thought the presentations done by Instructure Staff, we'll call them tool roadmap sessions, were great. Very informative. Deactivated user​ (Gradebook) and Deactivated user​ (Quizzes) did an excellent job showcasing both updates that were coming very soon and the future of the tool.
• The Not So Good: Why were these sessions not held in the Columbine Ballroom? Admittedly the rooms for these types of sessions was larger than last year but people were still being turned away at the door or sitting on the floor in the aisle when there was a perfectly good space down the hall not being used.

food and eating locales

• Best Food: I think it was the Cocktails & Hors d'oeuvres hour on Tuesday.
• Dietary Restrictions Area: Park City had this perfected. Keystone not at all. In Park City this area was set apart and clearly labeled and fairly easy to find. While the Keystone staff was all very nice, only a handful could answer questions and they didn't seem really prepared for this issue. If they needed to bring something over it had to be prepared and then shipped from the conference center.
• Tables and Chairs, Oh my: Places to sit to eat. There was a total lack of that. As long as you were fingerfooding it and could balance your plate on top of your cup you might have been good. Need a knife or fork, then it became questionable. But the biggest thing, big tables with chairs is how you pull up a spot next to people you don't know, introduce yourselves and start talking to someone new.
• Covered Dining: Tents? These keeps the sun and rain at bay.

accessibility

• Stairs: There were a lot of them. There seemed to be a lack of graded ramps and easy to find elevators.
• Buses: Those that needed the accessible buses would often have a very long wait. [That said, almost all the bus drivers seemed very nice and would try to get you to where you needed to go; or at least help you get on the right bus.]
• The Very Bad: I watched/heard one of the people in a wheelchair ask the person behind him to hold the back of his chair to keep him from rolling to fast down the path (ramp next to the stairs and tunnel) to Decatur Field because it was not graded for a wheelchair.

[dhulsey]

Susan Hicks (UCF-CDL) wrote:

• Dietary Restrictions Area: Park City had this perfected. Keystone not at all. In Park City this area was set apart and clearly labeled and fairly easy to find. While the Keystone staff was all very nice, only a handful could answer questions and they didn't seem really prepared for this issue. If they needed to bring something over it had to be prepared and then shipped from the conference center.

This. I had to do a bit of hunting at each meal to find the vegetarian option. 

[cwalker2]

This was our first Canvas Conference. The scenery and weather were beautiful, the people were so nice and the food was good.

• Any session that is featuring an Instructure speaker should be in a LARGE room. I can chat with folks from other schools any time. If I have to choose between Instructure and a school speaking, this conference is the time to hear from Instructure. Maybe even make some of those topics (gradebook and quizzes) a part of a keynote or general sessions.
• Meals-
  • the food was good. However, there need to be multiple lines with all types of food. I might choose to eat something gluten or dairy free and want it all available in the line I go through. I didn't even see sugar free options. How about Diet Sierra Mist or Sprite Zero? I was surprised at the lack of options.
  • Also, I shared in the conference registration that I'm allergic to peanuts. Imagine my surprise when I got a snickers bar in my lunch bag. Also, the only snack time I saw was Wednesday afternoon-and all the goodies (except Milky Way bars) were full of peanuts. How about crackers and cheese? Or some fresh veggies? And all the bananas were black.
  • Meals need to be inside, at a table with chairs, where weather elements aren't an issue. Half of the reason I attend these conferences is to sit at meal time with folks from other schools to discuss what's going on in their world.
  • Also, there was a long stretch of time between lunch and dinner. Since there really weren't other places to go eat, and I like to eat with other conference participants to share information, closer meal times would be great.
  • Snacks in the morning and afternoon would be great. Save money on swag, spend on food.
• The app was nice -only for sessions. I would like to see all meals and other events included.
• How about offering sessions multiple times as a standard? Some were so popular I couldn't get in. Some were repeated after I left. I was told that all sessions were being recorded and would be available online.
• Follow up- after the conference, I would like to get an email with a link to all the recorded sessions and slides, as well as a link to evaluate the conference.
• It would be nice to have a place closer to an airport. By the time I arrived Tuesday, I was already exhausted. Then when I left on Thursday, I had to miss all the afternoon events since I had to catch the shuttle to the airport.
• SWAG-while some really like all the goodies, I'd rather see the money spent in other ways (better venue, more food options).  Also, I'd like to get the bag/backpack when I register. I don't understand having to hike to the swag place each day to pick up one thing.
• Mobility- I didn't plan to hike the rockies. It's a professional conference, and I'm dressed as such. I walked through gravel, stood in mulch, up and down hills and stairs. It was not conducive to a professional conference and those with respiratory or mobility issues.
• Lodge:
  • My colleague and I did the room share option. We registered as soon as the information was released. We chose a place close to the conference center since we knew there would be evening activities. While we stuck together, we didn't think it wise for 2 women to be out at night alone. The hotel emailed us the Saturday before and moved us out to a remote location. We had to go up a flight of stairs with luggage. Then inside, another flight up to the second bedroom.  The second bedroom had no door and the windows overlooked the "living room" and kitchen. That's not a private bedroom.
  • Check out/luggage-the last day we got an alert that we were out of luck on the luggage. If we need to check out before we attend session all day, there needs to be a plan to store the luggage.
  • The resort didn't seem to know how to handle a large conference group. We got mixed messages when asking questions, changed bus schedules to get to our room, changed bus pick ups, etc. Communication about evening events was not consistent from Canvas and the lodge personnel. Will the shuttle go to and from the event? Where do we go for ________?  Also, since there was no drugstore near by, it would have been nice to know there was a shop near the swag place that offered those types of items.
  • Our room was not impressive for the money we spent. Peeling wallpaper, dated everything, and a patio door that wouldn't close. We had to call maintenance to work on the door. They were very nice, but no one checked that prior to our arrival?
• Theme-while I appreciate an attempt to engage the participants, the theme was silly and carried way too far. As one mentioned, seemed more like a frat party than a professional conference.
• Keynote: I got that the CEO hates Blackboard. But I'd really like to hear what Canvas plans to do and how they plan to do it rather than just bashing someone else.
• Wifi-woefully inadequate. Enough said.

[travis_cox]

You've triggered a couple more thoughts from me...

1. I didn't really understand the theme at times. As an Australian, the whole idea of US summer camp was something I had zero emotional connection with, so while I was impressed with the marketing team having atten to detail with the theme design, it didn't gel with me. I have been to 5 BbWorlds and they have energy without the need to chase swag, collect badges from various locations, and hike to a rainy field to stand with people briefly. My focus was on information gathering and networking, and the theme worked against that in many cases.

2. Moving the vendor hall was a peculiar approach. Some people chased swag in the first session. Maybe I've been to more conferences now and swag is less important? I felt like one of the few who would go to a booth to look at the product and leave empty handed. I'd paced myself, expecting them to be there each day and then found they were gone after the first evening. I didn't realise they were relocated initially and by the time I stumbled over the new location, some had gone, and others felt jammed together in a corner.

[mevans1]

This was our first InstCon and we loved it! We brought 3 members of the implementation team and 5 instructional designers.

Blew Us Out of the Water

- We. Learned. So. Much. The variety of content was awesome. We loved the opportunity to learn from peers from every department and also hear what's on the map for Instructure.

- The Canvas Marketing team's attention to detail in terms of branding, signage, and swag. Truly out of this world. Also the camp theme and "open" theme were consistent, fun, and relevant.

- The ease of the InstructureCon App for quickly determining where to go and when

- Lounges were a great way to engage in more self-paced/customized learning

- The gorgeous setting and lovely accommodations with opportunities to be active (ex: paddleboarding, yoga)

Excited to See Improve

- Bus schedule that we can count on. We waited for the Orange Bus like we were waiting for the G Train​.

- An earlier release date for the app (would help for making internal plans)

- Keynotes were hit or miss. Consider kicking off the day with Instructure keynotes (which were stronger) and having guest keynotes as mid-day.

- Less emails from vendors in the days leading up to the conference. We were getting 1-2 an hour for a while there. Not fun.

- Clear schedule on where to find Instructure employees when. Instead of fielding emails from folks, could this be built into the app and/or could we have a CSM/Instructure lounge?

- And to echo others:

• Instructure update-type sessions should be in larger rooms
• There were not enough efforts re: accessibility
• Stronger conference wifi
• Contingency plans for rain

[mevans1]

 @snelson6 ​,  @eoneill ​, centress​, cnilsson​,  @awaldron ​,  @knarechania ​,  @amhoffman1223 ​

Please add thoughts team!

[admin]

This was our first Instructurecon and we had a great experience. The resort was beautiful, food was excellent, and the staff was friendly and always willing to help. We thoroughly enjoyed the sessions and found them to be very thought provoking, and educational. I listed our personal suggestions (although many of these will echo previous posts), but overall we had a wonderful time and am looking forward to #instcon2017

The Good

Beautiful landscape (I personally enjoyed Lake Dillon the most)

Great informative sessions that had me extremely motivated by the end of the conference

Great Food

Excellent staff (both Instructure & Keystone)

Excellent events at night, we thoroughly enjoyed the street fair

A ton of great swag!

It was great to meet and network with other Canvas users, we live in a rural area and Canvas users are difficult to find locally.

The Bad

Wifi was very inconsistent

Altitude Sickness (Although not Instructure's fault, cash oxygen bars is a great suggestion to help curb this)

Rain (obviously not Instructure's fault either, but a bummer none the less)

Tents and Seating during lunch and the hoedown

Again, overall, it was our first Instructurecon and it was a wonderful experience! Thank you to all of the people at Instructure and Keystone who came together to make it happen. It was clearly an immense amount of work to put something like that together, and I was amazed by the attention to detail. See you next year!

[bakerg]

Loved almost everything about InstructureCon 2016- especially the location and the ability for us all to get into the keynotes at one time.  The wide open spaces between events to me was a big plus, but I appreciate the comments on accessibility for some, and the need for an expanded menu for my Florida bud @ddrees.

The high $ guest pass and the inability to purchase individual tickets left family out.  I appreciate the need to plan ahead, and that it's not a priority, but those of us that couple conference with visit made it out of range.

While there were ample sessions, maybe we are big enough to schedule sessions into specialty tracks for various categories of users to allow for better timing and scheduling of attendance.

Keystone and Instructure staff were Awesome and always helpful!

[bakerg]

Special callout to the wonderful folks at the Lost and Found by the registration desk, as well as whomever found my cell phone and returned it to them the next morning.    They put up with my hourly check-in until my precious windows phone was found save and sound!  You both saved my weekend.

[Jeff_F]

 @bakerg  ...   Aha!  A second Windows phone user!?  I knew there was as least two of us!  :smileycheck:

[DaleDrees]

LOL - He will love to hear this!

[raynev]

Instructurecon was a blast just like it always is! Seriously the best/most helpful employees, inspiring keynotes, great swag, I learned a ton, and made some great connections. Can't wait for next year! I did take note of a few things that may be improved in future years:

1. Flow of traffic - I noticed that it was hard to move around when the hallways outside the session rooms were full of people. Similarly, it was hard to get in and out of session rooms. I noticed that people weren't letting others exit before they poured into the room. I think in the future, wherever possible, designate an "in" and "out" door to help with the flow of traffic. As far as the traffic in the hallways...I don't have too many suggestions there other than putting the snack bar outside or in a more open space to allow people to move freely through the hallways. All I know is that it was crammed!
2. Session abstracts - For two years now, there have been a few sessions that sounded super promising, but weren't quite what I thought they would be. I think that in future years, it would be helpful to require extended abstracts (similar to OLC?) at some point in the process, to ensure that sessions are relevant to those who attend. Also I don't know if I am alone in this, but I wanted 3 full days of sessions and was sad that there were only 2 full days.
3. Session "tracks" or levels of expertise - Similarly, there have been some sessions that are either over my head, or a little too "beginner" for me. I wonder if it would be possible to have different "tracks," or levels of expertise (newbie/intermediate/know it all??) to help with this, and specify the level of expertise on the schedule? I guess it all ties in together - just wanting more info about each session up front so that valuable conference time isn't wasted.
4. Networking - There are tons of informal networking opportunities via the evening events, but I wonder if you could set up some designated times/places for different groups to meet up? Such as "ID meet up," "accessibility meet up," etc? Birds of a feather, as mentioned above.
5. Wifi - It was super spotty and I wound up relying on my data instead. 😕
6. Bus schedule - This wasn't super reliable until the second day - I know a few people that waited almost 40 mins because somehow all the red buses were together, rather than staggered on their route.

Ok! Done complaining, because it was seriously so much fun and I can't wait to go back!