Writer's Conference Series-The Final Word

​The early Writer’s conferences I attended worked very hard to provide attendees with resources and materials provided by presenters.  In those days we were each given a three inch-three ring binders that you would haul around for the entire conference.  I am sure that some of those binders were left somewhere, forgotten and alone.
Attendees provided feedback after the conference, including me, that the binder was nice but too much to lug around for three days.  The response the next year was to provide the materials without a binder but held together by a brass clip.  That proved to be worse because the brass binder came off easily leaving sheaves of paper to fly everywhere.  The next solution was to provide a pocket type folder with basic materials for the conference, like the detailed daily schedule, and allow attendees to pick up other materials they wanted and slip them into the pocket of the folder.  The organizers forgot that conference attendees are hoarders – they pick up everything – just in case they might need something.  The result was the pocket folders were not large enough to hold everything and papers went flying.
With technology the options changed.  Several years ago we were given the option to receive presenter materials by e-mail after the conference.  The problem was that most folks want to refer to the materials or read them during the conference; it was a step in the right direction but actually a bit of a misstep.
The conference this year saw a major technological breakthrough.  A day before the conference started we were sent an e-mail with the offer of a free app for your Smartphone that contained all the conference materials.  Of course, I tried it out and was delighted.  The app contained the detailed schedule and many of the presenters materials- not all – but many.  A neat feature was that you could browse the detail schedule and create a schedule for yourself based on what events you elected to attend.  This was a very handy feature which I used throughout the weekend. 
There was no need to carry materials around and possibly loose them.  Everything you needed was in your Smartphone.  A personal goal is to be paperless and this app has made that possible.  I even wrote the conference organizers an e-mail after the conference that they can use to quote me on the benefits of the conference app.  I fully expect that next year nearly all the presenters’ materials should be available on the app.
This is a conference that over its long history has adapted to the trends in publishing, writing, and the business of being a writer.  It is a weekend that writers can spend with others in our tribe and that alone has tremendous benefits.
While you may not choose the Wisconsin Writer’s Institute, I encourage all writers to research and select at least one conference every year that meets your needs.  If it doesn’t work out there’s always a variety of conferences to choose from in Wisconsin and the Midwest.  I would point you in the direction of two other conferences this year in Wisconsin.  May 12-13 is the Lakefly Writer’s Conference in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, go to: www.lakeflywriters.org.  October 6-7 Wisconsin Writers Association Conference in Neenah, Wisconsin, go to: www.wiwrite.org.