I have attended the last 4 conventions but I have decided to skip this year. I am looking forward to San Diego, California in 2010. TexasSugar, you hit the nail on the head with all of your tips.

Have fun you guys, and happy shopping

I skipped last years so I am doubly excited about this one, especially since I had already crossed it off the list as not possible.

We will miss you! Hopefully we will be able to meet up with you then.

Only 60 more days to go!!

Texasugar-

Thanks you so much for the ICES Tips. Looking forward to meeting everyone at ICES in Chicago. I will be with the group from NY.

Also can't wait to attend next year San Diego

I thought of another thing.

I would carry a folder so you have a place to put all the handouts you get so you can keep them together and be able to keep up with them. I'd also carry a notepad or spiral of some sort. You should get a handout in the demos you go to, but you will probably want to take additional notes and it helps to have a good surface to right on.

I'd also suggest that when you get home you take all your notes and rewrite them or type them up. I have looked back at notes I took a year ago and be like, what in the world did I write there? What does that mean? When I did take time to rewrite my notes it was so much easier to read them when I had a reason to try what I saw.

TS - that is great advice too!! Thanks for keepin' the ideas for us newbies coming!! (we really appreciate it)

I'm glad I can help. I remember my first convention and how lost I felt. So I try to remember to tell people the what I wish I had known then thing.

And the 60 days to convention? It doesn't like that short of a period of time. Wow, maybe I really do need to get into gear for doing my displays. I'm trying to figure out if I can fit a 3rd display in the car.

I have a feeling I might get told it is either the cakes or me. Hehe. If I have to I'll pack really light to fit them in.

I can´t decide if I´m scared or excitted. I need to enjoy and take full advantage from this convention. It´s really expensive to travel from Colombia to be there. I really appreciate all the tips.
But. I want to ask you something, I know we´ll get bags with goodies, but is it possible to bring a little wheeled suitcase to put all the shopping???
Is there a place to have lunch inside the convention??
I can´t wait to be there

I am definately taking my "wheeled" shopping bag!

Sweetparty......there is a nice sit down restaurant at Pheasant Run, and there is also a cafe in the complex. At the conference I go to every year there, they offer boxed lunches every afternoon in the Atrium...sandwiches and salads. Now, I don't know if that's something they'll offer at this conference.
Portillos is within easy walking distance and has a huge variety of food at very reasonable prices!

Jodie

Sweetparty, I think it is totally normal to feel both. With the first convention, I totally felt the same way you did. I think you will have a great time, and forget all about your nerves once you get there. There is so many great cake things going on that you won't have time to think about nerves.

In the last two conventions I have gone to, (Omaha and Grapevine) they had a couple of places come in and offer food at lunch. I'm guessing they will do that again this year. Might have to go look on the Ices site to see if there is any information on it.

If you have a small wheeled suit case then I can't see why it would hurt to put stuff in. Just keep in mind that the demo rooms often don't have alot of space. The chairs are placed close together and there are often 100 to 200 chairs in each of the demo rooms. There may be room around the parameter of the room or at the back of the room to leave it so you and those that sit around you have foot room.

The bags they have giving in the past have been nice roomy bags, so unless you are shopping for big or heavy items then they will work nicely. You can also try to plan your shopping at the end of your demo day so you don't have to carry it around all day. Buying a big huge item at 9 in the morning is going to be a pain to carry around all day.

I always clean my bag out at the end of each day that way I start the morning with only what I really need to have it in.

I keep thinking about starting my displays, but haven't yet. I had to laugh today cause my uncle saw a stacked pillow cake on the internet and I was called over to look at it (I live next door to the family business). My dad was like that's a neat cake you can do that for your cake thing. I thought they were funny that they are now trying to pick my display cakes. As if I don't have too many ideas on my own.

Hey, sweetparty

I'm also a ICES newbie.

On their website is info on the 1st timers meetings. I think that is going to be a great place to start our exciting experience.

Maybe I'll meet you there.

I don't know anyone who is going, so as we get closer, I plan on posting a thread (or adding to this one) to see if anyone wants to sit together at the dinner.

I know none of you know me at all, but I am staying at Pheasant Run. If any of you want to meet at certain times by my room, you're welcome to drop off stuff so you don't have to carry it around. I promise I won't touch!

Jodie

what a lovely offer

thanks, Jodie

FYI:

They just added a new demo on gum paste tulips. 3pm on Sunday.

I just signed up

Anyone going form Kentucky? Will be traveling from Lexington..driving..very excited as this is my first convention! HOpe to meet a lot of CC'ers there!

Can someone tell me when and where it is? I likely won't go, but just wondering. Thanks!

July 30-August 2, 2009
St Charles Illinois

He're the info

http://www.ices09.org./Welcome.html

kentuckyjode, I guess you're celebrating your birthday at ices

Thanks for letting us know about that one. I already have my 8 picked out, but I did buy the 4 extra tickets so I may have to use one of that.

Question: Is anyone taking a hands on class? Have you received a supply list for it yet? It says they will send you one, but it has been two weeks since I signed up and still haven't gotten one. Hmmm!

I signed up for 2 hands on and signed up on opening day back in March. Haven't gotten any list either. In fact I forgot all about that so thanks for thinking of it...

To JodieF
Don't be intimidated about making a display cake
There were cakes of all skill levels on display at the convention in Orlando last summer!
It was my first convention and I did a 3 tier cake. I don't work with fondant much, but I actually found it easier to work with fondant on the cake dummies. I started about 6 weeks before and just worked on 1 tier at a time. I shipped the cake to the resort in Disneyworld and put the finishing touches on at the convention. Everything went much smoother than I thought!!
I went through so many batteries for my camera because I think I took a picture of every display cake there!!

Can't wait! Hope to meet some of you there! Are any of you doing the tours?

We are hoping to meet up with anyone arriving Monday July 27th around 1:45 pm so we can share shuttle expenses.

Nannie, I feel better knowing I'm not the only one. I was afraid it went in to spam and I missed it. Maybe they just haven't sent any out. I did send an email to someone on the contact list, but haven't heard anything back from her yet either. I'll wait another day or two and email someone else. I just didn't want to wait until I was leaving to remember I may need to gather some things up.

Beckylynn, I won't be getting into town until sometime Wednesday, probably Wed evening so I'll be passing on all the tours. My parents and nephew are going, so they will be doing the sight seeing thing while I am doing the cake thing.

I think trying to meet up up with CCers sometime Thursday would be nice. That way as we run into each other the rest of the weekend we will have a clue as to who some of us are. The week before we can always post pictures in the Lounge section to help. It is hard to pick a meeting point until we get there and look around and can find a place that is easy to find and easy to spot each other at.

Texas...the Atrium is a very central place and there is a bar and seating area right by the elevators. Either would be a very good meeting place.

Jodie

The Atrium and bar area aren't long hikes. The Atrium is immediately next to some of the meeting rooms and is pretty centrally located as far as meeting rooms go. Here is a pdf map of the resort, so you can see what I mean.

http://www.pheasantrun.com/download/sitemap.pdf

You can easily see why I prefer to stay in the Tower rooms. If you are in the Courtyard and Golfview guestrooms you're going to have a long, long walk! At the ICE Conference I attend every year (Illinois Computing Educators), there are sessions in the St. Charles ballrooms, on the second floor of the Tower, the Broadway ballrooms above the theater and in the New Orleans ballrooms. The vendor area is in the Exposition and Conference area.

Jodie

I've signed up for several of the hands on classes, and haven't received any lists as of yet.

I bought my dummies to work on, just have to come up with a design to use!

TexasSugar - the trinkets.....is that something anyone just hands out or is it something only vendors do? I have not heard of this part before!

time is going to be going by quickly now, IMO - what good ideas are we going to use to identify other CC members? My sister goes to Mardi Gras every year, it would be cool if we could find some beads with a cake related theme to wear.....any other ideas ??

Thanks for sharing the map!

I've been to a couple of conventions where things were on several different floors or they were so strung out on one level that by the end of the day you were tired from all the walking. And in Vegas I stayed in a different part of the hotel so I had a hike through the casino and then had to go down a hallway that seemed like it would lead to another state before I got to the convention area.

So I always wait to get there to see how things are going to be set up and how spread out everything really is.

Loucinda, I have ideas but haven't gotten my dummies (my dad's making them for me) or the supplies to do it. Wanna get together? HeHe.

The trinkets are something your fellow ICES members hand out. I wish there was something official written somewhere about it, but I can't find anything. I know every year when I go, people are always handing out little things. Sometimes it is just a peppermint or a little homemade pin or a pencil or little magnet.

If you don't have one you are not looked upon badly, it is just a little extra some people do. And you don't have to try to have one for everyone, since there are so many people there. Every year it crosses my mind right before I go and I don't have time to put anything together. I'm hoping I'll start thinking about it earlier this year.

I really need to start a to do list for the convention.

One year, on a different message board, they made a name tag that matched with everyone's name and user name on it. It was nice since when you saw it you would recognize it and you would see their screen name.

I'll have to look at Micheals when I am there next week. Maybe they have a cute cake related ribbon we could use to make a little ribbon pin out of.

I signed up for a hands-on roses demo, but haven't received a supply list yet either.

Hey Jodie
thanks for posting that map and the rest of your tips!
Is the walkway between the main building and the convention building covered? Just wondering if I should bring a small umbrella in case of rain