Sock Summit 2009
Taking Sock Knitting Almost Too Far!
August 6-9, 2009
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon
FAQs
Your questions can be directed to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), and we’ll be happy to answer.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Attendees (Summiteers)
What do I bring to registration? When should I come?
You should come as far in advance as you can. Registration opens Wednesday at 1:00pm and continues until 8:00pm. This is a great time to register. You can also register Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7-5 and Sunday from 8-1, but it would be a great idea to come when you are not pressured for time. We will do the best we can, but there might still be a queue.
You should bring your class listing, and confirmation numbers with you. That’s important.
What happens at registration?
At registration, we check your confirmation numbers, we give you a schedule, and we give you a badge and a badge holder. You will need to keep your badge and confirmation numbers with you though the weekend. The combo is how you get into classes and events. The badge gets you into the marketplace without paying.
I registered more than once. Can you combine all my registrations in advance, or can I just bring one of mine and you’ll find the rest?
If you registered more than once, you should bring all your registration/confirmation stuff with you. We can’t combine registrations in advance because some people wanted two registrations on purpose, and there are too many of you to ask each person with a duplicate what they were intending. Note: If you have several registrations, you will still only get one badge. We’ll take care of it at registration.
I bought a class from someone.. what do I need to bring with me to make sure I can take her place?
If your registration is not in your name (someone else signed you up, someone is sharing a class with you, you traded…) then ideally you should come with the person who did the signing up and the confirmation email. If that person can’t come with you, then you should bring the confirmation numbers, and any correspondence you have with that person explaining how come it’s not in your name. As the badges are pre-printed, there will only be a badge for the person who registered. If your name is not on the registration, you will need to register for the marketplace to go in. It costs $2 a day.
I’m only attending an event, do I need to go through registration?
If you’re attending an event like the Sock Hop, The Luminary Panel or Opening Reception, then Yes. If you’re doing anything that has a confirmation number (hint: that’s almost everything) then you need to go to registration to get your badge or ticket.
I just want to go to the Marketplace and all the fun stuff in there. Can I do that?
You bet. All you need to do is fill in the wee Marketplace registration forms, then bring one and $2 for every day you’d like to go. Easy. The forms are on the bottom of this page: http://www.socksummit.com/marketplace/ .
How will registration be done?
Registration will be done right here on this website, by clicking on the tab up at the top that says “registration”. There will be clear and concise directions on how to proceed from there. We’ll tell you the date ahead of time, but it will be in May. When the day comes, you’ll need to know the choices for your classes from the schedule, the extra events you’d like to attend, what souvenirs you would like to buy and have a credit card ready to pay. (Sorry about that part.)
Do I have to have a credit card? Is there some other way to pay?
You can pay by Mastercard, Visa or Pay Pal. Sock Summit can’t accept cheques or cash.
What is your cancellation policy?
If you need to cancel your attendance at the Summit, you may do so up to July 1st. A $10 cancellation fee will apply for each class or event, up to a maximum of $50. (That means that if you cancel one thing, it will be $10, three things would be $30, and five or more would be $50.) After July 1st we regret that there can be no refunds if you cancel.
I don’t have a computer, is online really the only way to do this?
Yes. Online is really the only way to do this. Sending us letters or phoning us would make the process really too complicated for us to manage and take more staff than we have and effects the affordability. There are a lot of knitters and we have plans for surviving the registration process to actually see the Sock Summit. Maybe you could ask a friend with a computer to help you, or go to the library and use theirs?
Is it going to be first come, first served, or will there be a lottery?
The classes will be filled first come, first served. (We talked about this a lot, but there’s really no other way to do it… at least not without a lot of time and money, and we’re trying to keep this affordable for you.)
Will you add more classes if these ones fill up?
If we can, yes. Some of the teachers are only available for as much as they are teaching, and others are fully booked already, but when and where we can, we will adjust the classes to properly reflect demand where possible. If we are able to add classes, we’ll let you know when “round two” will be up.
If I don’t get a class I want, will you put me on a waiting list?
Sorry, but no. Trying to rig a waiting list for an event with more than 150 classes and a couple thousand students made our heads explode. We had visions of it never ending. Judy can’t get a baby sitter so she drops out so we call Sue so she takes Judy’s spot but that means she drops out of a different class so we call Bob to take Sue’s newly free spot because he’s on the waiting list for that, and now we have Bob’s spot to fill because he’s shifting to the other class and freeing up a new one and then we call Liz to tell her and she takes Bobs spot by dropping out of Nancy’s class which now has a free spot so…. You see what we mean? The scale of this event means that if we try to do a waiting list you’re going to end up seeing Sock Summit staff weeping in corners holding damp lists stained with our tears. What we will do is that after the deadline for dropping classes has passed, we will make an announcement if there are spots to be had, and also take walk ins on the day of the class if any free spots turn up at the last minute. We think it adds an elegant level of suspense.
Can you help me get a room-mate?
Nope. There’s a lot of you, and the thought of the work involved with matching you up with a buddy just about gives us fits. We’re going to focus on making the Summit work, and we’re going to let you all work on the room-mate thing. Reaching out to your community of knitters is one way to solve it though, for example, we know there’s a thread on Ravelry to help people match up.
I’d like to volunteer. How do I sign up?
Most of the volunteers have been selected already. We’re pulling from the locals, knitters we know and have met. If we need some more help, you’ll be the first to know. If you’d still like to help, have you thought about knitting for the Sock Museum?
I want to take pictures, videotape, blog or podcast from the Sock Summit… is that allowed?
Yes and no. The convention center has a lot of rules about images and sound recorded there, and we are obligated to play by their rules. They say that they won’t allow anything that’s trademarked, proprietary or under copyright to be recorded or reproduced. They also say that they have to be notified in writing (by us) of any broadcasting, recording (audio or visual) that will be going on. What does that mean to you? That means that taking a sock picture is fine. That taking a picture of your friends is fine. That taking snapshots of you and a teacher (with the teachers permission, of course) is fine too. It also means that if you want to record for a podcast, that’s fine too, but only if you ask us first, so that we can let them know.
Pictures in a classroom are fine with a teachers permission, but filming or recording a teacher is not allowed, even if they say it’s fine. Please don’t ask them. Teachers and speakers develop classes and talks that are what they charge for. If you record or film them, and whack it up on YouTube or something, then you’re devaluing what they’re selling. Please don’t. It is up to all of us to make sure that our industry is respected, and that teachers are treated like the professionals that they are.
May I have your permission to use your logo to make Sock Summit Souvenirs?
Nope. Sorry guys, but the Sock Summit logo is the trademarked logo of an actual real live corporation called “Sock Summit LLC”. Vendors are welcome to generate their own commemorative sock summit colourways, but we would like them to be “inspired by” rather than reproduced efforts. We love creativity, but we are also a business.
The button-logo that we’ve given you to use as a blog button is cool to use that way, but please restrain yourself from putting it on stuff you want to sell. It belongs to us, and we’ll be making available a variety of souvenirs (tee-shirts, mugs, bags etc.) available to you. Thanks for helping make this a proper business that we can do it again.
Can you make the schedule a printable pdf I can download?
Sorry, but we’re just not going that way. Downloads cost more money than simple web viewing, so providing it as is saves us money which saves you money. Plus, we are admitted tree-huggers, committed to making this Summit as environmentally friendly as possible - and that means discouraging printing where ever possible. If you really, really want to print it, you can, just the way it is. It won’t be perfect, but really, what is.
At registration, can I buy more than one spot in a class so I can be together with my friend? Can I register us at the same time to make sure?
Our system will only allow one person to register at a time, and to only buy one each of any class. It does, however, show you how many spots are available while you are registering, which should help you pick classes where there is room for both of you. Each person needs to have their own registration session, so you would need to sign yourself up, and then your friend. To register at the same time, you could use two computers.
Do I need a special outfit for the Sock Hop?
Nope. You don’t. Dressing up for a traditional sock hop is optional. Some of us will be coming in jeans for sure. It’s a great opportunity to wear your best socks (or other knitted stuff) if you want to show them off, and of course, if you have a poodle skirt… we’d love to see it.
Can I bring bookplates instead of my books to the signing? It would let me get a lot more signed than if I had to carry them.
Right now, the Sock Summit is sticking to a strict “only books signed at the book signing” policy. We’re expecting many, many knitters, and some of the authors have many, many books. There need to be some natural limits to help keep the thing down to size. 10 knitters with 10 books is 100 signatures from the authors, and they’re more than happy to do it, but to keep the thing down to a size that gives the most knitters a chance to meet the authors, we’re doing actual books that knitters have to actually bring.
Vendors:
How big is a 5X10 booth?
(We actually thought that was a pretty funny question until we got where you were going with it.) The booths are 5 ft WIDE and 10 ft DEEP. (That is what you meant… right?)
Will I be able to ship my stuff to the Convention Center?
Yes, but not directly. The exhibitors kit you get after signing up will have all that information.
I’m sharing a booth. Do both of us need insurance?
No. One of you will assume legal responsibility for the booth and take out a contract with us, and get insurance that covers the whole booth.
I’ve decided to share a booth, do I have to tell you anything about it?
Yes.
Does my booth have to be open all the time? I was thinking about taking some classes.
We completely understand. We’d like to take classes too. However, your booth does need to be open all of the hours that the marketplace is open. We’ve tried to help out a little though. For example, we thought that a lot of vendors might like to come to the Luminary panel. Therefore, the market closes before that, and you could sign up for the panel and tear down your booth after. Also we have timed the Thursday night dinner and welcome so you can attend if you want. The rest is up to you.
