+i - I will be going to a single session on Thursday. I can't afford to attend the whole conference - I can't financially afford it and I also can't afford the time off of work.

+i - did you go?

i was supposed to be presenting. i wasn't able to at the last minute. did you end up going? did you enjoy it?

I was there for the whole conference; it was my second year attending. I really enjoyed it! There were a couple of sessions I found a little disappointing, but most of the ones I attended were really good. The keynote speech by Reed Kroloff was *really* amazing and inspiring. I also happened to win a couple of drawings in the trade show, which was just gravy. This was my second year attending, and it was even better than last year, in my opinion.

Oh, and the secret to DesignDC for those looking to save on the registration fee is to volunteer. Just one five-hour shift this your got you in to the whole conference for $50. Just contact the AIA|DC chapter a month or so before the conference and they can give you information on volunteering. Barring that, try to register in the spring when the early-bird deals are in effect; you'll still save $100 or more off the total price. It doesn't help with the time crunch issue, of course, but you can generally knock out most or all of your CEUs over the course of three days - plus get in lots of networking and actually learn something, to boot.

I went to the session on Social Marketing (not Social Media, big difference). It was ok, but I was hoping they would talk more about the concepts and how to extend it to all types of firm situations. Instead it ended up really just being a case study of the firm's own history of Art Nights.

My business partner went to the Small Luxury Boutique Firms session and thought it was the best thing since penicillin.