Are you new to Sage Summit and wondering what to pack? That’s all right, we here at SWK Technologies have got you covered with today’s in-depth post about what to bring. To give you the full picture, we interviewed both Sam Hunter, SWK’s EVP of customer experience and eight-year Summit veteran, as well as Hellene Thurston, SWK’s director of channel sales and 11-year Summit guru. Here are their tips.
Sam Hunter’s Packing Tips for Men (8 years at Sage Summit so far)
The number one most important thing that Sam recommends is comfortable shoes. Sam points out that a lot of Summit is spent standing on your feet, talking, networking, checking out sessions and on the Expo floor… and you have to be on your feet a lot. He also says that a business casual dress code will be the standard attire.
Other clothing recommendations from Sam:
- Jeans are fine for daytime
- You may want something a little bit nicer for the nighttime events, such as client dinners
- Bring something fun to wear for the huge party on the last night
Hellene Thurston’s Packing Tips for Women(11 years at Sage Summit so far)
Hilariously, Hellene’s first answer was also “Bring comfortable shoes.” If you haven’t packed them yet, get those comfy shoes in your suitcase NOW. Hellene said that she understands that women love to pack fun shoes, but she wanted to remind everyone that Summit requires you to be on your feet for 12 hours straight. However, she also says that women should pack one pair of fun shoes to go out on Vegas’ Strip, and for attending the huge Sage closing party and concert on the 31st.
Other clothing considerations from Hellene:
- Light clothing is necessary if you plan to go outside
- Business casual is good for indoors
- Always carry a light sweater or a shawl, because the session rooms will all have slightly different temperatures
- If you’re not staying at Mandalay Bay, bring lighter business clothes so that you’re not too sweaty when you arrive at the conference each morning
- Think about how you want to look when attending other companies’ parties, and pack power clothing for those events
- Remember that if you go out to a show that Vegas is glitzy and you’ll want to match the crowd
What Tech Should I Bring?
In terms of tech, Sam suggests that you just bring your iPad (or other tablet), and only bring your laptop if you need it to reference your Sage programs or third-party programs for all the free consulting you can score while you’re at Summit. Of course, if you can’t take notes without a physical keyboard, your laptop will be a must-bring item.
Hellene, however, recommends that you bring both your iPad and your laptop. The iPad is great for presentations, and the laptop is good for doing real work while you’re away from the office.
Don’t Forget These!
Here’s a cheat sheet for the other items you won’t want to forget at home:
- Business cards
- List of questions for your partners or Sage resellers
- Tote bag, briefcase, or backpack to lug around free giveaways and other necessaries
- Charging cords for your electronics
- Really good sunscreen because Las Vegas will be sunny
What About Gambling?
This last tip comes from Hellene, and it’s great. Remember to dig all your spare change out from your sofa cushions, car floor mats, and junk drawers so that you can play the slots in Vegas guilt-free. That way, even if you lose all your change gambling, you still cleaned the house. Yay!
Got more questions about what to pack for Sage Summit?
Contact us! We know exactly what to bring.
Photo copyright by Moyan Brenn on Flickr