Will this be your first time at CodeMash? Or maybe you are a veteran… Either way, we look forward to seeing you soon! Please read “What to Expect”… v2.0.2.3! This is a two-part article. This part is for Tuesday/Wednesday. We’ll have another entry for Thursday/Friday, so stay tuned!

First things first. To make sure you (and the rest of us) have a great time at the conference, we ask that everyone follow the basic rules of 1-2-3.

  1. One shower a day. Good hygiene is crucial to everyone’s enjoyment of the conference. 
  1. Two meals a day. We know it’s hard to break away from sessions, board games, and makerspace, but please eat at least two meals a day. 
  1. Three hours of sleep. Many are up early for breakfast, go to sessions all day, hit the Artemis simulator, a reception, and then an after party. That’s cool if that is how you roll but getting three hours of sleep each day is a bare minimum to keep you functioning. Plus, you need time to charge your phone. 

Be sure you are familiar with our Code of Conduct. By having a ticket, you were required to agree to it, but we want to reiterate the importance. Making CodeMash a safe place for all attendees is our top priority. We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form. 

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get down to business! 

Tuesday & Wednesday – Pre-Compilers 

Schedule at a glance  

  • Breakfast: 7-8 am 
  • Sessions: 8-12 am 
  • Lunch: 12-1 pm 
  • Sessions: 1-5 pm 

If you’re coming on Tuesday, you are in for a real treat. The Pre-Compiler is intended to give you much more concentrated time on a topic, and many incorporate hands-on activities to help augment your learning.

Before you Arrive 

Arriving On Site 

  • Most likely, you’ll want to get checked into your hotel. If you are staying on site at the Kalahari, hotel check-in won’t be available until after 4pm. Arrived before then? You can still check in and request a text message when your room is ready. For other hotels, check-in times may vary- please refer to the hotel web sites for that information. 
  • The Conference is held in the convention center. It is located on the opposite end of the resort than the water park. You can view the convention center floor plan in the Mobile App, which includes information on where sponsors are located. The general floor plan is also available from the Kalahari Website. 
  • Head to the Orange Booth for registration. It is located towards the center of the conference area. You will see a large bronze Lion near the registration booth. It’s hard to miss. 

Registration 

  • Registration will be open on Monday night 6pm-8pm. It will re-open Tuesday morning at 7am. (The shortest lines will be in the evening.) Registration for the main conference (2-day) ticket holders (Thurs/Fri only) will not be available until after 6pm on Wednesday.
  • Please bring your EventBrite ticket, or have your ticket available on your mobile app. We simply need the QR code on your ticket (either paper or on your mobile device). If your dog ate your ticket, don’t worry- we have a special line for you, but it’s going to take more time to manually check you in. 
  • We will hand you your badge and some other stuff when you register. The wonderful intern volunteers will also do their best to explain how things work.
  • Hoodie pickup will be next to Aloeswood. You can get your hoodie at any time- we will remove the “punch” on your badge once you pick your hoodie up. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE only request the hoodie in the size that you put on your ticket. Otherwise, someone who comes to the hoodie counter later may not get the correct-sized hoodie, and that’s just not cool. No extra hoodies are available; so please don’t request one for your significant other, child, and/or cat.

Pre-Compilers: What to Expect 

  • All sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday (Pre-Compiler days) are in 4 hour blocks. Why so long? It’s so you can get into some hands-on activity and/or really dive into a deep topic. 
  • Some sessions are repeated. Some are not. (Hint: check the schedule) 
  • Some sessions have two parts to them (a half day in the morning, a half day in the afternoon). 

The Law of 2 Feet 

  • Don’t feel bad about leaving a session! If it’s not doing it for you, don’t feel obligated to stay. The speakers won’t mind, and you should do what you can to get the most out of CodeMash while you are here. 
  • Simply head for the door and find another session. If you are doing some kind of pair programming activity (or something collaborative in nature), consider giving any co-participants a heads up as well, so they can adjust as needed.
  • Keep in mind that other sessions may be full. If you can’t find another session you like, consider attending some of the other activities that will be running concurrently like Makerspace or Artemis.

Food & Beverage 

Attendee Meals 

  • Meals are only for Attendees with badges (this includes Attendees, Speakers, and Sponsors with full badges). 
  • All attendee meals will be served in the Kilimanjaro Ballroom. 
  • Breakfast and Lunch will be provided for Attendees with badges (this includes Attendees, Speakers, and Sponsors with full badges). 
  • KidzMash attendees do not get access to the dining room, as food isn’t included in free tickets. 
  • At the beginning of each buffet line are food labels: “gluten friendly”, “vegetarian”, and “vegan”. If you have questions about an ingredient, the Kalahari wait staff should be able to get an answer for you. 
  • We will have the glove machines again this year.
  • The BYO hot sauce table in the main dining room is back this year! Bring some hot sauce to share.
  • Special Meals: If you indicated that you need a special meal when registering your ticket, pick it up in the main dining hall. If you’re standing between the stage and the buffet lines and are facing the buffet lines, the location of the special meals window (Reg Booth 3) is to your right. Please check in each day at the window. If the buffet food meets your needs, you are also welcome to get food from there.
  • There are several restaurants in the Kalahari, and many in the surrounding area, where you can eat dinner.

Coffee, Sodas, and Snacks 

  • Coffee is available all day on tables in the hallways. During meals, Coffee is moved to the dining room. There is also iced tea and lemonade on the hallway coffee tables.
  • Snack stations will be open throughout the day and will have a variety of snacks and canned/bottled beverages.
  • Snack stations are in the Zambezi booth and in the booth outside Salon A. Coffee will be in the regular hallway spots (outside Rosewood and outside Salon B).

Other Activities running during the Pre-Compilers 

  • Many non-session activities are also running concurrently with Pre-Compiler content. 
  • 3d Printing will be held next to CodeMash Maker Space in Acacia and Crown Palm Rooms. Tickets are not needed for 3d printing (just show up).
  • Artemis/Laser Tag will be running in Salon C&F (just remember: Captain Firk). Free tickets will be required for Artemis/Laser Tag. Tickets will be available on Eventbrite.
  • Boardgames will be held in Salon B&G (as in BoardGames): Salon B/G will feature open gaming again from Tuesday afternoon through Friday morning. New games in the library include 7 Wonders, Project L, boop, and Villainous! In addition, our game crew will have a selection of current hot hobby games, including Tiletum, Cat in the Box, Clever 4Ever, and more! If you want to get a head start on learning the games in the CodeMash library, head to https://codemash.org/boardgaming/, or check in with one of our volunteers during game nights!
  • CodeMash Maker Space will be held in Ironwood. Stop by and meet with other makers or get a ticket for a project kit via EventBrite so you get to keep what you make. Learn more here. 
  • The CodeMash Capture the Flag (Donated by Secure Code Warrior) will be underway Tuesday through Thursday. Check out the CTF leaderboard at their table across from Orange/Nile. 

KidzMash 

  • KidzMash is open to families of attendees, as well as attendees. Read all about it here. 
  • KidzMash registration will be during the same hours as regular attendee registration but is located in front of the Executive Center’s atrium.
  • KidzMash sessions are listed along with the Session Schedule. They are held in the rooms that are in the Executive Center: Portia/Wisteria, Guava/Tamarind, and Mangrove.
  • We have one-hour KidzMash Sessionz for kidz of all ages. We also have KidzMash Divez, which are two-hour sessions, specifically for older kidz (ages 12+).

Sponsors  

  • We couldn’t make CodeMash happen without our sponsors. They help underwrite many of our costs.
  • Main Conference Sponsors will be setting up on Wednesday afternoon, and they will be staffing booths starting on Thursday morning.
  • Check out the official sponsor listing here. 

Evening Festivities 

  • Lightning Talks are on Wednesday evening in the main dining room at 7pm.
  • Wednesday night starting at 8pm: the Welcome Reception is in Marrakesh (the bar/restaurant area in the Convention Center) and out in the large hallway that is between Marrakesh and Crown Palm/Ironwood.

Special Accommodations  

  • Don’t want to wear your coat around all day? There are self-serve coat racks found outside of Zebrawood.
  • We will not have a shuttle this year.
  • If you would like to have a quiet time/prayer room, come to Orange Registration and request a key. The quiet room is Hospitality Suite 2435.
  • Kalahari provides a mother’s room located outside of Suite 2. Please request a key at Orange Registration.

All Gender Restroom Option 

  • Because we want everyone to have a safe and comfortable CodeMash, we wanted to let you know that we have an all-gender restroom option.
  • Located near Salon D, we’ll have a pair of all-gender, multi-occupancy restrooms. All-gender restrooms are just that—they’re available for anyone who just needs to go, regardless of their gender.
  • We’ll also have a discreet single-occupancy all-gender/family restroom found near the Speaker Lounge.
  • All other restrooms within the venue will be the usual men’s/women’s restrooms as marked.
  • Of course, we encourage you to always use the restroom that makes you feel the most comfortable.
  • Thank you in advance for abiding by the Code of Conduct and respecting your fellow attendees.

Whew, is that all? 

  • We’ve got most of it covered, but there are other things going on we might have forgotten to mention.
  • Be sure to stay tuned to our major comms channels!