The folks at IDG World Expo have enlisted the services of volunteers to aid expo newbies and Mac industry experts to lead both highly personalized guided tours of the expo floor as well as more than a dozen full-day workshops at this week’s Macworld Expo in San Francisco.
IDG World Expo first launched the Expo Tour Guide program at the New York Macworld Conference & Expo in July. The guides were so well received by attendees and exhibitors alike that IDG World Expo decided to incorporate the innovative service into the San Francisco show, according to Rob Scheschareg, vice president of events, IDG World Expo. This time around volunteers from the Apple User Group will be helping attendees navigate the floor and find what they need to achieve their business or personal-interest goals.
“Macworld Conference & Expo is the number 1 technology event on the West Coast, with close to 300,000 square feet of floor space,” Scheschareg said in a press announcement. “A show of this magnitude can be intimidating, particularly for first-time attendees.
“These Expo Tour Guides use their intimate knowledge of the show to take people exactly where they need to go,” says Scheschareg. “The guides are volunteers from Apple User Groups, and know the hottest Mac products, services and solutions. They’ll be a tremendous resource, whether you need to find a seat at a demonstration or the right person to answer a specific question.”
Meanwhile, the experts leading the Pre-Conference Workshops (full-day sessions that will provide in-depth training on key Mac products and technologies) are among the “best and brightest” in the Mac community, Scheschareg said.
The Pre-Conference Workshops will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 9, from noon until 7:00 pm. Topics include: “Practical Introduction to Mac Networking,” “Integrating Professional Publishing Tools,” “Managing Shared Macintosh Computers with Apple Macintosh Manager,” “The QuickTime Professionals Workshop,” “Your First Mac OS X Workshop,” “Getting Started with AppleScript,” “JavaScript and Dynamic HTML Wizardry,” “The FileMaker Workshop,” “Web Video Revolution Workshop,” “Final Cut Pro,” “Getting Started in Interactive Development,” “Web Animation Essentials, Tools and Techniques,” “PDF Secrets for Print or Web,” and “Secrets of Shooting Great Video.”
The 2001 Macworld San Francisco is expected to break all previous attendance records. Charlie Greco, president and CEO, IDG World Expo, said approximately 85,000 people came last year and even more are anticipated this year.