General Policies

Just a few general things to know before you dive in.

Bags and Coats

We encourage you to not bring your laptop and Gigantic Backpack Of Technology Wonders every day. They take up a lot of space, and we need that space for people.

An unattended coat check is available each day. We are not responsible for lost or stolen items left at the coat check.

Stuff

Please don’t leave fliers, stickers, or other materials lying around the Center. You’re welcome to set things out in the Social Lounge for general distribution. Do not affix anything to walls, pillars, or other structures without permission — it’s a violation of our contract with the venue.

Guests

Other than guests who have purchased a pass for our evening events, guests are not permitted at Summit. This isn’t about secrecy — it’s because (a) we only have enough food for the people who paid for it, and (b) we provide a list of attendees to our insurance company, who gets very lawyer-y about policy violations. Please wear your badge visibly at all times. We’ve had issues in the past with other groups in the venue trying to blend in with our crowd.

Power

Power outlets are available in the Social Lounge. You may not drape power cords across any walkway, access way, or doorway, and you may not prop equipment against walls or leave it on the floor to charge. These are serious fire code violations. The Fire Marshal works across the street and does drop in on us. They can shut the event down — and we are not kidding.

If your laptop can’t last the full day, we suggest leaving it in your hotel room.

We do provide power to OnRamp students who bring their own laptops. We don’t extend this to all breakout rooms because running power outlets and covering the electricity cost would require a significant increase in ticket prices.

WiFi

WiFi is limited because it’s expensive, not because we don’t love you. Please limit yourself to one device, and be aware that Apple devices will all attempt to join the network the moment one of them figures out how.

WiFi password information is available in the official schedule app.

Standing Room

In all session rooms, you must be seated. If you need to stand, you may lean against the back wall only — not in a doorway, not in an aisle, not on the floor. These are fire code violations, and the Fire Marshal will act on them.

When you enter a room, please move toward the middle of your row so others can fill the seats around you. Nobody loves the middle seat — we get it. Please be a grownup about it anyway. If you must have the aisle, be prepared to stand and let others slide past you.

If a room’s door is closed and a “SORRY — ROOM FULL” sign is posted, please respect it. The room is actually full. We’ve had to stop presenters mid-session and ask standing-room-only folks to leave, and it’s mortifying for everyone. We’ll do it again if we have to, because fire code. Thanks for understanding.

Smoking

We don’t want smokers to feel like second-class citizens — but there are local rules we need to communicate.

You may not smoke or vape anywhere inside the hotel. You also may not smoke or vape within several feet of any building entrance, as indicated on posted signage.

Bellevue enforces this seriously and can issue citations directly to event organizers for violations. Please be mindful and represent us well.