General Policies
Finally, just a few general things to know.
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 room, and we need that room for people, not luggage.
There will be an an unattended coat check available Each Day. We are not responsible for lost or stolen items left at the coat check!
Stuff
Please do not leave fliers, stickers, or other paraphernalia lying about the Center. You’re welcome to plop stuff down in the social lounge for general distribution, if you like. Do not affix anything to the walls, pillars, or other structures without permission, as 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 at any time. This isn’t because we’re trying to keep everything a secret! It’s because (a) we only have enough food for the people who paid for it, and (b) we have to provide a list of attendees to our insurance company, who gets very lawyer-y if we break their policy rules. Wear your badge visibly at all times (we’ve had problems in the past with other groups, in the venue at the same time as us, trying to crash our party) so we know you’re legit.
Power
Power outlets are available in the Social Lounge. At no time may you drape power cords across any walkway, access way, or doorway, nor may you prop equipment against the wall or leave it on the floor to charge. These are serious fire code violations, and the Fire Marshall literally works across the street and does drop in on us. He/She can shut the event down, and We Are Not Kidding. If your laptop can’t go the full day without juice, we suggest just leaving it in your hotel room.
We do provide power to our bring-your-own-laptop OnRamp students. The reason we don’t provide power in all other breakout rooms is because it costs some serious coin to run power outlets and pay for the electricity, and it’d force us to raise the ticket prices pretty significantly.
WiFi
We have a limited amount of WiFi, and that’s because it costs a ton, not because we don’t love you. Please limit yourself to one device, and remember that Apple devices in particular will all try to jump on the network once one device figures out how to connect.
WiFi password information is in the official agenda app.
Standing Room
In all session rooms, your butt must be perched in a seat provided. If you just need to stand, you may lean against a wall only at the back of the room, and only provided you are not standing in a doorway (even if the door is closed). You may not sit on the floor, and you may not lean against a wall if it causes you to occupy space in an aisle or walkway. These are serious fire code violations, and the Fire Marshall literally works across the street and does drop in on us. He/She can shut the event down, and We Are Not Kidding.
When you go into a room, PLEASE move toward the middle of your row so other people can get in and fill all the seats. We know, we know, we know, nobody wants to be in the middle. PLEASE help everyone be a grownup about this. If you MUST have the end seat, please be prepared to stand up and encourage others to move into the row past you.
If a session room’s door is closed and a “SORRY - ROOM FULL” sign is posted, please don’t go in. The room really is full, we didn’t just stick the sign up for fun. We have had to stop presenters in the past and ask the standing-room-only folks to vacate, and it’s just mortifying for us. But we’ll do it anyway, because Fire Code. Thanks for understanding.
Smoking
We know that smokers sometimes feel like third-class citizens, and we don’t want to pile on. However, if you do smoke (and in Bellevue, that includes e-cigs and other vape products), we need to communicate some local rules.
You may not smoke or vape anywhere inside the hotel. You may also not smoke or vape within several feet of the building’s entrance doors, as indicated on signs posted on the doors themselves.
Bellevue takes this pretty seriously and can issue citations to the event organizers for violations.