THAT FIELD GUIDE

Welcome

Welcome to THAT Conference, we’re so glad you’re here. This Handbook should have the answers you need to successfully navigate the rapids leading up to and right on through the big event. Even if you’ve been to THAT Conference before, things may have changed. This Field Guide is your best source for up-to-date guides on what to do and where to go. Check back periodically for updates as well, as we’ll be answering Frequently Asked Questions as they come up.

Last updated on June 8th, 2023

Registration

When you arrive at camp stop down at the Registration Desk located in the convention center and check in. This is where you’ll get your badge and swag. The Registration Desk remains open throughout the day to answer questions. There is also a lost and found.

Hugs, Handshakes, and Waves

In these special times not everyone may be comfortable with handshakes or hugs, so to help remove the uneasiness of it we’ve come up with a simple system using lanyard colors ❤️ 💛 💚

• Red lanyard indicates the person prefers no physical contact, aka. waves.
• Yellow lanyard indicates the person prefers limited contact and a handshake is okay.
• Green lanyard indicates the person is okay with personal contact and a hug is acceptable.

So Many Wristbands 😵‍💫

Yes, we understand while you’re at the Kalahari and THAT Conference there are a lot of needed wristbands. Hopefully, this will remove some confusion.

• The Kalahari Wristband is needed for the waterpark during the day, to get in your room, etc.
• You DON’T need the Kalahari wristband for the THAT Conference Waterpark Party, bring your conference badge to get in.
• You need to wear your THAT Conference Food Bracelet and present it at every meal. Keep it on: if you lose it, it cannot be replaced.
• The Campmate and Geekling food wristbands only need to be worn for the THAT Conference Wednesday night dinner Pig Roast (WI) / BBQ (TX)

THAT Ranger Station

After Tuesday morning the registration Desk turns into THAT Ranger Station where a staff member will be available during all session hours. Sometimes we may even be able to answer your questions and will certainly keep checking people in. You’ll also find the Lost and Found at THAT Ranger Station.

Schedule and Favorites

Schedule

With over 100 sessions, activities and Open Spaces sessions, keeping track of it all can be quite challenging. All regular sessions and THAT Conference activities are listed in the schedule here. All the Open Spaces sessions are managed on the Open Spaces boards located in the Open Spaces room.

Favorites

By clicking on the ❤️ heart on a session, it adds this session to your favorites. Favoriting sessions help in many ways. It provides you with a list of all your favorite sessions. You’ll receive an email notification whenever there is a change to a session’s room or time. It also informs us how interested people are in a session so we can ensure there is a large enough room for it.

You can view a list of all of your favorites on the My Favorites page. Click the Subscribe button at the top of the page for instructions on how to add your favorites to your calendar. There is also a button to download a CSV file of your favorites.

The Kalahari

The Kalahari is now cashless

That’s right, all restaurants and stands in the Kalahari are now cashless. The only types of payment they accept are credit cards and room wristbands.

10% Discount at many restaurants

The Kalahari provides the “Tree People” a 10% discount at many of the restaurants in the Kalahari. You’ll need to show them your badge for the discount. We recommend you ask before ordering to ensure the particular restaurant you’re at provides this discount. The discount does not include alcohol.

List of Kalahari Texas restaurants supporting the discount

Show your badge and enjoy a 10% discount at the following restaurants on food and non-alcoholic beverages at the Kalahari in Texas:

• Cinco Nino’s
• B-Lux
• Sortino’s

Mess Hall

The Mess Hall is our main gathering place. This is where you’ll find conference-provided meals, keynotes and special activities like THAT Game Night. All family and attendees are welcome in the Mess Hall during meal times. You must have a food wristband to get food from the food buffet lines.

Dietary Restrictions

We’ve worked with the Kalahari to accommodate as many dietary restrictions as we can. Food line items are marked with dietary information like gluten-free, vegetarian, etc. Should you find yourself in need of assistance, please find a THAT Crew member. We’ll be happy to assist!

Open Spaces

What is Open Spaces

Interested in discussing a topic or sharing an experience with peers? Want to customize the conference to better fit your needs? You can! Part of THAT Conference includes over 10,000 SqFt of moderated Open Spaces and a Maker environment that is available throughout the conference. This is the ideal place to make THAT Conference truly unique and interactive. Every year our attendees add more than 100 new sessions, talks, and hands-on learning to our schedule.

Open Spaces Kick-Off

After lunch on Tuesday around 12:00 will be the Open Spaces kick-off where we’ll explain how Open Spaces works and start getting items on the Open Space’s boards. We can’t wait to see what you add to THAT Conference.

Sponsors and Data Collection

We thank every one of our partners and sponsors, across all levels, for their amazing and continued support! Please take a few minutes to learn about our partners and stop by their booths, say hi, and engage in some interesting conversations.

Sharing with the Sponsors

When you check into THAT Conference, we assigned you a four-digit PIN. We’re using your four-digit PIN to share your information with our sponsors. The exchange is two-way, not only does the sponsor get your shared profile information, you’ll also receive information about who you spoke with.

Controlling what is shared (Shared Profile)

To verify and update what information is being shared, head to your profile’s shared profile page. See all profile-related links by clicking on your profile picture in the upper right. Here you’ll see exactly what is being shared with sponsors and update that data as needed. For example, say you used a personal email address to sign-up for THAT, but would rather share your professional email address. This is where you can update that.

Profile

Your profile can be made public or private. Public profiles will show under our members page and be picked up by search engines. Private profiles are not shown or discoverable by search engines. All counselors must have a public profile.

Dealing with Uncomfortable Situations

At our core THAT Conference facilitates a safe space for everyone to interact and we will do whatever we believe is necessary to ensure that THAT Conference campers, camp Counselors, and guests will have a fun, safe and productive environment.

What to do about an Uncomfortable Situation

To start, walk away. Remove yourself from the situation. Find any person with a THAT CREW shirt on, or head to the Ranger Station in the main hall to report the incident. We will take the appropriate action based on the situation and will be happy to help participants contact hotel/venue security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the conference. We value your attendance.