SC14 Press/Media Registration

Coverage of SC by the trade press, news media, academic journals, industry analysts and bloggers has grown steadily over the last 26 years keeping pace with growing attendance and the influence of the international high performance computing (HPC) community.  The press and media have played a vital role in showing that HPC does, indeed, matter.

Last year (SC13) in Denver we issued 109 media badges to reporters, analysts and bloggers, most of who had pre-registered for the Conference. The increase in media attendance has made pre-registration much more important. Knowing what numbers to expect allows us to better prepare an appropriate work space including: furnishings, power strips for mobile phones and laptops, Internet connections and associated tech support, as well as catering.  As in past years, we also will provide access to an interview room. Our goal is to provide a functional and comfortable work space at the Conference, as well as a quiet refuge for those who need a break from SC’s intense activity.

The press and interview rooms for SC14 are located in rooms 278 and 279, respectively, on the second floor of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Press/media badges can be picked up in room 278 starting at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16. Pre-registration makes this an easy process. Just show press identification and you will be issued your badge.  Those choosing to register at the Convention Center should avoid the SC rush hours between 4 - 7 p.m. Monday, preceding opening ceremonies, and 8 - 9 a.m. on Tuesday, right before the keynote address. We recognize that not everyone can control their schedule and we do our best to accommodate late arrivals and last minute requests as quickly as possible.

Press and media can expedite online approval of badge requests by providing complete registration information, especially links that serve as proof of professional association, such as byline articles, blogs, reports and videos. We welcome freelance reporters/writers, but ask that they provide the name of an assigning editor with a publication or organization that covers HPC.  Likewise for those registering in New Orleans, we require professional identification beyond a business card.

Press registration and media rooms are managed by the SC Communications Committee, which is made up of volunteers from government, academia and industry. We do our best to support those covering SC. But we’re always open to suggestions for improvement. If you have an idea or a suggestion, we’d love to hear it; or if you have questions about press registration, you can contact me (Don Johnston) at johnston19@llnl.gov.

I look forward to seeing you in the Big Easy.