SC12 Attendee Guide
Be Prepared Upon Arrival in Salt Lake City
Preparing for SC12
Transportation from SLC Airport to Downtown Salt Lake City
Registration Information
How SC is Organized
Social Events
Conference Program & Exhibit Directory
Wireless Access
Get Connected with SC12 Social Media
Convention Center Parking
Shuttle Bus Service
Conference Store
Attendee Help Line (NEW)
Information Booth
Find Out What's New in Salt Lake City
Weather Update
Whether you are new to SC or you've been coming for years, the SC conference can be an overwhelming experience. Every year the conference grows with more exhibits, more technical program sessions and more attendees, making it harder than ever to keep track of everything going on.
To start planning your agenda, start at the SC12 website. Here you will find descriptions of the activities and a detailed Technical Program Schedule that can be used to build your own personalized agenda. When viewing the online Technical Program Schedule, notice on the far right-hand side a column labeled "PLANNER." Click on this to build your own schedule. Once you select an event and want to add it to your personal schedule, just click on one of the calendar icons (outlook calendar, ical calendar or Google calendar) and that event will be stored there. As you select events using the online planner you build your own SC Conference agenda.
Also, the SC12 application (powered by Boopsie) is freely available to track all events from your smartphone. Simply point your phone¹s browser at SC12.boopsie.com to download the SC12 app, or search for "SC12" from the Apple iTunes store or Android Marketplace.
For transportation from the Salt Lake City airport to downtown Salt Lake City, the SC12 hotels, or the Salt Palace Convention Center you can schedule a shuttle or take a taxi.
Taxi Service - More Info & Taxi Cab Companies
Taxi service booths are located outside of door #7 in Terminal One and door #11 in Terminal Two. Services for passengers with disabilities are readily available, though it is recommended to make advance reservations.
Airport Shuttle Service - More Info & Shuttle Companies
For destinations within Salt Lake City, passengers must make a reservation prior to their arrival at Salt Lake City International Airport. Onsite shuttle services are located in the baggage claim area of the airport.
Upon arrival at the Salt Palace Convention Center, please proceed to the registration area in the South Foyer to register and pick up your badge, which you need to wear at all times. We strongly encourage Workshop and Tutorials participants to register the day before the event to avoid registration lines.
Registration hours are as follows:
Saturday, Nov 10 1pm-6pm
Sunday, Nov 11 7am-6pm
Monday, Nov 12 7am-9pm
Tuesday, Nov 13 7:30am-6pm
Wednesday, Nov 14 7:30am-6pm
Thursday, Nov 15 7:30am-5pm
Friday, Nov 16 8am-11am
There are four main components of the SC conference: the Technical Program, the Exhibits, the Communities Program, and SCinet.
The Technical Program has been the heart of the conference since its inception. The Technical Program provides multiple forums for sharing research, development and applications through invited talks, technical papers, tutorials, panel discussions, workshops, research posters, scientific visualization showcase, Birds-of-a-Feather sessions, and awards. A Technical Program registration and badge are needed for attending most of these sessions, while tutorials and workshops require separate registrations.
The Exhibit Hall is filled with booths featuring the latest technologies and discoveries from industrial and research organizations located around the world. To enter the Exhibit Hall, you will need either an Exhibitor, Technical Program or Exhibits Only registration.
The Communities Program engages people new to SC and/or new to high performance computing, networking, storage and analysis. Within the Communities Program are:
- Broader Engagement program, aimed at supporting under-represented members of the community;
- HPC Educators, offers activities for undergraduate educators and SC attendees interested in integrating HPC and computational and data-enabled science and engineering into classrooms;
- International Ambassadors, who help attendees from other countries make the most of their time at SC;
- Student Volunteers program, brings students from around the world to assist with conference logistics while providing them time to attend the sessions
SCinet operates a commodity network for attendees and an experimental network that showcases the latest, most sophisticated technology currently available. SCinet supports the high-speed network connections linking the convention center to outside networks and provides wired and wireless connections for SC attendees and exhibitors. A dedicated group of network experts volunteer each year to create SCinet, the conference network that has more bandwidth into the Conference than any other facility in the world and more capacity than many cities and countries.
There are three major social events scheduled by the SC12 Conference, however vendors are also known to hold additional events. Make sure to check with them on the exhibit floor, and watch your email for invitations. Its always a good idea to RSVP early for vendor events if you plan on attending.
The Exhibitor Reception held Sunday, November 11 from 6:00 - 9:00pm at The Hotel/Elevate, is intended to thank exhibitors for their participation as an important part of the conference. Food and drinks will be served. An Exhibitor badge is required to attend this event. In addition, all attendees will be required to present a photo id (driver's license or passport) to enter this event.
The Opening Gala held Monday, November 12 from 7:00 - 9:00pm in the Salt Lake City Exhibit Hall, is a great way to check out the latest in high performance computing and networking technologies, and it gives you a chance to mingle with other researchers and HPC experts. This gala event is open to all Exhibitor and Technical Program registrants. (Guest tickets may be purchased at the SC12 Store.)
The Technical Program Reception held Thursday, November 15 from 6:00 - 9:00pm at The Depot, is indended to give the Technical Program attendees a chance to network and collaborate in a relaxed setting. There will be quiet rooms to get one last technical conversation in before heading home, as well as live entertainment including two performances by comedian Ryan Hamilton. Attendees are required to wear technical program badges throughout the reception, and badges may be checked during the event. In addition, all attendees will be required to present a photo id (driver's license or passport) to enter this event.
- The Exhibit Directory provides a list of all exhibitors, and the sessions offered through the Exhibitor Forum.
The network can be accessed via SSIDs “SC12” or “eduroam”. New this year, the wireless network will feature eduroam (education roaming) allowing users (researchers, teachers, students, staff ) from participating institutions encrypted, secure access to the Internet from any eduroam-enabled institution.
Please note that the "SC12" SSID wireless system is not secure and can be monitored by others.
Get Connected with SC12 Social Media
Join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+! Connect with colleagues, discuss the technical program, get the latest news from exhibitors, post videos and images about your experience and share tips about Salt Lake City attractions! Follow @supercomputing and use #SC12, the official Twitter hashtag for the conference, to let the world know what you see, hear and feel during the week. We want it all!
Parking is available at the Salt Palace Convention Center at a rate of $12 per day which is paid when you enter. If you leave and come back, another parking fee will be charged. More information about Convention Center Parking is available here.
There will be 3 Bus loops providing transportation to the Salt Lake City Convention Center from to locations in close proximity of the SC12 hotels. For an up-to-date list of bus loops and pick-up locations, please click here.
One of the busiest places at the SC conference is the Conference Store, where you can pick up shirts, hats and other souvenirs. If you see something you like, we suggest buying it then as the store often runs out of popular items before the week is up. Really! The conference Store hours are the same as Registration (see above).
New for SC12 we have added an attendee help line (801) 534-4706. This number will be staffed from Sunday Nov. 11th until Friday Nov. 16th from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM (closing at noon on Friday). Please feel free to call this number with any problems you are having. Whether it is an issue like running out of food at a break to shuttle buses not showing up or running late, our knowledgeable volunteers will be there to try to help.
There are two SC Information Booths this year to help answer any questions you may have about SC12. The Main Information booth is located in the South Foyer, near Registration. The Satellite booth is located in the Upper Concourse, near Room 251. Information booth hours are available on the SC12 website.
The SC conference organizers try to anticipate many of your questions and electronic signs will be posted throughout the convention center listing the times and locations for most conference activities. Often the answer to your question can be found on one of these signs, please don't hesitate to ask if you need help!
Finally, check out the SC12 website (SC12.supercomputing.org) and be sure to load your smartphone with the SC12 app, to help you navigate the array of conference offerings as well as information about the local Salt Lake City area.
We look forward to seeing you in Salt Lake City!
Visit Salt Lake to find all the Salt Lake City has to offer during your SC12 downtime.
Combining the amenities of a major metropolitan area with the friendliness of a small, western city, Salt Lake City is an ideal location for group travel. A beautiful, safe, and vibrant city, Salt Lake combines unparalleled access to natural recreation, a bustling economy, dynamic nightlife, remarkable history, and warm hospitality.
Salt Lake offers an unequaled combination of year-round outdoor recreation, accessibility and metropolitan amenities. One benefit of this year’s location is that 90% of the downtown’s restaurants, bars and attractions are within a 5-minute walk from the convention center. And city bus and light rail service is free in the downtown fare zone... meaning you can get to about anyplace you need to, or want to, go while you’re here.