Attendance

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We embrace the opportunity to learn with educators within and beyond our district during UTC.  Currently about 40% of our presenters are from outside of Greenville County Schools.  By restricting attendance to only GCS employees, we would be forced to cap our total attendance by at least 40% to ensure enough workshops are offered for participants.

The safety and comfort of our attendees is a priority for us.  Capping attendance allows us to ensure that we are not violating building fire codes and that we have enough sessions to accommodate all participants during each time slot.  

Currently there are three ways to guarantee your space in this year’s conference:  

1. Submit one or more session proposals.  All selected presenters receive automatic registration.
2. Serve as a volunteer during the conference.  All selected volunteers receive automatic registration.
3. Register as soon as the event registration page is open on Monday, May 22 at 5:30 A.M.

We do not offer a one day ticket to UTC.  Our goal is that participants who register commit to attend both days of the conference.   If you are unable to attend both days, we would ask you to consider not registering so that someone who can attend both days has the opportunity to do so. 

We certainly understand that circumstances arise which prevent participants from being able to attend.  However, we depend on the professionalism of our participants in letting us know as soon as possible that you cannot attend so that we do not print materials for you.  Each year, we print materials for a staggering number of participants who did not cancel their registration prior to the deadline.  This is not only an expensive problem, it also prevents other participants from being able to attend UTC.  Help us continue to offer UTC as a free conference by communicating with us when there is a change of plans.

Most people are unaware of the behind the scenes details that go into planning and hosting a free conference for 1200 participants.  Each year, we investigate multiple possibilities for our host site.  Currently, Wade Hampton High School offers the most efficient campus for our purposes including a central location in the district, a clear building layout for sessions and moving about the conference, and an extremely helpful staff and administration.  We are grateful to WHHS for allowing us to invade their space for weeks at a time to plan and prepare UTC.

The safety and comfort of our attendees is a priority for us.  Building fire codes require that we limit the number of participants in each room in case of an emergency.  Prior to the conference, our staff sets up 35 chairs in each standard classroom so that we can accommodate the maximum number of participants. When the 35 spaces are filled, we will place a Session Full sign on the door and ask participants to respect the building fire code guidelines.  If participants do not adhere to the request, our staff will ask them to leave the classroom to ensure the maximum number has been exceeded.  We are sorry if this causes frustration, but we are committed to enforcing this policy for the safety of all who attend our conference.  Your cooperation is appreciated.

As a free conference, UTC is possible because of the staff and facilities provided by Greenville County Schools. The expense of renting a conference space and the required equipment would make the conference cost prohibitive for many of our current attendees.