2023 TT&S Annual Conference & Vendor Showcase

The 2023 TT&S Annual Conference & Vendor Showcase at the Bismarck Hotel was a conference like no other. Our members and other regional companies must have seen something they liked, because they turned out in record numbers. From the comments we heard, this was our best yet.

TT&S works with a volunteer group made up of TT&S staff and board members and a variety of our regular conference exhibitors. Credit goes to them for the continued improvements, but feedback and ideas may come from anywhere.

Carissa Swenson, Executive Director of BAND, 
provides the keynote address to a full room

The conference opened on Tuesday, February 14, with the keynote by Carissa Swenson, Executive Director of the Broadband Association of North Dakota (BAND). For those who aren't familiar, North Dakota is one of the most fiber-connected states in the nation, thanks to our local telecommunications cooperatives. Details about what BAND does can be found on their website at broadbandnd.com.

After Carissa, attendees learned about cybersecurity from Nathan Heinert, an IT analyst with the North Dakota State and Local Intelligence Center. Nathan has worked in cyber security for National Information Services Cooperative (NISC) and North Dakota Information Technology (NDIT). His current mission for NDSLIC is producing and disseminating cyber intelligence to help protect the residents and critical infrastructure of North Dakota. 

Tuesday's hoard of 
door prizes

The opening day ended with the Tuesday exhibitor social in the Dakota Ballroom. Door prizes are always a big attraction, and this year was no exception. Items included mugs, shirts, electronics,  camping and fishing equipment, coolers, gift cards, and more! It can be a challenge to give away all the door prizes from TT&S and many of the exhibitors and sponsors, but nearly everyone goes home with something special by the end of the conference. And then there is the big cooler. Attendees must have cards stamped by exhibitors for a chance to win either a Yeti or another heavy-duty brand at each social. One cooler was given away on Tuesday and a second on Wednesday.

While TT&S's conference team were giving away door prizes, the first ever Tech Wars tournament was taking place. Not all companies had a team for the competition, but those who did participate were challenged. Times were added together for the cat 5 termination and fiber splicing and then had deductions for the third team member's skills at a cornhole toss. The best time was set by Polar Communications, with a close second from Consolidated Telcom. Winners received glass steins etched with the 2023 Tech Wars logo and bragging of being the "Champion Team" for technical skills.

Wednesday started with breakfast in the hotel Courtyard, and then it was off to breakout sessions. Crucial Conversations was a new topic for those who didn't want to attend the technical sessions. The technical sessions that attendees had the option to attend at the same time included home security systems, WLAN security, and locating. After these initial two-hour sessions, the remaining options were one-hour sessions, including the Art and Science of Communication, Building Relationships Between Contractors and End Users and Engineers, IPv6, Cybersecurity, FTTH testing, retirement planning from Jane Wigen, WiFi 6 sessions from Adtran and Calix, XGS PON, NISC's products explained for all levels of telecom workers, power in FTTx, and a last minute session from one of our own member company employees on mapping and staking using NISC's software.

Sean Kelly of Light Brigade instructs
BSC students

While this full slate was happening in the south end of the hotel, the vendor room was host to some hands-on fiber training in the morning for the attending BSC students and staff and anyone who wanted an introduction to fiber optic cable handling. The instructional vendor, Light Brigade, provided their expertise to introduce the students to fiber optic cables with equipment and tools that they would use on the job as a telecom technician.

This carried on with a presentation and discussion on fiber troubleshooting in the afternoon for all those who had more experience working with fiber optic cable.

For the luncheon, a potato bar was served with something for everyone while TT&S Director Kyla Bratz called out individuals who deserved special recognitions. Mileage awards were announced for those who had reached specific levels in the last year without a reportable accident. Ten individuals earned certificates for 250K miles, 500K miles, and even 750K miles. Also recognized were the TT&S board of directors and the conference planning committee, especially for their individual contributions to this year's conference.

After the luncheon, afternoon sessions continued, including a session on reasonable suspicion and roundtable discussions in which speakers voluntarily stick around to answer any unanswered questions that attendees may have had after their sessions. 

Wednesday ended with a new level of excitement at the social. Aside from drinks, music, visiting with exhibitors, and another hoard of door prizes, the cornhole tournament was the real draw. Twenty-eight mixed doubles teams competed. Jeff Tweten, who built the TT&S official cornhole boards, set up the boards and judging according to official rules. Although single elimination helped to cull the teams quickly, the tournament did run past the social end time. The final round came down to a nail-biter between the best two teams. The top two teams took home trophies and bag sets from TT&S and $100 from Bachmann Industries.

The TT&S Annual Conference and Vendor Showcase closed out on Thursday morning. While attendees finished their breakfast, they were treated to Monica Kramer McConkey's engaging presentation about mental resilience in the workplace. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor who owns and operates a Mental Health Consulting business called Eyes on the Horizon Consulting. Following the mental health presentation was Rachel Iverson, a local sports nutritionist and expert in physical wellness who has been featured on local news stations.

TT&S would like to thank everyone who made the 2023 Annual Conference & Vendor Showcase an outstanding success! We look forward to making the 2024 conference another fun and educational event.