Conference Chair Peter Braccio from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute shares what to expect this year.
For those attending SIGGRAPH, whether for the first time or the 38th time, you can expect to experience a banquet of innovation, inspiration, creativity, education, and community.
Vancouver was a top choice as a host city for SIGGRAPH because it has a strong base in the primary SIGGRAPH communities: artists, academics, film production, gaming, VFX, research, and more. It is both an international and an entrepreneurial city that creatively blends urban and natural environments. Besides the concentration of our various communities here, we also have a very active professional chapter based in Vancouver that has served as a valuable partner. But regardless of what city we are in, for our community, SIGGRAPH is home.
Interestingly, the theme of "Make It Home" came from a 2011 conference committee member last year who stated that the discussions about what the conference meant to us reminded her of a picture of the Earth taken from Apollo 17 (the famous Blue Marble photo). Directly under the photo was one word: Home. This idea resonated with everyone in the room. It didn't matter WHERE the conference was. It only mattered WHO made up the conference. We would be home no matter where we were.
I'm also very excited about how content is shaping up. We saw a 47 percent increase in completed submissions over last year's numbers. We saw significant increases in Technical Papers, Games Papers, Art, and Art Papers submissions. While numbers don't directly correlate to quality, I feel very comfortable that our jury process will ensure that SIGGRAPH 2011 will continue its prestigious tradition of excellence. Additionally, our exhibition hall is growing, particularly with new vendors from overseas.
I believe that each of you should expect to be fully engaged and inspired by the conference as well as by the amazing natural beauty you will encounter both inside and outside the convention center.
See you at Home!