Information Technology students dressed their best for an afternoon of networking and learning at the Horizon Convention Center.
The students, members of the Association of Information Technology Professionals, learned about the latest advances in the industry at the Fall Technology Expo and Region 5 Conference on Thursday.
Gary Kern, founding president of East Central Indiana's professional chapter of AITP, said this was the chapter's first time putting on such a conference. He said organizing the event and trying to make it professional was an interesting experience.
"We asked ourselves the question, ‘What can we do to make this event a successful and interesting event?'" Kern said. "The student chapters were very helpful in making this event a hit."
Jeff Helm, president of the national chapter of AITP, said the conference was great for networking with peers and business professionals.
"Getting to talk with people you don't get to talk to on a regular basis was my favorite part of helping organizing this conference," he said.
For Mitch Miller, the Ball State chapter president, organizing was a learning experience and a successful experience.
"We had a good response from the companies that we asked to come," Miller said. "They have all been really good on communication and helping sponsoring the event."
Kern said students could take something away from this conference. Not only could students network with technology professionals, they could also learn about opportunities in career fields they may not have known about otherwise.
"I believe the real power of events like this is networking with other professionals in the technology field," Kern said. "It's also helpful for students to learn about the latest technologies and different career options."
The organization of the event wasn't without its hardships and downfalls for Miller.
"The hardest part is getting this all to come together at the end, all the finalization of things and getting all the transportation and lodging for the companies," he said. "It was also a little stressful dealing with a late cancellation from a speaker."
Two classes from the Department of Information Systems and Operation Management came to the conference to watch the learning sessions about cloud computing and network management.
Patrick Sager, former president of Ball State AITP, enjoyed a great surprise today as his name was called at the award ceremony.
Sager was chosen to represent Region 5 on the state leadership board of AITP. The leadership board consists of one person from each region, with six regions total.
The Ball State student chapter also received the the Student Chapter Outstanding Performance Award.
"The students don't usually get recognized in front of such a large group, so this was really a nice honor for them," Helm said.
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