As part of the STC Canada West Coast chapter’s 40th anniversary celebrations, we’re recalling highlights from the chapter’s history.
In 2002, dozens of chapter volunteers organized and hosted the STC Region 7 Conference. The three-day event took place at the Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel in downtown Vancouver from November 7 to 9. Over 300 people attended, from all over the western United States and Canada. Speakers came from as far away as Massachusetts, Texas, and New Zealand, and included experts from academia, specialized tech-comm consulting companies, and major corporations such as IBM, Microsoft, and Hewlett-Packard.
The conference theme was “Shape Shifters: new roles, new tools, new challenges.” So, what is a shape shifter? According to the conference organizers, “It’s the hallmark of an outstanding communicator, who must be capable, versatile, agile, and responsive to market conditions.” Well-known shape shifter and UX expert Jared Spool gave the keynote address, which focused on how usability can change people’s lives—for example, usability testing can help improve access and design for the intended audience.
The conference offered over 70 presentations, split into five tracks covering professional development and technical skills. Here is a breakdown of the tracks and some of the topics, which are still relevant in technical communication today and demonstrate the diversity of what technical writers do:
- Track 1, New Tools for an Old Trade: XML, single sourcing, SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)
- Track 2, Managing People and Careers: working in a team, project management, leadership, job searching
- Track 3, Information Design and Management: audience analysis, usability studies, analytics, accessibility
- Track 4, Writing, Editing, Translating: speech writing, proposal writing, localization, marketing communications
- Track 5, Learning and Instructional Design: developing online courses, content strategy, training, curriculum development
This was the largest event ever organized by our chapter, thanks to the efforts of many hard-working volunteers! The revenue from this very successful event allowed the chapter to provide services to its members for years afterwards, including scholarships, the student membership award, and lower event-registration fees.
Beverlee is a senior technical writer with experience in the software, mining, and e-learning industries. She has served in several volunteer positions with the STC Canada West Coast chapter, including secretary, treasurer, and student outreach coordinator.