The keynotes, forums, spotlights, concurrent sessions and panels at the ISTE Conference & Expo draw some of the best edtech presenters in the world, but the conference offers much more than sessions. Whether you’re looking for a place to explore, network, interact or relax, you’ll find it in one of these five drop-in environments.

1. Lounges

These are comfy yet lively areas to hang out between sessions and add new people to your personal learning network (PLN). Each lounge has its own identity and purpose:

• The PLN Lounge located on Level 1 near Room W176A is a comfortable spot to connect with members of your ISTE Professional Learning Networks.

• Head to the Bloggers Café on Level 3, Central Concourse, to make connections and expand your PLN in this gathering place for blogging, tweeting and face-to-face conversations.

• Chat with your favorite presenters and continue session conversations in the Presenters of ISTE Lounge on Level 1, near Room W190A

2. Playgrounds

These interactive spaces allow attendees to play with technologies that enhance creativity and learning. Playground themes run the gamut from makerspaces and STEAM to edtech coaching and the ISTE Standards. Jump in and get hands-on at some of this year’s playgrounds located in the Level 3, Skyline Ballroom pre-function area.

3. Expo hall

More than 550 exhibitors fill the vast expo hall with edtech tools, devices and systems, and over  5,000 industry reps are ready to offer demonstrations, answer questions and show you how to foster learning with technology. But the expo hall is so much more than vendors. Don’t miss the ISTE Student Hackathon – new this year – where students work in teams to create solutions to real-life problems. The expo hall is open Monday through Wednesday.

4. Posters

In the Skyline Ballroom pre-function area, you can browse through poster presentations created by students and educators, beginning with the Global Collaboration Poster Session on Sunday night. This is the best place to interact with students and get inspired by creative projects that use tools from Minecraft and Sphero to Aurasma and virtual reality.

Poster topics switch out each morning and afternoon, so consult the ISTE conference mobile app and ISTE Pocket Guide to find out when your favorites are scheduled. Or just stroll through the space when you have a spare moment and see where the learning takes you.

5. ISTE Central

This is the nerve center where you can browse ISTE books and meet the authors, buy books by keynote presenters and have them signed, attend presentations, write a letter to Congress to support edtech, chat with fellow attendees and ISTE staff about ISTE membership, learn about professional development opportunities and even update your profile picture for the ISTE Communities. It’s located on Level 3, Central Concourse.