Greetings From the Los Angeles Auto Show

I'm pretending to be a grown-up, contributing member of society this week, as I'm at the Los Angeles Convention Center on a paying assignment: Covering the L.A. Auto Show for AskPatty.

While I've attended the show for years as a consumer, 2010 was my first experience as a member of the working press. I came in thinking I knew what I was doing... 

... only to discover that the two media days the show holds prior to the official opening are somewhat different from what the public gets to see.

Last year, I thought I could mosey downtown after school drop-off and make it to the show in time for the first press conference. I did not count on encountering a huge, long, frustrating line to obtain my credentials (which I needed in order to get into the show). 

This year, I made carpool arrangements so I could leave the house really early (which has the added benefit of getting here in lighter traffic, cutting my travel time in half).  And because this is my second year as official press, I was able to pre-register and receive my credential by mail -- so entry into the Convention Center was a breeze.

The first day of the 2010 show, I lugged my full-size laptop and my husband's big camera around the hall all day... before I learned that the show provides press with FREE lockers in the Media Center. I checked my computer in the second day -- but eventually realized that I didn't need to bring it at all, because the huge room is equipped with multiple workstations (both Mac and PC). 

This year, I didn't even bother to bring a computer, and I'm using one of those workstations to write this quick post. 

I'm also very happy to have an iPad now, which is the only outside equipment I'm bringing (other than my point and shoot camera and palmsized camcorder). I am hopeful that the iPad will be all I need for taking notes at the press conferences. I also think I have gotten better at photographing automobiles with my little camera (although it's kind of hit and miss -- some day, I hope to have a better quality one to use at these events).

Last year, it took me until the middle of the second day to realize that all the action occurs at the automaker press conferences, which are tightly scheduled throughout the event. This year, I'm ready for it.

I guess the real test will be how long it takes me to write the event up: Last  year's post (approximately 2000 words) took me four days to do. This year, my goal is to have the first draft finished by the end of the day on Friday.

Overly optimistic? Tune in then to find out.

Comments

[Jane Gassner]

Reading about the lugging of laptops reminds me of all the times I lugged my laptop to the various BlogHers. Good that there is now the iPad thingie. I used mine to take stills and video on a story I covered a couple of weeks ago.

[Donna]

My second day of the show, I realized that I must not have fully plugged my still camera in to charge, and I ended up using the iPad camera function the same way. I was pleasantly surprised with how well the stills and video came out.