The conference sessions begin on Monday September 9, 2002 morning. Each day will be quite busy, but we hope that they will also be rewarding and fun. Information on the individual events is linked at the bottom of this page.

Travel Plans

If at all possible, you should make travel arrangement so that you arrive around dinner time on Sunday September 8, 2002 and fly out late Thursday September 12, 2002 afternoon. The shuttle running between Allerton House and the airport will usually require you to leave 2-3 hours before your flight departs. This means that you should aim for a scheduled departure time from the Urbana-Champaign airport of 3:00 PM or later in order for you not to miss any part of the conference.

Menus

Check out the menus and let us know if you have any special dietary needs.

Draft Schedule (may change without notice)

Beginning Tuesday morning we will start each day with announcements and summaries of the previous day's pattern writer's circles at 7:45a in the Dining room.

Details on Some Activities

Music

We will have two entertainment nights on Sept 9th and Sept 11st. The first night music will be performed by our student volunteer guitarnist Danny Dig. The second night music is performed by the Jeff Helgesen Jazz Quartet. Below is more information.

Jeff Helgesen is a freelance trumpeter and bandleader based in Champaign, Illinois. As a featured soloist with the Ray Charles Orchestra from 1987-1990, he has performed extensively in the United States and overseas. His recording credits include projects with Ray Charles, the Chicago-based Jazz Members Orchestra, the Joan Hickey Quartet, and saxophonist/composer Anthony Braxton. He leads several jazz ensembles, ranging in size from trios to septets.

In addition to a hectic small-group performance schedule, he also appears as guest artist and clinician with high school, college, and community ensembles in the midwest. He currently manages book production for a publishing firm in Champaign.

Additional information on Jeff can be obtained by visiting his website at http://www.shout.net/~jmh/ .

The style of music we'll be playing is '50s-60's jazz (kind of post-bop or hard-bop).

Games

Games are an integral part of the PLoP experience. This year, we are glad to welcome back George Platts as our "tangential thinking coordinator". George is a fixture at PLoP and EuroPLoP.

We encourage everyone to participate in the games as fully as they are able. You'll find that they add a lot to your PLoP experience, in terms of mental freshness, personal connections within the community, and just plain fun!

Newcomer Orientation

PLoP veteran Kyle Brown and other PC members will lead an informal session for folks new to PLoP or the software patterns community. Topics will include the history of PLoP, the format of the conference, the nature of writers workshops, and workshop moderation. Of course, Steve will entertain any questions and maybe even answer some of them! And you need not be a newcomer to join in--either to ask or answer questions...

Opening Ceremonies

This session will formally open the conference. We will introduce you to the people and facilities you'll need to know for the conference, and answer any questions you may have. We'll also present a short demonstration writers workshop, so that newcomers will have a better idea of how they work and so that veterans can refresh their memories.

Shepherding Award

At PLoP and EuroPLoP this year, the Hillside Group is inaugurating a new award, the Neil Harrison Great Shepherd Award, to honor one or more shepherds who provided exemplary service to their authors and thus to the software patterns community. The award is named in honor of Neil Harrison, widely acknowledged as perhaps the one person who has contributed the most to our community to shepherd papers and to help the rest of us become better shepherds. Past award winners include Norm Kerth and Todd Coram for their exemplary work as a shepherds.

Who will receive the Neil Harrison Great Shepherd Award for PLoP-2002? You'll find out at the opening ceremony!

Writers Workshops

The writers workshops are the heart of PLoP. If you are an author, you will stay with your workshop group for all the sessions. Please prepare for each workshop so that each author in your group has a valuable experience. Your co-authors will do the same for you.

Non-authors are strongly encouraged to choose a workshop group and work with it for all the sessions. Your workshop groups may invite you into full participation and, if so, you should prepare to participate just like another author.

Refactoring Workshop Proposals

Linda Rising's book, The Pattern Almanac 2000, was one of the first major attempts at organizing and describing published patterns. Other groups have been interested in structuring pattern languages from existing patterns, such as those in the organizational, telecom and elementary pattern communities. It is the goal of the refactoring workshops to provide intensive, collaborative environments where those interested in forming or extending pattern languages can meet.

Patterns Bookstore

We plan to have UofI Book Stores as a guest. They will set up a table at which you can buy a selection of books on patterns, including some of Christopher Alexander's books. More details on the days and times will be made available soon.

Shepherding Workshop

One of the veteran pattern writers, shepherds, and instructors, will lead a session aimed at helping us all be better shepherds. Those of you who have written a PLoP paper know just how important shepherds are to PLoP. They are the lifeblood of the community.

Even if your paper at PLoP-2002 was your first pattern-writing experience, we encourage you to look toward being a shepherd for future pattern events. This workshop will help you begin to contribute as a shepherd. If you are a PLoP veteran, please join us, too, to work toward being a better shepherd.

Newcomer Session: What Next? On the Future of Your Patterns

The patterns community thinks differently about the life cycle of papers submitted to its conferences. Those who have never been to a PLoP often are not sure just what happens -- or can or should happen -- with a paper after it has been workshopped at the conference. This session will help newcomers especially figure out what to do next.

Closing Ceremonies

This session will bring the conference to its formal close. We will introduce you to some of the folks who will be working on next year's PLoP. Then, we will "workshop" the conference, to help next year's organizers improve PLoP. Finally, we will close with a traditional end-of-PLoP game.

Caffe Paradiso

PLoP will again be serviced for our Java and specialty drinks by the Caffe Paradiso, which has become part of the PLoP tradition. This year schedule is on Wednesday September 11th, 2002.

Lunch Boxes

The conference will provide lunch-boxes to those who has to leave early on Thursday. The kitchen will have them ready after 10:00 am on Thursday 12th. This service will be provided by request only, if you are leaving after 10:00am on Thursday 12th and you want a luch-box you have to ask for it.