The conference boasted hundreds of attendees. ISFLC has grown from 100 students to nearly a thousand in just a few short years. That’s impressive. They were able to attract some really fantastic speakers this year like John Stossel, Congressman Justin Amash, and entrepreneur Peter Thiel. Their “breakout” sessions were a nice mix of philosophy, practical politics and ‘how-to” sessions (for finding a job or starting a campus organization). The receptions and parties hosted were well-attended, and from what I hear, done right.

Students for Liberty had a live streaming of the event, as well as live-blogging and live-tweeting. They embraced technology and tried to make it work for their conference. They even created a mobile app for smartphones. I appreciated their trying to stay current and use the newest tech advances to their advantage.

However, that brings us to to the bad.

While they tried to use technology to their advantage, I didn’t think it was encouraged properly. I had a hard time finding the live-blog (I’m still trying to find it, actually). The twitter hashtag #ISFLC12 was supposed to be used…but no one at the conference was talking about it. They had a few pieces of paper at the registration table letting attendees (and media) know what the hashtag was, but I was never told “you should tweet at us! And use this hashtag!” Perhaps they assumed everyone was going to the website and knew about everything, but from my experience, no one did. The only reason I even knew about the mobile app was a friend of mine (also attending the conference) mentioned it to me in passing. When I asked him if they tried to spread the word there was a smartphone app, he confirmed my suspicions. Hardly anyone was talking about it.

Though it’s wonderful that so many attended the conference, I don’t think they were fully prepared for it. The venue seemed much too small for the amount of people crammed into one space. The breakout sessions, especially the popular ones, were so crowded that people had to sit on the floor (hello, fire hazard!) and it was hard to even get around because there were so many people. I don’t know if hundreds more showed up to the conference on the first day (but I doubt it), but they should have been prepared.

The programs were another mini-fiasco. They were hard to read and hard to follow. Then, by Saturday morning, they had run out. Since the rooms weren’t labeled, it was hard to know what was going on in each room. For an event like that, I would suggest having signs in front of each, clearly stating what the event/session was inside. Since there was a half hour break between each session, changing the signs wouldn’t a be big deal and would be so helpful for people attending the conference.

Also, it was hard to find ANYONE that worked at the conference or was a volunteer. At most conferences, volunteers are clearly identified. I’m not advocating fluorescent T-shirts, but it would have been helpful to know who was in charge.

And, lastly, the ugly.

By far, the worst aspect of ISFLC was the (lack of) internet.

Because the conference was being held in the very bottom of the hotel, cell reception was horrific. I barely got a signal all weekend, which made tweeting and live blogging nearly impossible. For a group that had really tried to engage technology, this is a huge oversight. Encouraging people to tweet about the conference when reception was horrible seems counter-productive.

The lack of cell reception was terrible, but it was the lack of internet that was worse. Two days before the conference, media received an email stating that complimentary internet would no longer be available, but it is always available for purchase.

Nothing makes media angrier than being given wireless access and then having it taken away, being told they have to pay for it.

ISFLC has a lot of things going for it: great speakers, great sessions, growing attendance. But there are issues that need to be addressed before it can be a truly great experience.