Comments on: Why Go to the Conference?

By: David Porter Presentation about #wma09 at #mcn2009 « westmuse

David Porter Presentation about #wma09 at #mcn2009 « westmuse — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:21:14 +0000

[...] Thanks for the invite, Susan Chun and MCN! This is such a great way for us all to keep up evaluative process as we maintain a rolling assessment of the value of “carbon-based conferences.” [...]

By: Camping trip « Public Historian

Camping trip « Public Historian — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:53:57 +0000

[...] broken? Yes. (Particularly in environmental terms.) Do we still need f2f conferences? Yes! Folks have been discussing other models, like virtual conferences, conferences as discrete points [...]

By: Elizabeth Merritt

Elizabeth Merritt — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:57:41 +0000

Thanks for keeping the discussion going, James! Here are some more thoughts on alternative futures for museum conferences http://tinyurl.com/cccpc8 based on Maker Faire–a chaotic, creative, hands-on exploration of all things inventive and crafty.

By: Bob Ketner

Bob Ketner — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:03:52 +0000

Every day we’re working on this issue at http://www.thetechvirtual.org. In search of answers to some of these questions we are holding a month-long set of trainings and “conference” and welcome museum professionals to register at:
http://techvirtualtraining.eventbrite.com/
Bring your ideas and input to these interactive sessions and give it a try!

By: James G. Leventhal

James G. Leventhal — Sun, 31 May 2009 05:15:47 +0000

WOW! thanks for all these lengthy, meaningful comments. They may deserve another post themselves to draw them out into the light.

It does seem that most users are clicking through to the comments here. So we may be doing O.K.

Thanks especially for the very specific clicks and references, so we all keep going around seeking and finding.

I might like to add a great post I came across by Kristen Olson about recent conference resources on-line:

http://koko500.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/to-do/

click through…

By: Lynda Kelly

Lynda Kelly — Sun, 31 May 2009 00:14:24 +0000

Thanks for summarising these threads James. Many good points here. I really agree with Noelle, Angelina and Ted’s points.

In times of financial crisis it’s only going to get harder to seek fudning for these kinds of meetings so organisers will need to ensure:
* great & relevant sessions with speakers that know how to present & actually have something new to say
* plenty of time for F2F
* good balance between discussion and presentation time (ie more discussion than presentation IMV)
* ‘unconference’ sessions that emerge from participants’ own ideas coupled with current issues of the day
* a vigorous and mainstreamed backchannel – no longer can the web be seen as a peripheral part of a conference
* a challenge to actually do something on returning from conference and logging that somewhere (e.g. on a blog or Museum 3.0 for example)
* absolute value for money
* a sustainable event

Just my two cents’ worth!

By: Ted Greenberg

Ted Greenberg — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:43:24 +0000

As someone who has been attending conferences and annual meetings for many years, I can say that the interaction between meeting your colleagues face to face is one of the most important facets of the meetings. The sessions are just one part of the meeting process. It is the connection and part of the human condition that keeps us social.

The social networking is another part of the continuation of the discussions that occur at these meetings or for those who cannot attend, at least, a sense of some of the topics that were touched upon during sessions.

How many times have you been to a session that you were just “blown away by” and you need to talk about it over lunch or later on in the comfort of the hotel bar. Dialogues continue and create an atmosphere to further the discussion and maybe foster other ideas for future sessions

Conference and meeting planners need to think outside the box as they can become stale, so it is up to us to create that change that will bring that change to make the meetings engage us together as a community where we meet face-to-face as well as use the electronic networks.

Putting the name to the face and maybe just having a good time while learning something new is part of the meeting process as well as making friends for life.

By: Angelina Russo

Angelina Russo — Wed, 27 May 2009 06:17:17 +0000

Having just spent the weekend with only 22 of my immediate family members, (the size of a small conference session) I can add this to the mix:
- the beginning: lots of short catch up conversation, getting onto the same page
-the middle: longer discussion around specific issues, ranging in depth from philosophy to how to fix a floating floor (usually undertaken around food)
-the breakout: depending on who has the time, longer, more intimate conversations which add background to the previous discussions and often end in action points
-the end: resolutions to be taken away and acted upon in time for the next meeting. (usually within 8mths)

I’m not kidding when I say that a conference based on this type of interaction (which we are forced to do because of our size: 32 of us when we’re all together) and location (we’re spread around the country) could be quite valuable.

It’s effective, everyone gets a go at raising issues and discussing points of interest and we make arrangements based on who has the capacity to follow up over the next 6 months or so.

So, I’d say yes to reformatting conferences – make them intense, full of discussion and with an outcome which participants follow up on and report on in other forums. They can be places where thoughts become action very quickly – Mia Ridge’s ‘do one thing differently by the end of the month’ after the Museums and the Web conference was a great example.

If we do away with anything at conferences, it would be the parallell session – inordinate numbers of sessions where the quality of presentations is sometimes not as balanced as it could be!!

Regardless, I look forward to the next conference!

By: Paige Dansinger

Paige Dansinger — Tue, 26 May 2009 02:11:11 +0000

Thanks James for perpetuating a dialog on such a relevant topic. I am working toward the goal of founding a Jewish art museum of MN, (JAMM). As a start-up museum, it is a challenge for me personally to financially budget a conference, such as the recent AAM Annual Conference in Philly, although I am aware that there is scholarship money available. Last year I did fly in for Denver to attend one small meeting in particular geared to start-up museums. It was very valuable. However being there for the day, I also attended 2 other meetings that were less than exciting- including one which included doing salsa dancing and singing songs (Really!! Hardly worth the money that I am still paying off on my credit card!!!) It would be really wonderful if in my short experience, at just one annual conference, that I wasn’t left with the impression that the groups are so “hit or miss” and think that ideally if one were able to really choose very specific topics that were most relevant, or have the opportunity to experience really quality, professional meetings that would be great. I understand that in a perfect world this could happen…. but perhaps the perfect world doesn’t really physically exist. Thats where computers come in! It may be possible, I believe, in the future to go to a virtual base and select video streams or interactive conferences that are highly specific and available at any time. This would greatly provide a continual dialog, reference and network base. This year, I longed to attend Philly, but knew that it would be a great expense, offer “hit or miss” topics and leave me with a wish to further belong, yet feel like I was a lost voice in a huge crowd. I chose not to attend. Instead, I used the same hours on my computer. I created important connections, mostly through Twitter, that I am working towards developing relevant collaborations for my and their professional interests. I feel that the collaborations will ultimately reach a broader public and be more effective in the success of it’s mission. I especially enjoy networking online because I am able to access like-minded professionals “virtually” 24/7. I would not abolish conferences completely, instead re-examine the format of them…regional conferences, topic specific lectures and online video databases and online dated and timed lectures/discussions may be a new way to proceed in these new times. I did end up with one thing from Denver (other than financial stress) I met a bunch of random people who gave me their business cards- they still sit on my desk…. Useful? You decide…

By: Noelle McClure

Noelle McClure — Mon, 25 May 2009 03:12:55 +0000

I have to say that it is highly unlikely that I would be as involved in the professional organizations that I am involved with if they came without any ‘in-person’ contact. Being in the same room with “people that speak my lingo” provides me with energy and enthusiasm that I take back to my workplace and use as inspiration throughout the year.

At the same time, I am gaining a LOT from my professional connections on social networking channels. I am learning new things (new vocabulary for sure–”back channel”?) and connecting with museum people in very meaningful ways.

I am also really excited to see what we can do to shake up the annual conference, to make it something else, something new…I think this is especially salient for me as I deal with the New Economy: budget cuts and layoffs resulting in a heavier workload and little-to-no travel budget for getting to the conference.