Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with conference

Between the unconference and the lecture

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:58:16 -0800

I'm planning a one-day seminar event. What are some good active learning strategies that I can employ for part of the day? I've heard that phrase, "The real conference happens in the hallway," and would like to facilitate that "hallway" environment within the conference room. We can't do an all-out unconference, mostly because it just is not logistically feasible for our group size (around 30 people).

This is a one-day seminar event for practitioners in my field -- library and information science. In the morning we have panelists lecturing to the crowd, like at a typical conference. But in the afternoon we'd like to do something different and break people up into groups to talk about the conference theme as it relates to them specifically. What are some ways to structure these group discussions?

All I can think of is think-pair-share, and I know that there are other active learning techniques out there. I have a structure for the event (i.e. something for everyone to talk about specifically in their groups) but I'd like to facilitate an active, interesting discussion among the people that are attending the conference. What are some other methods that I could use to achieve an engaging environment? I want to make sure that everyone gets a chance to talk and discuss the issues that have been touched on in the morning lecture sessions as well as issues specific to their own institutions.

I realize that the details here regarding context are fairly slim, but I'm not sure that the context really matters -- I'm really just looking for ways to facilitate discussion about a particular topic that go beyond the typical lecture format that you see at most conferences.

Hello My Name Is Boring

DarlingBri — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:40:29 -0800

I am highly motivated to avoid the blahness of YANFCB (Yet Another Fucking Conference Badge.) Help me come up with COOL conference badges. Or something. We have three months before 200 people will turn up at a conference expecting to say "Hello, My Name Is..." We are sick to death of these badges and these badges and I'm not a big fan of even the best of these either. So please, lift me from lameness and tell me about the coolest or most creative or most unusual or most radical conference badges you've seen or experienced that actually functioned well.

We are not on an unlimited budget by any means but we're creative people so we may be able to adapt anything but LED badges or really shmancy options like that.

We will have details in advance for pre-printing. Guidelines are: Name, URL, @twittername but you know, feel free to go nuts.

What kinds of questions do I ask during a parent/teacher conference?

lynnie-the-pooh — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:58:23 -0800

What kinds of questions should I ask my daughter's Kindergarten teacher during a parent/teacher conference? I'm trying to formulate some good questions to ask. One thing I will ask is.............is there anything specific I can do at home to help her. Also, she can read at the first grade level, or at least it seems that way to me. Should I ask the teacher if she could be put into an advanced reading class next year?

Conferences with less synergy?

hijinx — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:25:47 -0800

Please recommend conferences dealing with leadership, management, and the like that aren't buzzword-tastic snoozefests. If they exist. The deal is that I'd definitely like to learn more about management (having been a manager for a year), improving communication skills, and leadership goodness. I've been to internal training sessions which have been invaluable thanks to practical examples and keeping light on fluff. We looked at case studies, blue ocean strategy, etc. and I liked this a lot.

I work for a medium-sized tech company, and deal primarily with the UI. I'd prefer for the conference to be in the midwest US but will look at others in the US.

For reference I've been to An Event Apart (very good, obviously more of a tech focus) and Webvisions (very good.)

Are there any such conferences? Any advice? Thanks.

How much to charge for conference presentations?

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:05:53 -0800

A friend and I have been asked to present sessions at a conference, and we're not sure exactly how much to charge. The venue is a biannual communications conference for a large union, on the topic of social media. The first is going to be about and hour and a half long, one is going to be a powerpoint-heavy what-is-social-media-and-how-unions-can-use-it-effectively. The second is a more technical (but still novice-level) workshop on how to use online tools to make a website (blogger, wordpress, etc) - about an hour and a half of instruction, then three hours or so of helping the attendees build a site using what they've learned.

We've both presented and led workshops before, but with a much higher technical skill level (and for smaller organizations), and we're not sure what a good baseline would be to charge. The registration fee for attendees is just under $100, and while I'm not sure how many people are expected to attend, the capacity for the venue itself is between 500-800.

Any advice would be appreciated!

What are some clever tech-related sponsorship levels?

pyjammy — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:12:02 -0800

Help me think of some clever sponsorship levels for our upcoming tech conference. I am on the planning committee for a fairly small (150ish attendees) national conference. The organization that puts on the conference is a group of Catholic IT professionals. This year, we're implementing sponsorship levels, like "Platinum", "Gold", and "Silver". But those are kind of boring.

Help us think of some technology-themed levels we can use.

We will have three levels of sponsorship, and the titles need to be obviously "good", "better", and "best".

They paid, now should I?

Anonymous — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:51:56 -0800

Can I expense these plane tickets or should I pay for them myself? I traveled to a conference tangentially related to my job to give a speech to the attendees. The organizers paid for my hotel room and offered meals as part of the conference.

I combined the trip to the conference with a trip to one of our corporate offices that was in a nearby city as I was due to visit that office anyway, and it made the most of a cross-country trip, while adding only a tiny amount in additional fees for the short hop flight between the two.

The airline tickets were not covered by the conference, but I planned to expense them since a) it was my boss who suggested I attend the conference and b) the trip involved the office visit, as well.

Upon opening the thank you card from the conference organizers, I discovered an unexpected and quite large honorarium. It would cover my airfare 4 times over.

So, should I use the honorarium to pay for the plane tickets? Expense them anyway?

I have a feeling there's a 'Duh' answer to this question, but I can't figure out if it's 'Duh, of course your company will pay for the plane tickets, they sent you to the conference, and the honorarium is for you, you, you!' or 'Duh, it would be totally unethical for you to expect your employer to pay for your plane tickets, that's what the honorarium is for!' because I've never done anything like this before. If the answer is 'ask your boss', I'll do that, but if there's a totally 'duh' answer, I don't want to look like an idiot by asking.

Please hold, someone will be with you shortly.

yoyoceramic — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:55:59 -0800

I want to run it in a radio show type of format... a conference call that is. I want to run a conference call in a radio show type of format, where I can see on a switchboard (on the computer screen I assume) a listing of the callers (preferably in the order they called).

Since I will be fielding only questions, this style is preferred so that I can be asked the question by the caller, then interact with the caller while the other listeners on the line can hear. After I reslove the question, I bring the next caller on the line.

Any software recommendations out there? Preferably ones that are free-low cost. I'm imagining something where the caller calls in and is greeted with, "Welcome to the Q&A session, you are caller number 5. Please enjoy the conversation and we will answer your question shortly"

Conference room telephone setup

emmysue01 — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:46:54 -0800

I need some help setting up a telephone system for a large conference room (about 50 people) for question and answers. I'm looking for something that would allow the 50 or so participates to ask and have questions answered by someone off site. I'm not sure if I will have access to a land line, so systems that work with either land lines or cell phones would be helpful. I would prefer a system that has little cost as I'm not sure how often it will be used.

Thanks

Help me find a hotel a short subway ride away from a conference in Philadelphia

croutonsupafreak — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:04:57 -0800

Every hotel room within a mile of my upcoming Philadelphia conference is booked. Where can I stay that has easy weekend, weekday and evening public transit access to the University of Pennsylvania campus, specifically Jon M. Huntsman Hall at 3730 Walnut Street, Philadelphia? What do I need to know about using public transit to get back and forth? Must be safe after dark. Bonus points if it's affordable, as I'm paying for this out of my own pocket. My travel dates are Oct. 17 - Oct. 21, an apparently there's a much larger conference that's overlapping and eating up all the close-in hotel rooms during that time. I'll be arriving as early as 8 a.m., and leaving the conference as late as 9 p.m., and coming and going on weekdays and weekends both.

In the ultra-cheap realm, I found Apple Hostels, 32 Bank Street, which appears to be on a SEPTA line that connects directly to my conference. It looks like a pretty touristy/historic neighborhood, which leads me to guess that it's safe. But I've never been to Philly, and don't really know the ins and outs of anything.

I'd love advice on how SEPTA works, too. I've ridden subway systems in a number of systems, and most aren't too difficult to figure out. But SEPTA's Web site talks about tokens, which I've never used anywhere.

Seattle company that provides temporary internet for events?

kables — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:31:21 -0800

Where can I find a Seattle company that provides temporary internet connections for conferences & events? My Google-fu is failing me.

I'm part of a group organizing an unconference in Seattle in October. Our location is a public high school.... and it is looking like we might need to get internet access from a separate vendor (connectivity issues asides, public-school-mandated content filters might be a real issue if we use the school's connection).

Does anyone know of any companies in Seattle that provide temporary internet drops for conferences and events? We expect around 300 attendees.

Un poquito mas baratito en DF?

cachondeo45 — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:04:26 -0800

Which hotels do you recommend that are close to (within 15 minute walk or 10 minute combi ride) MELIÃ MÉXICO REFORMA but far more affordable and in safe areas? Conference in Mexico City (Woo!) but I can't afford the conference hotel on Paseo de la Reforma. I found a few hotels closeish that are around $68 / night, which seems much more reasonable. I will be sharing the hotel with three other people and am not adverse to a B&B or an apartment.

We will be there from Nov. 18 - 22.

I will be staying by myself until Nov. 27, so if you have additional recommendations that are WAY cheaper for just one or two people in a hip and safe part of town, that would be great!

Oh, and FWIW, we all speak Spanish at a near-native level.

Wi-fi in a conference room - are we getting screwed?

lakeroon — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:14:27 -0800

Why is it costing so much to get internet service in a hotel conference room? I'm organizing a small conference (about 50 people) who will all be in a hotel meeting room using the internet on their laptops.

The hotel says its wi-fi doesn't cover the conference rooms and that we have to go through its external A/V company. This company wants to charge about $2500. They are OK with us using a different provider for the internet service; the one our planner has found quotes a price about $1000 less.

Both of these seem kind of ridiculous to me. If the hotel can provide in-room wifi for $10-15, why is it so much more to provide it in a different room? Is there a cheaper solution?

(Sorry to say I don't know much about the specifications behind these quotes. The cheaper one includes a payment to the main A/V company for use of a line, and the rest pays for a wireless router and a technician.)

Attending a Seminar 101

Mach5 — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:38:22 -0800

I need to pick a seminar/conference/class/training/whatever for work to attend within the next 6 months or so, I have until 10PM to choose, and I have no idea where or what the cool stuff is. It should be at least tangentially related to my job as a Unix Systems Engineer/Python Guy, and preferably within the Northeast (NYC is where I'm located), although feel free to recommend anywhere in the US. I'm a django/python coder, but mainly a linux engineer. I'd like anything that is cool and interesting, a la DEFCON/HOPE/etc. It can be anything related to python, linux, AIX (ugh), solaris, high performance computing, clusters, networking, security, etc.

So, metafilter, what do ya got for me? Be forewarned that I fall asleep easily when I am bored, so I need something at least halfway interesting, that will also improve my skills.

Sightseeing during conferences

xm — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:30:21 -0800

Sightseeing during conferences. Would you do this? Attendees of conferences typically take time out for sightseeing, especially if the conference is in a foreign country. Taking into consideration that the travel money comes from grants or department funds and such, how ethical is this? I am not talking about taking a few hours out in the evenings but an entire day or so off during the time lectures are going on. I want to hear your opinion.

To Access the Call, Please Dial Your Participant Code Now

jay dee bee — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:22:44 -0800

I am seeking personal recommendations for telephone conference call systems/services/companies. Specific features needed are detailed below. I am looking for a high-quality, reliable conference call service for use a few times a month by a new business. The last time this question was asked was in 2005 and I would like to see if there are better/different answers for 2009.

Features needed:

* Does not need to be free, but I don't have a platinum budget either.
* I would like participants to be able to dial-in easily if I give them a number and a code.
* I would like to have a way to know the names of people who joined the call and the duration they were on, but I do not want others to know who else is on (ie participants are not announced to all)
* I would like the minimize the beeps. Nothing is worse than a zillion bee-boops and boo-beeps when someone important is speaking.
* The ability to record and playback the call seems cool, though I've never done it before. It might prove useful if I tried it.
* Good customer service from the company in case of snafus, etc.

Some companies I've seen are Civicom and Citynet, in addition to a whole slew of free conference call sites, but after awhile they all start to look the same, which is why I'm looking for personal recommendations.

Thank you!

Save me from another boring Italian meal

overhauser — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:38:22 -0800

Unusual places in Manhattan to take a group of scientists for dinner? Longer version inside. I've organized a scientific conference at the New York Academy of Sciences that is happening very soon, and one of my responsibilities is taking a group of 10 youngish, high-powered scientists from all over the country out to dinner and maybe drinks afterwards.

The area around the WTC is a bit of a wasteland, restaurant wise, and I swear I'll kill myself if I have to sit through another Italian Science Meal (seemingly the default safety choice of every single academic organization). Last year I took everyone to Sylvia's (the meeting was in Harlem that year) , which was a hit, and I'd like again to take people somewhere unique to New York. We can afford ~$150-200 a head, so mid-priced and down is best.

It would be nice if it isn't ear-splittingly loud, as one of the points of the dinner is networking/talking science, and they have to take reservations.

Given those parameters, what suggestions can you make? Thanks!

How to solve conference calling conundrum

FloryTric — Tue, 12 May 2009 10:11:06 -0800

Large conference room; polycom Soundstation VTX1000. Sounds great if you're in the room...lousy if you're calling. Help! We have a Polycom Soundstation VTX1000, with no external microphones. We have a large (40ft x 20ft) conference room with about 50 people on a conference call. We also have a handful of people calling in from remote locations. Everyone present in the conference room has a great experience, but everyone in the remote locations are almost completely unable to participate.

Unwanted sounds (side conversations, crumpling papers, coughing) are quite loud and clear, but actual conversations/presentations are not clear.

I realize that a lot of the problem could be solved with encouraging people to be as quiet as possible and not make outside noise. However, since it's a lunchtime conference call, this advice is generally not heeded.

I'm not necessarily wedded to the polycom system. Is there a better alternative? What would you recommend for additional microphones if the Polycom is truly the best option?

Got a big room. Need ideas.

skypieces — Sat, 09 May 2009 18:25:52 -0800

What would you do with a 47'x47' room to bring in revenue? I have an opportunity for a very affordable, longer-term lease on a building that has a nice-sized "conference room" in it (Dimensions: 47’x47’. Built in screen and staging available. 200-person capacity. Restrooms there too.) In the past, the room has been rented out for receptions, reunions, etc. It was not used as much as it could have been due to being in a small town. My background is in theatre and I have put on several small productions in that very room. Now I have the chance to do with it what I will. I certainly intend to stage more productions there, as well as furnish the place with tables and cater in dinners (dinner theatre, murder mysteries, etc). While I will make it generally available for rent as it has been, I want to pursue particular projects that will "pull" people in rather than simply dangling the availablity out there and hoping it is used.

Some ideas I have had for further use include:

Hosting contests (since it has screen, possibly gamers, etc)
Bringing in other theatre companies for shows
Small "concerts" that I organize
Trade shows (need to learn more about this)
Fundraisers that I organize (as opposed to just renting the room for a fundraiser)
Dances
Small film festival
Classes (acting, readers' theatre, other non-theatre topics with guest instructors)

So, if you had a room like this, in a smaller town, what would you do with it? Ideas, links to similar facilities, examples all greatly appreciated.

Where can I get loot for a book conference?

storybored — Wed, 06 May 2009 08:17:18 -0800

Can you help me find loot for my mystery fiction conference loot bags? I'm helping to organize this conference in Ottawa. It's standard practice to ask publishers for books and I'm told they usually come through. But I'm not having any luck. Any suggestions or tips? I'm looking for mass market mystery paperbacks, hardcovers, about 250 copies (though less would be fine). I've personally e-mailed a long list of publishers but only one or two have responded. I'd like to have at least 3 books per loot bag, so far we've got 1 per.

Eisenhower Vs. Kennedy Cage Match

HopperFan — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:55:24 -0800

Presidential trivia fight : Eisenhower or Kennedy? On Twitter today, there's a silly trivia contest running. One of the questions was "Who was the first president to hold a televised news conference?" The next tweet was "Congratulations to [winner], the answer is JFK!"

Except, no it isn't, right? I thought it was Eisenhower, googled that, and replied with some quoted info to the trivia contest runner and the guy who won - with a nice little note that said "I love Presidential Trivia!" so they didn't think I was after the stupid prize, a year's supply of soy candles.

Winner response #1: "It was never shown, it was more of a news clip that was given to the networks!!"

This doesn't seem to be correct, since most references to it say "broadcast," So I called the Eisenhower Presidential Library. They confirmed that it was sent out to the networks to be broadcast in newsreels. I even got the archivist to repeat "Yay Eisenhower!"

Response #2: "wasn't a press conference though. just a cabinet meeting - kind of like C/Span now."

If you watch the video on the C-Span website, it sure sounds like a q/a press conference, and is labeled as such.

Response #3: "Did you read the link? "President John Kennedy's first press conference (all three networks) was first live telecast..."

Right, the first live one. That's not what the original question asked.

Response #4 : " i called the museum of TV . . "This was not aired live and only bits were used. It was more of a cabinet session that he some ..."

I called the Museum of TV and Radio in NYC. They said this was the first they'd heard of the question, and that were they to do any research, a request would have to be faxed to them first, and it would take some time. I also called the Museum of Broadcast Communications, and they said their archivist wasn't in today. However, Bruce DuMont (President of the museum) happened to be standing right next to the woman I was speaking to, and he piped up "Eisenhower!"

So that's where it stands, and I threw up my hands and decided to come here, because many of you are more knowledgeable about:

- doing research
- presidential history
- media history

So which is it? Was Eisenhower's a real press conference, and was it broadcast, or has he gotten credit incorrectly all this time? Or is this not about facts at all, it's just that some guy can't admit he's wrong and/or really wants to keep those soy candles...

Yes, I know, this is a classic case of "Someone is wrong on the internet!" , but if I'm wrong, I'll gladly send the guy a mea culpa.

Video Conferencing Solutions

simplethings — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:21:37 -0800

Help me learn more about video conferencing and the equipment I'll need. I was recently assigned the project of creating a video conference solution for 3 separate locations in the Midwest (2 in Illinois 1 in Wisconsin).
The rooms are all about the same size, large enough for a rectangle table that seats 10. Each room also is equipped with a video projector and telephone.
A preferred service provider had already been chosen; it looks like a web-based system. You log-in to their website, create a conference, and invite other locations. Pretty simple. Also provides a “see my desktop” service.
In order to use this I know I’ll need:
a PC at each location with an Internet connection – done
equipment to capture and output both audio and video – no idea.

The only specifications given to me are that we need a PTZ camera and it must be wall or ceiling mounted, which means no desktop web cams. We already have contractors who can install the cameras but don’t know enough to give hardware recommendations.
As for a microphone/speaker system they want to make sure it is “open audio.” I don’t know what that means. I tried searching google but couldn’t come up with anything. Would that be considered speaker phone-like technology?
I’m assuming the speakers in the PC wouldn’t be loud enough... but would a microphone connected to the PC be alright for a table of 10?

Any extra information I need or am missing, recommendations for equipment, or even recommendations for companies you’ve used that can provide estimates or assessments would really help.

*I've checked out some of the similar threads 1|2|3 but none have really awesome applicable answers.

Space for a 50-person video conference in LA?

scrawlyman — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:41:05 -0800

Is there anywhere in LA to host a video-conference for 30, or even 50, people? My wife’s nonprofit has been having a VERY hard time tracking down a space that can host a video conference between 30 (or, if at all possible, 50) people in Los Angeles and a couple of people in Chicago. (The Chicago end is easy). Several nearby office buildings can offer up to 20 people, but the vision is for something larger.

Does anyone know of a space that can accommodate that? Or an appropriate hack for, like, a movie theater or similar space?

The other catch: This is for a nonprofit, so there is little to no money, use of the room would likely have to be considered a donation.

How to get invited to speak on panels?

gottabefunky — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:10:17 -0800

How can I get myself invited to speak on panels at conferences? This topic has been touched on before, but I have a somewhat more specific question.

When I go to conferences for some of the professional organizations I belong to, I always wonder how they pick the people who sit on the panels.

Even though these folks usually just get their travel expenses covered, as I understand, I figure it's still a good way to ease in the direction of paid public speaking. I'm comfortable talking in front of large groups and have done it a few times already.

How are these things set up? Is is as simple as letting whoever's planning the conference know, Hey, I'm available, and these are my qualifications? Does it help to suggest a panel topic? (To whom? When?) You can't speak at a conference of a group you're a member of, right?

A Good Retail/Consumer Goods Conference?

coward — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 22:55:55 -0800

What are some good, high-level, invitation only conferences for someone on the board of a large-cap, publicly traded company in the retail/consumer goods industry? I've been asked to make suggestions of conferences to attend for a board member of a company in the retail industry (a large-cap, publicly traded company).

The board member is new to the company and looking to get acquainted over the next year with the big picture issues facing the industry.

I've done a lot of poking around online and come up short for the most part (I unfortunately just missed this: Retail Industry Leaders Conference). I've found plenty of low-level, broad spectrum trade shows and expos for the retail world as well as conferences for people at his level but that aren't retail-focused.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Best,
Coward