Post-conference Steering Committee MeetingHere are the points discussed during the meeting. Please, feel free to add your comments.
Positive
- Best things are conversations with other users and there was plenty of down time (breaks, meals, etc.) for those conversations. Good balance with talks and breaks.
- The layout of the venue made it very easy to catch up with people.
- 30- and 45-minute format for breakouts work better than the 90-minute ones from last year. This is the best format.
- There was a good diversity of topics. Balance of talks was good, in terms of complexity.
- Training classes are very important to justify the trip. Very helpful.
- Most attendees were glad and surprised that they found useful things to take home with them.
- Great that the demos were uploaded so that attendees had the chance to look at them again later.
- The Steering Committee did a good job selecting papers.
- This Discovery was one of the better ones.
- Food was very good.
- I liked String Theories. I only heard good feedback from attendees.
- I loved Jeff’s intro and John’s keynote.
Comments:
- Ensure fonts on screen are bigger for the back of the room.
- Some screens in breakout rooms were too low. People in the back rows couldn’t see. Ceilings too low. Keep that in mind when picking venues in the future.
- Remind presenters to show links so the audience knows the information is available later and how to find it.
- Consider making all breakouts the same length.
- Some talks had good discussions at the end that were cut short. Would be nice to have some flexibility to extend the time of the session to accommodate these discussions if they occur.
- Go south for future Discoveries for some warmer weather?
- There was some confusion between RNR and MSA. Be clearer about JMP’s ability to do MSA. Get someone to present on full MSA in JMP.
Discussion points:
- Is there any chance of putting tutorials before/after the scheduled plenaries and breakouts for people who can’t come to the conference early?
- Group discussion about the question; concurred that the days are already too dense. Need time to relax.
- We offer presenters the opportunity to chat with Steering Committee members. Urged Steering Committee to talk to presenters about any concerns. Perhaps give the presenters a chance to talk to a Steering Committee after they have been selected.
- Was the presenter meeting valuable?
- Yes, but mostly attended by experienced presenters.
- It is still valuable to offer it to all presenters.
- Some of Kevin’s tips that he shared at the presenter meeting were given too late. Content advice should be given earlier; reserve the morning meeting for practical tips.
- It would be nice to have more opportunities to see posters with their creators.
- Should breaks also be poster times? If so, each poster could be presented several times rather than have a dedicated poster time. SC: Good idea.
- If the venue allows, I prefer a separate room for posters rather than a gauntlet of them.
- Printed posters are more eye-catching. E-posters are too flat, dull.
- Can we make printed copies of posters available?
- From the logistics side, e-posters have a much kinder schedule. Poster presenters tend to be unreliable.
- A useful addition to the schedule would be to have a problem-solving session, with the problem announced ahead of time. Allow for people who are interested, experienced or faced with the same issue to share solutions that have worked and/or ideas for solutions that might work.
- I agree that this would be very valuable. It would be ideal if there were a moderator to lead discussion. Have a template for the person submitting the problem to follow so everyone understands what the issue is right away.
- Isn’t this already available at Ask the Developer?
- Not really. It would be more helpful to hear from others who have encountered the same thing.
- Is it possible to have presentation winner to give presentations again after the award was given for those who missed it the first time?
- We could offer to record the winner’s presentation and make it available.
- If we are to add new sessions, it would take away from the current agenda. Do we want to make the conference longer? Will we lose attendees? Can people be here longer?
- I would prefer the longer conference. More time to network.
- The effort is getting here. Adding another day really doesn’t matter.
- We’d have to charge more. Is that harder to justify?
- Give a two- or three-day option.
- Do a survey.
- Some companies have to pay employees for time for weekend travel. May be a deterrent.
- Where should future Discoveries be?
- Lots of suggestions: Barcelona, Sicily, Lisbon, Málaga, Sienna/Florence, Bordeaux, Dublin, Stockholm/Helsinki (but not in spring), Prague, Vienna, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Madrid, Seville, Rome, Tel Aviv, Davos
- Please let us know of any good facilities you come across. We will investigate. Must be able to accommodate 300-400 people. One floor. High enough ceilings. Big plenary room. Direct flights from most of Europe.
Re: Post-conference Steering Committee MeetingDear Maria,
Thank you for the meeting minutes! One comment that I do not immediatly find back in your notes: the screen in the ball room (large conference room) was too narrow causing neck pain for people in the front to the side of the room. Either the audience needs to sit further from the screen or we go back to multiple screens.
best regards,
Elie
Re: Post-conference Steering Committee MeetingDear Maria, Please find below some ideas to have a Discovery Summit in Toulouse For example, here is a hotel, close to the airport that could be used for the event. https://www.radissonblu.com/fr/hotel-toulouseairport?csref=ppc_m_cr_sk_fr_ho_tlszq_brand&facilitator=BIGMOUTHMEDIAREZIDOR&msclkid=9ead74c05816109603d9285bc3bbf350& If needed, I can help in getting the authorization to use the "salle des illustres" (https://www.toulouse-visit.com/le-capitole) for the adventure dinner. With kind regards Jean
