[Eg-oversight-board] Final conference thoughts

[Gagnon, Ron]

I like Terran's suggestions -- no outside keynote, local-themed merchandise
and vendor showcases.  I actually think three tracks, or at least
simultaneous programs, is still a good idea if it is affordable.  The snack
breaks were awkward this year, but I think they are designed to draw folks
nearby the vendors, which may not have been as successful this year due to
the layout.  Terran's snack suggestion has merit, but needs to be near the
vendors and hopefully more central.

With travel ever more expensive, and budgets not improving, growing
attendance is definitely a challenge.

Ron

On Wed, May 24, 2017 at 6:05 PM, Terran McCanna <
tmccanna at georgialibraries.org> wrote:

> Sorry for my late reply:
>
> - Tracks: I know we've already signed the contracts for the numbers of
> rooms, but what if we considered different ways of using the rooms? For
> example, what if we changed to two tracks of sessions, but then used the
> third room for an ongoing hackfest/digfest that shifted to game night space
> in the evenings? I noticed quite a few people perched around the lobby
> working furiously on things in between sessions - it might be nice to have
> a dedicated workspace. Maybe even with it's own coffee / soda service?
>
> - Wi-fi: Perhaps we can look into getting some wi-fi hotspots that don't
> rely on the hotel wi-fi?
>
> - Food: The snack breaks were awkward this year. I ended up skipping
> almost all of them because I wasn't hungry that soon after meals and most
> of the options didn't appeal to me. Perhaps we could consider spending more
> of that budget on all day service for coffee/soda/juice/water and
> take-and-go type snacks (fruit, chips, bagged nuts...) that are replenished
> throughout the day rather than having catered snack breaks?
>
> - Keynote: Maybe it's just me, but I don't think we really need an outside
> keynote speaker. I get much more out of hearing people in the community
> speak.
>
> - Merch: Someone on the survey suggested having some merch that is
> locally-themed or library-themed along with the Evergreen-themed merch, and
> I love that idea. Big conferences like ALA always have booths that are just
> selling library-themed t-shirts and mugs, book-oriented jewelry, etc. that
> rake in the money. (It might also be another sponsorship opportunity to
> offer.)
>
> - Vendors: Several vendors suggested the idea of vendor showcases, and I
> really like that idea. I've been to a number of conferences that have
> vendor-sponsored breakfasts and lunches where they get to present while
> people are eating. Or, perhaps combine vendor spotlights with snack breaks,
> so they get 15 or 20 minutes with a dedicated snacking audience?
>
> - Types of Programs: I noticed there were several requests in the survey
> for more cataloging / acquisitions / technical services sessions. I think
> one of the reasons we have few volunteers to do sessions on these topics is
> that cataloging policies and procedures aren't tied to a specific ILS.
> However, there are probably topics that we could encourage community
> members to do that aren't 100% tied to Evergreen but still relevant to our
> users. For example, a panel discussion on data quality and things to think
> about when moving from being an independent library to part of a consortium
> with a union catalog?
>
> - New and Potential Users: I like the idea of having a dedicated session
> for libraries that are new to Evergreen and libraries that are considering
> Evergreen as well. Maybe have it be in the form of a moderated interest
> group, perhaps with a representative from a few different types of
> libraries that are well-experienced with Evergreen to answer questions.
>
> - Promoting the Conference: Does anyone have any ideas on ways to promote
> the conference outside of the Evergreen lists and our existing communities?
> Would it be worth purchasing ads in library magazines or on social media
> sites?
>
>
> Terran McCanna
> PINES Program Manager
> Georgia Public Library Service
> 1800 Century Place, Suite 150
> Atlanta, GA 30345
> 404-235-7138 <(404)%20235-7138>
> tmccanna at georgialibraries.org
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> eg-oversight-board mailing list
> eg-oversight-board at list.evergreen-ils.org
> http://list.evergreen-ils.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/eg-oversight-board
>
>


-- 
Ronald A. Gagnon
Executive Director
North Of Boston Library Exchange (NOBLE)
Danvers, Massachusetts  01923
978-777-8844
www.noblenet.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://list.evergreen-ils.org/pipermail/eg-oversight-board/attachments/20170525/de2f6c86/attachment.html>