[Foss4g2009] Conference evaluations and feedback

[Cameron Shorter]

Dave, you have lots of good suggestions here.
Would you like to copy them into the Lessons Learned?
I'm not sure how we make sure it gets into 2009. Maybe we should 
incorporate into the program when we start building it.

Dave Patton wrote:
> With the FOSS4G model that is now in place,
> it seems clear that as soon as one year's
> FOSS4G ends, the LOC for the next year's
> conference wants to "know how it went".
>
> In 2007, it was months before the conference
> and workshop/lab evaluation results were
> available, and the final financial report.
>
> Perhaps we should try and plan for getting
> evaluation results 'quickly' this year.
>
> Some thoughts:
> A)
> During the registration process, ask people
> to opt in to doing a non-anonymous evaluation
> post conference. "non-anonymous" because it would
> be tied to their registration. Post conference,
> have a 'short' timeframe(1 month) for people to
> complete the online evaluation. Send them 3 email
> reminders(e.g. 1 week after the conference, 1 week
> to go, and 48 hours to go).
> B)
> For people who don't opt in, provide a paper
> evaluation form in their conference satchel.
> Have them collected and entered into the same
> online system within 1 month. This option should be
> discouraged, because with the online opt-in
> system, the questions don't have to be finalized
> until the conference is over, so they can be
> adapted to how the conference unfolds.
> We could even decide to do "online only" for 2009,
> but it does have some risks.
> C)
> Some simple methods could be built into the opening
> plenary, AGM, and closing plenary to get some form
> of 'evaluations'. Could be things like "show of hands",
> or something perhaps a bit more accurate such as
> "exit this door for yes, that door for no" or using
> colored bits of paper deposited into ballot boxes
> with signs and matching colors, and using a digital
> scale to weigh the ballot box contents.
> D)
> Most of the monies will have been spent/committed
> and collected/promised before the actual start of
> the conference, so have the PCO prepare a preliminary
> profit & loss statement "just before" the conference.
> It can be given to the OSGeo board for their meeting
> (as a 'heads up'), and can be given to the 2010
> organizers so they have a sense of how things went.
>


-- 
Cameron Shorter
Geospatial Systems Architect
Tel: +61 (0)2 8570 5050
Mob: +61 (0)419 142 254

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