[OpenGeoscience] Activities at EGU 2018: Call for abstracts / Townhall / Splinter

[Jeff McKenna]

Thanks for pushing this again Peter.  I actually just went back each 
year in the wiki, back to 2014 reading the LessonsLearned.

I can appreciate the idea to have a lunch/splinter event, but I agree 
that we would lose the 'extras' that we can include for attendees in the 
evening.

Question/Comment: the FOSS4G-Japan events use the evening session for 
lightning talks, everyone is more relaxed, some 'refreshments' are 
provided with light snacks, and attendees stand around the presenter up 
close, and listen to the lightning talk - some important points that 
they use for this, which generate a more 'open' feeling:

   - no stage or podium.  the lightning speaker is given a mic and 
stands level beside the attendees, near the free 'refreshments'.  I am 
actually very against the stage and the podium, as it portrays a "I am 
talking down to you, I am here to lecture you" imagine which actually 
bores me.

   - few slides.  Attendees have just watched an entire 8 hours of 
slides, would anyone want to watch even more slides?  Impossible.

   - no seating, everyone stands.  This makes everyone more 'social', I 
have seen this in so many events.  The worst we can do is force 
attendees to sit at a table of 5, which limits discussion to those 5.

   - colorful topics or more interesting topics.  Yes it can be done.

This is my advice, from attending so many of these extra sessions 
outside the program, at so many events around the world.  Can we apply 
some of this to our EGU session?

You do mention 'dinner' which usually refers to a feeling quite opposite 
of what I mention above.   But is any of that feedback useful in this 
townhall case?   hmmmmmmmmmmm

-jeff





On 2017-12-08 7:09 AM, "Peter Löwe" wrote:
> Dear list,
> 
> the calls for EGU submissions are open until January 10 2018 (https://www.egu2018.eu/).
> 
> I would like t o draw you attention especially on this session:
> 
> ESSI3.1:Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) for Geoinformatics and Geosciences
> Details: http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2018/session/26511
> 
> Further, I would like to ask for feedback whether the committee shall organize another Townhall event at EGU (evening event) or shall instead go for a lunch-(splinter)event.
> OSGeo Townhalls have been hosted since 2014 (report on last townhall https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/EGU_Townhall_2017).
> 
> Townhalls have the disadvantage to compete for attendees, as several Townhall events happen in parallel in the same timeslot.
> 
> The same applies potentially to splinter meetings hosted during lunch, but during that time of day most of the conference attendees are on the move anyway.
> 
> IMHO the biggest difference between a splinter event for lunch and a Townhall would be availability of libations (evenings: "free science", "free software", "(free) beer") instead of hot beverages (coffee/tea).
> 
> For an OSGeo-themed evening event we could also schedule a dinner-event (including libations) to meet with local OSGeo activists, as it was done in the past years.
> 
> Please comment.
> 
> best,
> Peter
>