Jane Dysart writes a great post about the difficulties of scheduling and planning a conference in response to Walt Crawford’s criticism of CIL occurring at the same time as PLA. Hey, I surely don’t envy the job she has. I’m finding it stressful enough just to coordinate the people who are presenting for HigherEd BlogCon. And I had a hard enough time planning a wedding for 25 people! Just imagine planning the equivalent of a three-day wedding for more than 2,000 people. Most of the logistical problems with CIL (too few bathrooms, lack of wireless, too small concourse) were due to the limitations of the space at the Hilton. Hopefully next year the Hyatt will have some free wireless, more bathrooms and fountain drinks that cost less than $3.00.
ITI knows how to do a conference right. They constantly show their presenters that they are valued, they know how to schmooze the bloggers, they know how to get people into the exhibits (with receptions and CyberTours), and they treat their attendees well by having free receptions, breakfast, and a neverending supply of cold water. Can you imagine ALA doing any of that? To me, it really is a model for how a conference should be run.
[tags]cil2006[/tags]
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There was a lot cold water at PLA… 😉
Well that’s nice to hear. 😉 We all missed you at CIL, Steven!
I used to organize conferences and can tell you that there are so many details that go into them that most people may not realize. Sometimes you don’t have a choice when booking an event’s dates. The venue where you want to hold it may only give you certain dates for a number of reasons (for example, you may get a higher or lower priority based on the size of your event, how many hotel rooms your attendees will bring in, etc.)
I thought CIL 2006 was extremely professional. The sessions were informative (e.g. not marketing platforms) and the speakers were well-prepared. They mixed up the show in a way that brought people into the exhibit hall on a regular basis, thus meeting the needs of their vendors. They were generous with the food (often an area where conferences cut back, not realizing how much it really affects people’s moods with an event!). The cybertours, dine arounds, and evening sessions brought even more value to the event. I think they did a great job!
This was my first CIL (or any other ITI) conference and I too thought it was great! There was at least one program I wanted to see pretty much every time slot and the pacing was great for relaxing, hitting the exhibits and meeting folks between sessions. I really just left the hotel to eat so as long as there’s food etc. in Crystal City I’ll be happy. Can’t wait until next year.
One of the intersting things about planning a wedding is that you have a whole bunch of emotion and family politics wrapped up in it also. Not so with planning a convention.
Bob Dale
Photographer
http://www.dalestudios.com
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