Hi Martin, On 14 Apr 2020, at 15:47, Martin J. Levy <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Tim. Happy (as I always am) to see a great v6 agenda for these meetings. However, I must respond in this point: Since we want to encourage active participation during the roundtable, we are limiting the number of virtual seats to 30. Huh? No. You should be doing the exact opposite in this day-n-age. You should be going for the absolute maximum number of online attendees. Active participation will occur - those that are active are not affected by number of “virtual” attendees. Face reality - online meetings are the new norm. The chances of meetings like yours going back to physical meetings for every meeting is slim. If this crisis has proven anything, it’s proven that we can happily continue and excel without the need to congregate in one location for an afternoon of talks. We can communicate and discuss and improve while being online. Heck! Tea and biscuits are in my kitchen - so there’s that issue solved! Please reconsider that “30”. Please aim for the stars - go online with 300 or heck, even more! It’s not like there’s a limit when hosting a Zoom call (I just finish a 900+ attendee live presentation - over three continents - flawless!). You make some good points. The challenge is having meaningful and non-chaotic discussions, which is easier with a smaller sized audience. But what we say on the invite, and what we actually do may not be the same. We’re simply setting expectations for the style of meeting that it is. The Council has always mixed smaller more “intimate” meetings with the larger events, i.e. round table (~20 people) with the full annual meetings (~100 people), and I think you’ve been at (enjoyed? :) both. And while I’m sure online meetings will continue, and hopefully reduce our environmental footprints, there is a lot of value in being able to socialise and discuss ideas in person before, during and after a meeting. So yes, there will be a trend towards more online events, but we shouldn’t forget the advantages of being there in person. Of course, the Council is just a bunch of volunteers, and all events are free to attend. We rely on the good graces of organisations to host us and feed us tea and biscuits, something you don’t need online (or as yet that you cannot send over IP!). But this is a more serious and broader question for UKNOF, which has to hire venues, and find sponsors. How will it be shaping itself for 2021 and beyond? Tim
