Why conference planning is so essential

A wonderful visit to Hobbiton as part of our conference travels

Yes we do go to conferences to present our research results and network with other academics, but while we are travelling and often also need transfers to the conference destinations, why not try to work a little bit of fun or adventure or leisure into the trip? 

First of all you must decide on the conference and the destination that you want to travel to. Will it be the USA or Australia or Europe next year? - yes remember that you need to plan way ahead and popular conferences normally have early closing dates for proposals.  Keep in mind places you already visited and also the importance and impact of the conferences when you make these choices. 

Second, sit down and list the passions in your life that could be included in the travel plans. These could include hobbies or adventures you dream of or simply sport events that you would like to attend or things you would like to see like the Eiffel tower or the Pyramids or natural wonders and wild animals. Also ensure that you check the places to visit and things to do in and around the cities that host the conferences as conferences are normally linked to awesome tourist destinations. 

We are passionate Formula one fans and managed to combine a conference trip with ending up the weekend in Spa - simply awesome. We also managed to visit the Montreal track. Someday, we hope to also be in the Yas hotel by the end of November to see the UAE Grand Prix (always nice to have dreams way out of reach also included in the lists). You can include tennis, cricket (how about the IPL season?), soccer, football, rugby or any other that you are passionate about. Or curious about: We were staying next to the Red Socks baseball field in Boston and also later next to the Blue Jays Field in Toronto and managed to become interested and followers of this sport although we do not have much exposure to it in South Africa.

We also managed to combine conferences with visiting an active volcano and Hobbiton in New Zealand, and having wonderful times on cruise ships, and seeing Alaska! 

How about a Conference adviser or Conference Critic webpage?

Conference dinner in Stellenbosch

Just like TripAdvisor and cruise critic; how about a place were you can see what the large array of conferences can offer and read what other academics have to say about their experiences at these conferences?

Conferencing is not cheap and it also takes up a lot of time. Planning and arranging all the needed documentation and funding is already a full-time job if you are attending conferences on a regular basis. Deciding where and when to go is also taking a lot of time on the internet searching. Then there are things like air tickets, hotel reservation (deciding to stay at the conference hotel or not) and transfers to and from the airport (or to hire a car). And what about the stopover on your way back or a few extra days to visit a nearby attraction you want to tick of your bucket list?

I like to string two or three conferences together in order to safe money and use the time out of the country and away from the office to the fullest by combining my interests to attend one conference in each of my research fields.

People often ask me about certain conferences and one thing I discover more each day, is that not all people see conferencing in the same light and not all people think as I do (yes I know this anyway but I mean in terms of what makes a conference great or just ordinary or super). I really like conferences with 'build-in'  or add-on activities such as bus tours. And I really do not really care about fancy conference dinners that other people seem to adore. One of my colleagues only goes to large conferences (1000+ people) and another one likes to go when there would be large books and media exhibitions while yet another one only goes to conferences that contributes to their disciplinary point system. So, variety would be a sure feature on such a page, and the same conference will no doubt get good and poor ratings at the same time, but just like TripAdvisor and the likes, the reader would do well through critical reading to make informed decisions, don't you agree?   



   

The Learner conference - July

It is not too late to register and present at the Learner conference that will take place from 19 to 21 July at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu: Register and pay before 19 June. Returning members also get discount to this Common Ground conference. 

The special focus of the conference is: New media for new learning and there are ten conference themes to choose from. They are: Pedagogy and curriculum, Assessment and evaluation, Educational organization and leadership, Early childhood learning, Learning in Higher Education, Adult, Community and Professional learning, Learner diversities and identities, Technologies in learning, Literacy in learning, and Science, maths and technology learning. Keynote speakers include Bill Cope, Mary Kalantzis, Dan Hoffman, Fuxing Liu, Arianna Eichelberger and Patricio Henriquez Ritchie.  

This is a very large conference and therefore an excellent opportunity to broaden networks. The conference tour will be the 3 hour moderate Diamond head walking tour on 18 July and pre-registration will also take place in the lobby of the Hilton Double Tree hotel on Waikiki beach (the conference hotel) on the 18th of July. The conference dinner will be on 20 July and is promising to be a great event: 'The Starlight Luau is a unique feast of music, colour, food, and dance at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort. The Luau features extravagant Lei greetings, Hula kahiko performers, acrobatic fire dancers, and authentic Hawaiian dining.' 

I recently stayed at a few Double Tree hotels in the USA and enjoyed the large rooms, friendly service and beautiful bathrooms. And yes, the cookie is the cherry on top (in Seattle we arrived at 12:34 at night after a disastrous flight and the warm cookies were so comforting and nice).  

Cruise conferences should increase

The conference facilities on board the Emerald Princess

Why don't conference organizers use cruise ships? When asked, one said it is too expensive. Yes it is, but remember you include transport, transfers and full accommodation with all the extras into one and every time I did the maths, the cost factor was not that important. And you do not have to pack and unpack each day.

We just returned from a trip to Alaska on board a huge passenger liner equipped with full and awesome conferencing facilities. The conferences are scheduled for sea days or early evenings just after leaving port for the next stop, which means that there is a good chance of having all delegates present in the conference.  Shore days are used to network with other delegates. Normally, delegates are handled as a group with nice extras, special offers and cabins near the conference facilities.

We as South Africans, often think that is only Africa that have issues with connectivity, expensive internet and lack of technology but this is not true. We were totally cut off from the rest of the world for days because of  a lack of mobile phone signals and very expensive internet that we could not afford. I planned to post blogs on Mondays while we were traveling, but this could not happen and I just have to give up.

Not that the lack of connectivity was a total negative experience. How awesome to have a meal without a single sms alert and enjoying a shore excursion without missing a photo opportunity because you were checking e mails. So nice not to be constantly reminded about the work piling up in the inbox and being able to focus on the people around you and the places you visit. And as for emergencies, the ship were still connected to shore and did relay important information to those who needed it. So we were able to really relax and enjoy time together.

Hopefully we will be able to enjoy cruise conferences more often in future, even along the South African coast.