To host an in-person conference, or not?
I advanced to the final PowerPoint slide, and a multiple-choice question appeared on the large ballroom screen, “Where will Data Modeling Zone be in 2013?” A. Rome, B. Paris, C. Hawaii, or D. Baltimore. You could definitely make out “Hawaii” as the preference through the static hum across the crowd of over 100 data modelers. Yet, as the options vanished from the page, leaving just Baltimore as the location for next year’s Data Modeling Zone (DMZ 2013), applause brought our inaugural DMZ 2012 conference to a close.
For each of the 20+ DMZ world conferences we’ve organized since 2012, we faced the main conference stressor to financially survive—reach breakeven from registrations and make a small profit from sponsorships. During the conference, we faced the typical smaller (but no less stressful) challenges to make sure all speakers check in and are ready to present, meal services come and go at the right times, and audio and video technology behave. Despite these and many other hurdles, and the strong urge to take an extended vacation after the conclusion of each conference, I would organize another DMZ in-person in an instant.
I love the excitement of arriving at the conference site a few days early and knowing that it will magically transform into a DMZ environment with our banners, registration desk, and bookstore. Here is the scene early breakfast Day 1, DMZ 2012, Baltimore - can you feel the energy?
I love catching up with people I only get to see once a year at these events. I love hearing passionate speakers and listening to spirited discussions on data modeling during session breaks. I love seeing people browse at the bookstore and asking for suggestions on what next session to attend. I love brainstorming on new ideas (that’s where PebbleU came from). I love meeting potential authors and showcasing our latest books (Technics Publications ). I love setting up screens and projectors at weird hours of the night and early mornings, and then taking them down again after the last sessions conclude.
I love trying to find the most interesting keynote speakers. For example, Peter Vidmar, American gymnast and Olympic medalist, spoke at DMZ 2012. We actually had to ask permission from the hotel to bring in a "horse" for the keynote...I won't tell you what that conversation was like, but you can imagine...
But then came COVID. At first, conferences were canceled, and later, they became virtual. Have you been to a virtual conference?
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Virtual conferences allow you to attend in your pajamas from the comfort of your home, avoid the unknowns and frustrations of travel, and switch to a more interesting parallel session with a few clicks instead of trying to sneak out of the room at the back without the speaker noticing.
Bob Bejan, Microsoft’s Vice President of Global Events, said during a recent interview , that virtual was always destined to be the future of events. “The pandemic is really just an accelerator of something that was going to be inevitable anyway, but probably would have taken five or six years instead of just two.”
We did our last DMZ Europe virtual, and I enjoyed attending the sessions and was impressed with how IT Works flawlessly managed the technology. What I missed, though, and it sounds strange, is the buzz. The excitement of sharing experiences over coffee or juice, talking with people around me before a session starts, making new friends and connections…can all this be done virtually? Currently, I don’t think so. But, maybe the metaverse will change all that…
I get questions almost weekly from past attendees, speakers, and sponsors when the next DMZ is going to be and where. So here is the $50,000 question – is the world ready for an in-person Data Modeling Zone conference? And more specifically, would you attend?
I actually think the best venue for an in-person conference post-COVID, would be to find a company that is willing to provide the location for the conference in exchange for registrations. We did this for DMZ Europe 2019, which Mercedes sponsored at their Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart. An absolutely amazing location and fantastic food! This arrangement removes some of the pressure of a conference. If something bad happens in the world, such as another pandemic or war, there are minimal or no cancellation fees instead of hosting at a hotel which can lead to substantial cancellation fees. (Let me know if your company would be interested in sponsoring our next DMZ!)
I got a marketing email last week about a graph conference that will be in both in person and virtual. Maybe hybrid conferences are the future, could be. Some interesting statistics on hybrid events here . I just hope in-person conferences don’t disappear for good. Mark Gurman, from Bloomberg, writes about the need for in-person conferences in this article .
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Driving Business Excellence as Digital Data Advisor & NLU AI Tech Distributor | Expert in Enterprise hybrid AI Integration
1 年On-sight conferences and workshops are back in Australia. Though hybrid, there were 350 people on-site at a data conference last week in Canberra, and 58 attended my post-conference workshop. People are starting to understand the gaps in their knowledge around data. The conversations and interactions are very important. Also, the quality of sponsors' giveaways is improving...
Great article! You have clearly defined the in person vs. virtual conference dilemma. As the Executive Director of a state-wide non-profit which provides Disability Inclusion education to our member businesses, we have found that virtual meetings have worked well for us as it is easier for our members to attend our meetings including our Annual Meeting and Awards Gala.However, we all miss the personal interaction or, as you call it the “buzz” of in person events. Our parent organization is holding its first in person Annual Conference after two years of successful virtual conferences, in Dallas in July with the option of attending virtually. As much as I miss the in person conference, due to my own health concerns, I will attend from the comfort of my home. Many of my colleagues share my concerns and will attend virtually. Wishful thinking aside, we are still in the midst of a pandemic. As technically difficult as it might be, I believe that a hybrid conference is the best option as it offers the opportunity for more people to attend within their comfort zone and feel included. I would guess that virtual attendees would be more likely to attend in person next year when, hopefully, the pandemic is over.
#TheDataWarrior, Strategic Advisor, Data Vault Master, Author, Speaker, Grandmaster of TKD
2 年In person 100%. Virtual can never replace the person to person interaction and buzz. I attribute much of the success I had in my career to the contacts and network I was able to build via in person conferences and meetups. Humans are social and tactile creatures - we need that interaction to bond. Plus, as a speaker, it is really hard to read the room, to see if your message is resonating, when you can't see facial expressions and read body language. That is all but impossible when the majority of folks on a virtual event or webinar are not visible at all, or even a Zoom meeting where everyone has their camera turned off! I recently did a hybrid workshop with 30 people in the room and maybe 50 online. It was successful but there were definitely challenges in how to set up the camera and microphone so the virtual attendees could see the speaker. Plus as a speaker I had to restrict my movement as I spoke to the live audience in front of me so that the virtual attendees could also see and hear me. That was a challenge. On the plus side we got great questions via chat from those online. But again, we needed another person monitoring those live so they could be conveyed to the speaker in a timely manner.
Data Engineer/Data Modeler
2 年I prefer in person conferences. It's not only sharing knowledge, but also meeting people and spent a few days away from home.