How did you like July as date for the conference
Hi ESUG list readers, first of all, I'd like to send a late but nevertheless earnest and warm Thank You to all who organized the ESUG 2015 conference. I've enjoyed the conference and the networking. The social event location was great and also Brescia as a city was fantastic. I'd like to ask all who came or couldn't come to comment on the selection of the Date for the conference. This year, the conference was held in early July rather than in late August. To me, personally, that was an excellent choice, and I've spoken to many people at the conference and on other occasions about the date. Most people I talked to were either pleased or indifferent. But I could imagine some people didn't come because early July didn't fit well. I would like to have ESUg earlier in the year, and early July was very convenient for me for several reasons: * In my area (southern Germany), the school holidays haven't started by that time, so the conference doesn't interfere with our vacation plans * For exactly that reason, I think we've had a few more people from a more "enterprisey" background * There aren't many other events in July that might interfere with teh ESUG conference Let me also state very clearly that I am not asking on behalf of ESUG or that I am in a position to influence the date, other than maybe by starting a discussion on this list ;-) I am not involved in the planning or organisation of the next ESUG conferences, though this might change in the future, never say never ;-) So, what is your opinion? Does July fit for you, or was the changed date keeping you from attending? Thanks for commenting. Maybe this is of help to the conference organisers, at least I hope so. My intentions are positive ;-) Joachim -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Objektfabrik Joachim Tuchel mailto:jtuchel@objektfabrik.de Fliederweg 1 http://www.objektfabrik.de D-71640 Ludwigsburg http://joachimtuchel.wordpress.com Telefon: +49 7141 56 10 86 0 Fax: +49 7141 56 10 86 1
On 09/24/2015 11:27 PM, jtuchel@objektfabrik.de wrote:
* In my area (southern Germany), the school holidays haven't started by that time, so the conference doesn't interfere with our vacation plans * For exactly that reason, I think we've had a few more people from a more "enterprisey" background
There were also people that I wanted to see that could not come, because they were still dealing with students, so I'd rather see it during the vacation time.
So, what is your opinion? Does July fit for you, or was the changed date keeping you from attending?
For me personally, mid-July can work, and late August or early September can also. But I think I prefer the later dates. The weather's better (second half of July is peak heat for many places, and this year's heat made the conference considerably less enjoyable), and airfares to get there are often lower. Thanks for asking the question. Regards, -Martin
Hi all, On 25.09.2015, at 09:21, Martin McClure <martin.mcclure@gemtalksystems.com> wrote:
On 09/24/2015 11:27 PM, jtuchel@objektfabrik.de wrote:
* In my area (southern Germany), the school holidays haven't started by that time, so the conference doesn't interfere with our vacation plans * For exactly that reason, I think we've had a few more people from a more "enterprisey" background
There were also people that I wanted to see that could not come, because they were still dealing with students, so I'd rather see it during the vacation time.
I was dealing with students and could not come and couldn't meet people I wanted to meet. August is pretty much free for University academics in Germany, that's why it worked well for us in the previous years. Best regards -Tobias
Joachim, Short answer: I could not come. Georg Georg Heeg eK, Dortmund und Köthen, HR Dortmund A 12812 Wallstraße 22, 06366 Köthen Tel. +49-3496-214328, Fax +49-3496-214712 -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- Von: Esug-list [mailto:esug-list-bounces@lists.esug.org] Im Auftrag von jtuchel@objektfabrik.de Gesendet: Freitag, 25. September 2015 08:27 An: esug-list@lists.esug.org Betreff: [Esug-list] How did you like July as date for the conference Hi ESUG list readers, first of all, I'd like to send a late but nevertheless earnest and warm Thank You to all who organized the ESUG 2015 conference. I've enjoyed the conference and the networking. The social event location was great and also Brescia as a city was fantastic. I'd like to ask all who came or couldn't come to comment on the selection of the Date for the conference. This year, the conference was held in early July rather than in late August. To me, personally, that was an excellent choice, and I've spoken to many people at the conference and on other occasions about the date. Most people I talked to were either pleased or indifferent. But I could imagine some people didn't come because early July didn't fit well. I would like to have ESUg earlier in the year, and early July was very convenient for me for several reasons: * In my area (southern Germany), the school holidays haven't started by that time, so the conference doesn't interfere with our vacation plans * For exactly that reason, I think we've had a few more people from a more "enterprisey" background * There aren't many other events in July that might interfere with teh ESUG conference Let me also state very clearly that I am not asking on behalf of ESUG or that I am in a position to influence the date, other than maybe by starting a discussion on this list ;-) I am not involved in the planning or organisation of the next ESUG conferences, though this might change in the future, never say never ;-) So, what is your opinion? Does July fit for you, or was the changed date keeping you from attending? Thanks for commenting. Maybe this is of help to the conference organisers, at least I hope so. My intentions are positive ;-) Joachim -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Objektfabrik Joachim Tuchel mailto:jtuchel@objektfabrik.de Fliederweg 1 http://www.objektfabrik.de D-71640 Ludwigsburg http://joachimtuchel.wordpress.com Telefon: +49 7141 56 10 86 0 Fax: +49 7141 56 10 86 1 _______________________________________________ Esug-list mailing list Esug-list@lists.esug.org http://lists.esug.org/mailman/listinfo/esug-list_lists.esug.org
Hi Joachim; The traditional timeframe (late August) was better for me. July was more difficult to schedule and prepare for. Regards Arden Arden Thomas Cincom Smalltalk Product Manager athomas@cincom.com ________________________________________ From: Esug-list [esug-list-bounces@lists.esug.org] on behalf of Georg Heeg [georg@heeg.de] Sent: Friday, September 25, 2015 3:37 AM To: jtuchel@objektfabrik.de; esug-list@lists.esug.org Subject: Re: [Esug-list] How did you like July as date for the conference Joachim, Short answer: I could not come. Georg Georg Heeg eK, Dortmund und Köthen, HR Dortmund A 12812 Wallstraße 22, 06366 Köthen Tel. +49-3496-214328, Fax +49-3496-214712 -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- Von: Esug-list [mailto:esug-list-bounces@lists.esug.org] Im Auftrag von jtuchel@objektfabrik.de Gesendet: Freitag, 25. September 2015 08:27 An: esug-list@lists.esug.org Betreff: [Esug-list] How did you like July as date for the conference Hi ESUG list readers, first of all, I'd like to send a late but nevertheless earnest and warm Thank You to all who organized the ESUG 2015 conference. I've enjoyed the conference and the networking. The social event location was great and also Brescia as a city was fantastic. I'd like to ask all who came or couldn't come to comment on the selection of the Date for the conference. This year, the conference was held in early July rather than in late August. To me, personally, that was an excellent choice, and I've spoken to many people at the conference and on other occasions about the date. Most people I talked to were either pleased or indifferent. But I could imagine some people didn't come because early July didn't fit well. I would like to have ESUg earlier in the year, and early July was very convenient for me for several reasons: * In my area (southern Germany), the school holidays haven't started by that time, so the conference doesn't interfere with our vacation plans * For exactly that reason, I think we've had a few more people from a more "enterprisey" background * There aren't many other events in July that might interfere with teh ESUG conference Let me also state very clearly that I am not asking on behalf of ESUG or that I am in a position to influence the date, other than maybe by starting a discussion on this list ;-) I am not involved in the planning or organisation of the next ESUG conferences, though this might change in the future, never say never ;-) So, what is your opinion? Does July fit for you, or was the changed date keeping you from attending? Thanks for commenting. Maybe this is of help to the conference organisers, at least I hope so. My intentions are positive ;-) Joachim -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Objektfabrik Joachim Tuchel mailto:jtuchel@objektfabrik.de Fliederweg 1 http://www.objektfabrik.de D-71640 Ludwigsburg http://joachimtuchel.wordpress.com Telefon: +49 7141 56 10 86 0 Fax: +49 7141 56 10 86 1 _______________________________________________ Esug-list mailing list Esug-list@lists.esug.org http://lists.esug.org/mailman/listinfo/esug-list_lists.esug.org _______________________________________________ Esug-list mailing list Esug-list@lists.esug.org http://lists.esug.org/mailman/listinfo/esug-list_lists.esug.org
Hi Joachim, Personally, for me July is better. However, I would be careful when conducting such opinion survey since mostly people who are not happy with July are answering. People who are happy with July or without a strong opinion will probably not reply. Maybe using an online survey (instead of sending a mass email) will probably reduce biases, get more opinions, and reflect the truth. Cheers, Alexandre
On Sep 25, 2015, at 3:27 AM, jtuchel@objektfabrik.de wrote:
Hi ESUG list readers,
first of all, I'd like to send a late but nevertheless earnest and warm Thank You to all who organized the ESUG 2015 conference. I've enjoyed the conference and the networking. The social event location was great and also Brescia as a city was fantastic.
I'd like to ask all who came or couldn't come to comment on the selection of the Date for the conference. This year, the conference was held in early July rather than in late August.
To me, personally, that was an excellent choice, and I've spoken to many people at the conference and on other occasions about the date. Most people I talked to were either pleased or indifferent. But I could imagine some people didn't come because early July didn't fit well. I would like to have ESUg earlier in the year, and early July was very convenient for me for several reasons:
* In my area (southern Germany), the school holidays haven't started by that time, so the conference doesn't interfere with our vacation plans * For exactly that reason, I think we've had a few more people from a more "enterprisey" background * There aren't many other events in July that might interfere with teh ESUG conference
Let me also state very clearly that I am not asking on behalf of ESUG or that I am in a position to influence the date, other than maybe by starting a discussion on this list ;-) I am not involved in the planning or organisation of the next ESUG conferences, though this might change in the future, never say never ;-)
So, what is your opinion? Does July fit for you, or was the changed date keeping you from attending? Thanks for commenting. Maybe this is of help to the conference organisers, at least I hope so. My intentions are positive ;-)
Joachim
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Objektfabrik Joachim Tuchel mailto:jtuchel@objektfabrik.de Fliederweg 1 http://www.objektfabrik.de D-71640 Ludwigsburg http://joachimtuchel.wordpress.com Telefon: +49 7141 56 10 86 0 Fax: +49 7141 56 10 86 1
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-- _,.;:~^~:;._,.;:~^~:;._,.;:~^~:;._,.;:~^~:;._,.;: Alexandre Bergel http://www.bergel.eu ^~:;._,.;:~^~:;._,.;:~^~:;._,.;:~^~:;._,.;:~^~:;.
usually we try to adapt to local constraints :) On 25 Sep 2015, at 08:27, jtuchel@objektfabrik.de wrote:
Hi ESUG list readers,
first of all, I'd like to send a late but nevertheless earnest and warm Thank You to all who organized the ESUG 2015 conference. I've enjoyed the conference and the networking. The social event location was great and also Brescia as a city was fantastic.
I'd like to ask all who came or couldn't come to comment on the selection of the Date for the conference. This year, the conference was held in early July rather than in late August.
To me, personally, that was an excellent choice, and I've spoken to many people at the conference and on other occasions about the date. Most people I talked to were either pleased or indifferent. But I could imagine some people didn't come because early July didn't fit well. I would like to have ESUg earlier in the year, and early July was very convenient for me for several reasons:
* In my area (southern Germany), the school holidays haven't started by that time, so the conference doesn't interfere with our vacation plans * For exactly that reason, I think we've had a few more people from a more "enterprisey" background * There aren't many other events in July that might interfere with teh ESUG conference
Let me also state very clearly that I am not asking on behalf of ESUG or that I am in a position to influence the date, other than maybe by starting a discussion on this list ;-) I am not involved in the planning or organisation of the next ESUG conferences, though this might change in the future, never say never ;-)
So, what is your opinion? Does July fit for you, or was the changed date keeping you from attending? Thanks for commenting. Maybe this is of help to the conference organisers, at least I hope so. My intentions are positive ;-)
Joachim
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Objektfabrik Joachim Tuchel mailto:jtuchel@objektfabrik.de Fliederweg 1 http://www.objektfabrik.de D-71640 Ludwigsburg http://joachimtuchel.wordpress.com Telefon: +49 7141 56 10 86 0 Fax: +49 7141 56 10 86 1
_______________________________________________ Esug-list mailing list Esug-list@lists.esug.org http://lists.esug.org/mailman/listinfo/esug-list_lists.esug.org
Very late August is difficult for North-American academics, as classes typically start the day after Labour Day (first Monday in September), so some previous years, travelling back in time to get set up for the term is challenging. On the other hand, it was pretty hot this year (although that was partly anomalous weather), so a bit later (like mid-August) might be better. ../Dave
Dear Joachim, generally, I prefer August dates to July or September dates. I suspect that custom, and the existence of other conferences in other months, means we could on average lose more than we gain from a significant move of the usual ESUG dates. I researched ESUG attendance in relation to date when preparing the 2011 conference: it seemed that the traditional dates were usually better than later ones. (I note you are asking about much earlier ones, for which I had no significant data.) As Stephane says, the choice of venue and local organiser influences the dates. For example, the earliest ESUG I recall before this one was in Brussels in 2005 in mid-August, because hotels in Brussels were _much_ cheaper mid-August than after the eurocrats began to return from their holidays. In Edinburgh, I took a calculated gamble to overlap the conference with the festival, which made it more popular and memorable (I think) but meant I had to book the accommodation at the start of the year and guarantee it all myself; most local organisers are understandably not up for that kind of thing. I know the first full week in September is not popular with US attendees because of the Labour Day holiday (Monday of that week). The last Monday of August (i.e. the Monday immediately before Labour Day in most years) is a holiday in the UK. Having ESUG in that week never bothers me. It can make UK sites easier to get (but we've had two ESUG's in the UK in the last 5 years so that's not an immediate issue). I do not recall hearing another UK smalltalker name loss of the August Bank Holiday specifically as an obstacle; maybe the fact we get more annual vacation than in the US makes it less of an issue for us. Of course, August is school holiday time (only the first-half of August in Scotland but all of August in England), so having ESUG in August suits some but not others in the UK for that reason, just as in other countries. IIUC, the week straddling August-September or the week before - the last full week in August - are the typical ESUG dates when local issues do not supervene. I found the mid-August ESUG in Brussels fine, so, like David, I'd not object to earlier-in-August dates. I much enjoyed Brescia (but could have done with less heat). Whatever happens, you'll not please everyone. Predictability is worth preserving unless there's a strongish case for expecting more attendees at another time. My 0.02p Niall Ross
I could attend ESUG this year *because* it was held in July. The other dates in late August to September in the recent years always collided with our local school holidays and family vacation period. And family always won, so I was on holidays during the ESUG conference. Maybe I have to change my vacation habits Thomas
Am 02.10.15 um 13:23 schrieb Thomas Brodt:
I could attend ESUG this year *because* it was held in July. The other dates in late August to September in the recent years always collided with our local school holidays and family vacation period. And family always won, so I was on holidays during the ESUG conference. Maybe I have to change my vacation habits
...which is not easy given you only have a 6-week period for that ;-) Since most holiday arrangements go from Saturday to Saturday, returning from ESUG friday night is far from perfect to match with a holiday just the week after... That's why I started this thread: I wanted to find out if I am part of a minority. Which seems to be true. Anyway, I want to thank everybody who gave their views and opinions on this topic and welcome all upcoming reactions to this thread. I hope everybody understands I didn't want to start a revolution, just collect opinions and maybe push ESUG towards early August/July. Seems my chances are small ;-) Joachim
participants (10)
-
Alexandre Bergel -
David Mason -
Georg Heeg -
jtuchel＠objektfabrik.de -
Martin McClure -
Niall Ross -
Pape, Tobias -
stephane ducasse -
Thomas Brodt -
Thomas, Arden