It is all too easy for conference organisers to pay insufficient attention to small details. It is often an accumulation of trivial nuisances that spoil a conference. I have drawn up, over the years, my own, quite idiosyncratic, check list, with each point rated on a five point scale:
(1) Organisation: a) Adequacy of travel instructions. (b) Easy access to the venue by public transport. (c) Satisfactory arrangements for accommodation. (d) Comprehensive lists of conference attenders which include names, addresses and affiliations. (e) Adequate identification of fellow participants by some form of name tab.
(3) Content: a) Does the chairman keep control of the meeting in an unobtrusive way or use the position to obtain a captive audience, for an unfair share of the time, in order to air personal views? (b) Do the formal speakers keep to their subject? (c) Have they been selected to cover the subject from a wide variety of angles? (d) Is there adequate accompanying documentation; well presented and easily available? (e) Is the audience encouraged to participate and to develop new insights by lateral thinking and brainstorming?
(4) Interaction: a) Does the timetable allow sufficient time and opportunity for discussion and for questioning the speakers? (b) Are informal groupings encouraged by attention to the natural flow of the participants around the conference in relation to groupings of suitable armchairs?
(5) Interpreters: These should be selected so that the interpreter always speaks using the language of his or her country of birth.
(6) Discussion groups: am of the opinion that no conference is completely successful when confined to plenary sessions. Discussion groups are essential.
(7) Bedrooms: a) Are the beds comfortable? (b) Are extra blankets available? (c) Is the general lighting adequate for study or reading reports? (d) Is there a bedside lamp and bedside table? (e) Is it possible to open the windows? Can they be fixed open in several positions? (f) What is the level of traffic noise? (g) Are external noises excluded: other doors being closed, loud conversations and footsteps in the corridor? (h) Does each bedroom contain a comfortable armchair? (i) Is there a table and chair suitable for writing? (j) Is toilet accommodation en suite? If not, what facilities are included, a washbasin, hot water, a shaver point, good lighting at a mirror? If WC and bathroom are shared, how remote are they? (k) Are there individual room controls of temperature? (l) Is there provision for making hot drinks and for filling a hot water bottle?
(8) Meals: a) Is there a choice of menu? If not, are the dishes of sufficiently wide appeal? (b) Are special diets available? (c) If waiter service is provided is it efficient rather than rushed or tardy? (d) Is the food temperature satisfactory? (e) Are the portions adequate but not too generous? (f) Is the dining room insulated for noise? (g) Is it adequately ventilated? (h) Is there at least part of the room set aside for non-smokers?
(9) Social: a) There should be a place where those liking exuberant, boisterous groups can gather as well as quiet lounges with islands of easily-moved armchairs for those who prefer low-voiced discussion.
(b) Do events and outings provide a new experience of local cultural activities?
(10) The Unexpected: This final category is hard to define. (a) It is the occurrence of some unplanned exciting event, such as the arrival of an eminent person. (b) It is having some new and startling insights. (c) It is the beginning of a new friendship, the start of a new business relationship, or, most exciting of all, meeting someone who later becomes your spouse.
I keep a file for 'Outcomes of Conferences'; not world-shattering decisions but what the conference has done for me. Of particular importance is my record of people met with whom I wish to keep in contact. For me conferences and meetings provide a considerable source of inspiration.
Margaret Chisman, The Bungalow, Near the Station, Tring, Herts, HP23 5QX (tel 044282 3281).