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Conference focuses on people and interactions, not just talks and presentations
Jean V. Adams, CSP 2018 Steering Committee Chair
The 7th annual Conference on Statistical Practice was held in Portland, Oregon, Feb 15–17. There were talks, short courses, posters, and blah, blah, blah. You’ve been to conferences. You know what they’re about. Watching and listening to presentations. Right?
Wrong.
Consider the TED talks. They are all available online for free. Yet people spend thousands, even tens of thousands, of dollars to attend the TED conference in person. Why?
The people.
A conference is all about the people. The word conference comes from the Latin word conferre, which means “to bring together.” To bring people together, you need to have some enticement. The Conference on Statistical Practice does this by inviting abstracts from potential speakers and instructors and selecting only the best for inclusion in the program. But, putting people in the same place at the same time is just the first hurdle. What’s the second?
Connecting them.
The value is in the interactions. To encourage people to interact with each other, you need to create a safe space and remove barriers to communication. The Conference on Statistical Practice focuses on this second hurdle to ensure attendees get the most out of the conference. We limit buy ativan cheap online attendance to keep the conference small. We keep the meeting rooms close to the shared space to encourage mixing. We include an ice-breaker at the keynote. We encourage folks to gather together for meals. We connect mentors and mentees.
Our focus on people and interactions was effective. Just listen to what attendees had to say about the 2018 Conference on Statistical Practice:
“I was surprised by how much people are using this meeting to connect with each other, even beyond the scheduled events. A lot of small professional networks (formal and informal) were taking advantage of the opportunity.”
“I met a woman who started graduate school to get a degree in biostatistics. She was an opera singer before this! I think she wants to bring her creativity to statistics.”
“It was really interesting to meet people with such diverse backgrounds and at different stages in their careers and studies.”
Many thanks to ASA President Lisa LaVange, who kicked off the meeting with her keynote address, “Reflections on Career Opportunities and Leadership in Statistics.” LaVange also led a panel session on her #LeadWithStatistics initiative to establish a leadership institute at the ASA.
Interact at next year’s Conference on Statistical Practice in New Orleans, February 14–16.
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