Great Pumpkin and Conference Survey Results

Why do you think the conference survey results made me think of The Great Pumpkin with Charlie Brown? Well, maybe because I had National Pumpkin day on my mind, but I also think it is because it is a story of hope and perseverance. We always hope to have the ‘best conference ever’; we keep gathering knowledge that helps us persevere through the things we can’t control. You might think, what can’t you control besides the weather? We can’t control people’s connections, perspectives, and general opinions. Let me explain by sharing some comments.
What did you like about the conference?
“Great speakers. Good sessions! Informatie ve and beneficial. I liked the awards night being in the evening! The pool party was fun- DJ and atmosphere.”
“The keynote speakers were really good. I liked the “light” content and motivational messages. There was a variety of sessions and ample time to network. I liked the networking session to kick the conference off. The awards program was nice. The food and place were excellent. Fun activities at night as well.”
“I enjoyed most of the sessions and the organization/timeline of the meals and sessions. Things were well planned and well organized to be concise and operational. Overall, the meal selections were good, and the pool dinner was fun. I think there were a good mix of social and business meetings. I really like the silent auction idea and the door prize/ticket idea. I think recognizing all of the award nominees was a great idea.”
“I got to dance till I couldn’t. In retrospect, the networking session helped me connect with some people I came in contact with over and over and an opportunity to eat breakfast, etc., with those outside of my circle. It helped me feel much more engaged!!!”
“The speakers were awesome. The break-out sessions were inspiring and informative.”
“The schedule seemed better this year. I liked the earlier start and being done at a reasonable, e time for a long drive home Friday. I liked the awards ceremony being in the evening.”
What did you dislike about the conference?
“I am sorry to sound petty or picky- but for the second year in a row, I am disappointed in the food. The box lunch upon arrival was good! But for breakfast, I think many people were looking for something hot. Then we had a cold lunch again. The awards dinner was good, and it was nice to have a snack break once in awhile. But I overheard several people who said that they wanted eggs, pancakes, etc. we had a very nice breakfast option at French Lick a few years ago. With this hotel being so isolated, there were not a lot of restaurant options around locally.”
“Also, the start times of the sessions were too early, in my opinion. When you are at a conference, for participants, it’s like a little getaway, as well. Nice to have a chance to let down a little and not be on such a tight schedule.”
“My main dislike is that Thursday felt cramped and the start times were too early. It really made networking and connecting to people difficult as people were too tired to talk once we finally had free time Thursday.”
“How cold the facility was, there was only one heater during the poolside event-due to the weather there should have been more heaters or moved the event to inside; the DJ played repetitive songs and didn’t play most of the songs on the early request list what’s the point of asking for early request if you’re not going to play them I understand if there were too many to be played but the ones with 2 request should surely been played, and there was hardly any downtime compared to pass conferences.”
“Venue – the hilly and curvy roads to get there – no major city around for entertainment or dining after sessions ended for the day – would like a more central location in the state – not everyone enjoys casinos which seems to be the go-to…..Dancing and the DJ “
“There was not enough seating at the poolside event and with the cooler Temps, it would have been better indoors. The awards ceremony drags on too long and is not made to feel celebratory. It also feels poorly planned/organized.”
“I disliked the awards being on Thursday night. I wish the awards could be tied back into Friday morning before departing.”
“food was horrible, morning sessions started too early (745am), some of the keynote speakers fell flat/ spoke too long/lost interest, dinner outside was cold/ not enough tables for everyone to sit and eat.”
“Definitely not the keynote presentation. I know they can’t all be good and engaging, but his keynote was not only boringly-presented but dated information.”
“I thought the networking session at the beginning felt very forced and uncomfortable. It was essentially just sitting down and talking.”
I encourage you to compare and bring your connection and perspective to what you read and what you thought about the comments. If you are interested in reading all the surveys, view the entire survey by clicking here.
I’ll get back to the moral of the Great Pumpkin, we can bounce back no matter what comments we read, and we will continue to find the best in all of them. We know we can’t please everyone, but we can certainly keep trying. No one is alone in this project; we will continue to set out to prove that the best conference ever is not a myth!
*grammar editions were not done in quotes
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