{"id":3540,"date":"2022-09-03T20:06:44","date_gmt":"2022-09-04T02:06:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mooreds.com\/wordpress\/?p=3540"},"modified":"2022-09-03T20:06:44","modified_gmt":"2022-09-04T02:06:44","slug":"what-in-person-conferences-offer-feedback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mooreds.com\/wordpress\/archives\/3540","title":{"rendered":"What in-person conferences offer: feedback"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was listening to a Twitter space<\/a> recently and the host had an interesting take: for the amount of money you would spend flying a speaker to an international conference (call it $5000, though of course the actual number varies depending on location, timing and more), you could record a great educational video and get it in front of many folks on Youtube.<\/p>\n

Assume you spend $3000 on video production, and the CPM is $4 (hard to find solid numbers, but this post<\/a> talks about rates in that range), you could put that video in front of half of a million people (1000 views\/$4 * $2000). That’s a big number, certainly more than attend any conference.<\/p>\n

As someone who is gingerly stepping back into work conference travel, who doesn’t like to spend time away from his home, who is a member of the flyless community<\/a>, and who came into devrel in earnest during the pandemic, I’m sympathetic to that view point. It is<\/strong> more efficient to broadcast your message wholesale, whether that is with a blog post, webinar, or a video, than it is to talk to people retail at a conference booth, or even to give a talk to a hundred people.<\/p>\n

But what I’ve learned is that there are real benefits to in-person conferences too: attention, prestige and feedback.<\/p>\n

Attention<\/strong><\/p>\n

Think back to the last video you watched, especially if it was technical. How much of your attention did you give it? Perhaps 100% if following a tutorial. But perhaps substantially less if it was background noise or you were looking to learn a bit on the subject.<\/p>\n

I’ve definitely “attended” online conferences where I was not paying attention. And I have never popped into a virtual conference “booth”, so I have no idea if the content there is compelling.<\/p>\n

I’ve also seen folks at in-person talks on their phones or computers, to be sure, but it is not the rule.<\/p>\n

Data is hard to come by, but I believe that folks that are more likely to pay attention at an in-person event. They have made more effort, so they are more committed (research finds “working hard can also make [things] more valuable”<\/a>). There’s also more distance from the normal work task during an in-person conference. Attendees have far fewer distractions, and an expectation of attention. I think that focusing your attention on a speaker at a talk you are attending is the polite thing to do<\/a> as well, and there are social norms pressuring folks to do that.<\/p>\n

This attention makes an attendee at an in-person conference more valuable than a Youtube viewer.<\/p>\n

Prestige<\/strong><\/p>\n

While not anyone can create a great video, anyone with a camera can make a video.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, not everyone can buy a booth at a conference, attend one, or speak. There is a filter on everyone who is at an in-person conference. This filter disadvantages folks who can’t travel, have a disability, or have other constraints. But it improves the value of an interaction at a conference too.<\/p>\n

Being able to pay for a booth or have a talk accepted in particular are signals of quality. They don’t equate with quality, as anyone who has sat through a vendorware conference presentation can attest, but there is some level of prestige that accrues to an organization by being at a conference. That’s one of the reasons companies pay to sponsor conferences; there’s value in being seen there. (Others might phrase it differently<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Feedback<\/strong><\/p>\n

Feedback is the last, and in my mind, most valuable differentiator between in-person conferences and online educational activities.<\/p>\n

At a conference, the opportunity for two way<\/strong> communication abounds!<\/p>\n

Any time someone stops by a booth or asks a question after a talk, as an educator you have the opportunity to not just answer a question or address a comment, but to dig in and understand the person’s context. What do they do? Why are they asking that particular question? Is there an unstated assumption in their question?<\/p>\n

You can and often do have ten minute conversations at a booth, and this qualitative, high bandwidth feedback from expensive software development professionals is valuable in learning about your market and seeing if your message resonates.<\/p>\n

Contrast that with the limited q&a at an online conference or the comments on a video. Yes, that is also feedback, but it is far less nuanced, considered, and interactive.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

The ready availability of high quality, intense feedback driven by back and forth communication is the killer feature of in-person conferences. I don’t see any way to replicate that right now online.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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