What prevents to hold large-scale conferences?
This topic is inspired by the topic , which is very accurately described the problems of holding conferences in Kiev, but is fully acceptable for any cities.
We have been holding IT conferences for 5 years and it cannot be said that we have found ideal conditions for their holding.
So, in order.
1. The room
Indeed, in each of the cities where we held conferences (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Minsk, Kharkov, Yaroslavl, Kazan), there is a real headache with the premises. Of course, rooms with a spaciousness "in the stadium" are usually located. But the premises, so that you can actually create 3 streams with normal capacity (at least 200-300 people in a section) can be counted on fingers, but you can not count on them either.
But just to find such a room is not enough. We need elementary convenience for the participants: a spacious hall in front of the halls (for socializing, coffee breaks), good restaurant traffic (to avoid stunts).
The equipment of such sites is important. Often there is a large hall, and sockets have to be found in the most unexpected and most uncomfortable places. Those. to pull up stands, laptops, cell phones and other electronics, you need to pull extension cords and often along the most passable space (which naturally causes participants to cling to cords).
')
2. Internet
I declare with all confidence that there is no internet anywhere on the sites! (despite all assurances of the lessor).
If you do not take care of the internet far in advance, agreeing with a good company (not free of charge of course), then the Internet will be through the stump deck (if at all). People armed with laptops, modern devices, "put" the Internet for one or two.
But the problem is that these landlords themselves do not want to allow providers to their territory. Often such a negotiation process is generally impossible. It is also often associated with the machinations of competitors who staked out a place on a specific site.
It is good if the problem can be somehow leveled with the help of Yota, but far from everywhere it is (even in the cities with the declared coverage). I do not consider the option with 3G at all.
Conclusion: the Internet is only when we ourselves brought it.
3. Power
The most expensive article conferences. And the most profitable for landlords!
Almost always on the sites is not allowed third-party catering. The internal price tag is particularly brutal. For the price tag, which expose hotels you can safely and much tastier eat in the restaurant. Throw off the price tag is often simply unrealistic.
Patency of restaurants is often terrible. 300 people at the conference have to be divided into 2 shifts, which does not exclude crush, but affects the conference program grid.
4. Price
When we were looking for a room in Moscow, I was unpleasantly surprised by the frantic price level in the absence of service. Comes to mind the thesis "Moscow is all shhavaet" why does that work? That is why the entrance ticket to the majority of Moscow conferences from 20 000 rubles.
As for the regions, the situation there is better with the service, but by no means better in terms of the cost of rent and food. It would seem that with fat rage? And the problem is the lack of competition. Finding a good venue in a region can be orders of magnitude more difficult. And they know it perfectly.
And the Internet in the regions ... however, the problems are the same.
5. Conference Content
The basis for which people go to the conference is, of course, its content, the subject of reports, speakers.
It so happened that experienced speakers units. But a lot of real professionals who can not tell. “Star” speakers are nice, but, firstly, they automatically increase the conference budget, and secondly, it is often the same “button accordion” that has long been read from books.
For example, I personally am not ready to pay big money for Demarco or Yordon. A walk to look at reputable exhibits is the lot of fans. It’s better to turn to dictionaries, i.e. books, which, fortunately, much more accessible.
We took a different path - the path of mentoring those who can not speak, but knows a lot. An inexperienced speaker from an experienced person is not the same abyss that many think. Main support and will continue to be new and interesting reports.
There are also separate topics, the directions of the IT market in which speakers are generally very difficult to find, and the demand for such topics is enormous. A vicious circle, there is a need - there is nothing to offer.
6. Sponsors
As was rightly noted in the article, the link to which is given at the beginning of this topic, companies simply do not want to invest their money .
“Conferences do not bring us new employees, and PR is already enough for us ...”. ”
It is often impossible to convince companies that it’s absolutely not PR. Some do not even bother to tell why they are not interested.
The fact is that the companies we live in one day. And the concept of " effectiveness " for them is akin to Chinese literacy.
All appeals of the organizers for support in the development of the IT industry (by the way, the path announced by the leadership of the CIS countries), training of their own employees and other noble desires are not motivated by modern companies to provide support.
Companies taking part in the support of the conference, primarily guided by selfish motives - an increase in sales. Everything else is perceived as an "abstract horse in a vacuum." And all this leads to the following:
“The lack of financial support automatically increases the cost of participation in the conference and immediately hits its scale.”
I would like to be optimistic and say that something should change for the better. But so far there is no prerequisite for this. Therefore, I would like to wish the organizers of the conferences not to lose their fortitude and continue the battle!
PS Ready to answer your questions. Thanks to everyone who read the topic to the end.
We have been holding IT conferences for 5 years and it cannot be said that we have found ideal conditions for their holding.
So, in order.
1. The room
Indeed, in each of the cities where we held conferences (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Minsk, Kharkov, Yaroslavl, Kazan), there is a real headache with the premises. Of course, rooms with a spaciousness "in the stadium" are usually located. But the premises, so that you can actually create 3 streams with normal capacity (at least 200-300 people in a section) can be counted on fingers, but you can not count on them either.
But just to find such a room is not enough. We need elementary convenience for the participants: a spacious hall in front of the halls (for socializing, coffee breaks), good restaurant traffic (to avoid stunts).
The equipment of such sites is important. Often there is a large hall, and sockets have to be found in the most unexpected and most uncomfortable places. Those. to pull up stands, laptops, cell phones and other electronics, you need to pull extension cords and often along the most passable space (which naturally causes participants to cling to cords).
')
2. Internet
I declare with all confidence that there is no internet anywhere on the sites! (despite all assurances of the lessor).
If you do not take care of the internet far in advance, agreeing with a good company (not free of charge of course), then the Internet will be through the stump deck (if at all). People armed with laptops, modern devices, "put" the Internet for one or two.
But the problem is that these landlords themselves do not want to allow providers to their territory. Often such a negotiation process is generally impossible. It is also often associated with the machinations of competitors who staked out a place on a specific site.
It is good if the problem can be somehow leveled with the help of Yota, but far from everywhere it is (even in the cities with the declared coverage). I do not consider the option with 3G at all.
Conclusion: the Internet is only when we ourselves brought it.
3. Power
The most expensive article conferences. And the most profitable for landlords!
Almost always on the sites is not allowed third-party catering. The internal price tag is particularly brutal. For the price tag, which expose hotels you can safely and much tastier eat in the restaurant. Throw off the price tag is often simply unrealistic.
Patency of restaurants is often terrible. 300 people at the conference have to be divided into 2 shifts, which does not exclude crush, but affects the conference program grid.
4. Price
When we were looking for a room in Moscow, I was unpleasantly surprised by the frantic price level in the absence of service. Comes to mind the thesis "Moscow is all shhavaet" why does that work? That is why the entrance ticket to the majority of Moscow conferences from 20 000 rubles.
As for the regions, the situation there is better with the service, but by no means better in terms of the cost of rent and food. It would seem that with fat rage? And the problem is the lack of competition. Finding a good venue in a region can be orders of magnitude more difficult. And they know it perfectly.
And the Internet in the regions ... however, the problems are the same.
5. Conference Content
The basis for which people go to the conference is, of course, its content, the subject of reports, speakers.
It so happened that experienced speakers units. But a lot of real professionals who can not tell. “Star” speakers are nice, but, firstly, they automatically increase the conference budget, and secondly, it is often the same “button accordion” that has long been read from books.
For example, I personally am not ready to pay big money for Demarco or Yordon. A walk to look at reputable exhibits is the lot of fans. It’s better to turn to dictionaries, i.e. books, which, fortunately, much more accessible.
We took a different path - the path of mentoring those who can not speak, but knows a lot. An inexperienced speaker from an experienced person is not the same abyss that many think. Main support and will continue to be new and interesting reports.
There are also separate topics, the directions of the IT market in which speakers are generally very difficult to find, and the demand for such topics is enormous. A vicious circle, there is a need - there is nothing to offer.
6. Sponsors
As was rightly noted in the article, the link to which is given at the beginning of this topic, companies simply do not want to invest their money .
“Conferences do not bring us new employees, and PR is already enough for us ...”. ”
It is often impossible to convince companies that it’s absolutely not PR. Some do not even bother to tell why they are not interested.
The fact is that the companies we live in one day. And the concept of " effectiveness " for them is akin to Chinese literacy.
All appeals of the organizers for support in the development of the IT industry (by the way, the path announced by the leadership of the CIS countries), training of their own employees and other noble desires are not motivated by modern companies to provide support.
Companies taking part in the support of the conference, primarily guided by selfish motives - an increase in sales. Everything else is perceived as an "abstract horse in a vacuum." And all this leads to the following:
“The lack of financial support automatically increases the cost of participation in the conference and immediately hits its scale.”
I would like to be optimistic and say that something should change for the better. But so far there is no prerequisite for this. Therefore, I would like to wish the organizers of the conferences not to lose their fortitude and continue the battle!
PS Ready to answer your questions. Thanks to everyone who read the topic to the end.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/127663/
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