3 ms·

Covid-19 or not, it's time to formally divorce the hallway track from the rest. We should have more event's whose explicit purpose is to discuss and collaborate

Covid-19 or not, it's time to formally divorce the hallway track from the rest. We should have more event's whose explicit purpose is to discuss and collaborate, rather than it be hiding other some measurable rat-race ritual.

ghaff 7y ago
It works for senior people at small scale. I attend one event in particular that has presentations on a pretty varied set of topics. But, while they tend to be very good, they're really just there to give the event a little structure and there's lots of time set aside for more informal interactions. It's hard to do that at a big event where a lot of attendees really are there to learn the latest features of Product X. And furthermore, I imagine a lot of managers would look askance at a request to travel across the country and hang out for a few days.
- Ericson2314 7y ago
  Well it would be a smaller event, and there are many discussions to be had about exclusivity and what-not. I might add a lottery-random element so it doesn't get to clubby. But these are exactly the sorts of conversions that many communities should be having anyways.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
egypturnash 7y ago
I got news for you, the Hallway Track is an important part of any industry conference. Like, I make comics, I go to comic cons, and while sitting on the show floor selling my stuff to whoever wanders by and looks interested is an important part of the whole thing, so’s stepping away from the table to have a meeting with a publisher, so’s dinner and events after the show floor closes. SF cons are like this too, though “making various social connections with other people who have this niche interest” is a big part of why you’re explicitly there. Meet weirdos you don’t have to explain your weird interest to, hang out, have some activities to share but feel free to make up your own fun and games. The organized portion of any conference is there to provide a starting point for some of the Hallway Track, and an excuse for you to leave your normal life behind for a few days to commit to being in the same place as a bunch of other people who do whatever the con’s about.
- Ericson2314 7y ago
  > I know it's not just an academic conference thing Yes me too. > an excuse for you to leave your normal life behind for a few days to commit to being in the same place as a bunch of other people who do whatever the con’s about Exactly, I don't want an excuses. I think we should be honest with each other about the value of the hallway track alone and not need an excuse. I think that honesty will lead to better outcomes.
  - Ericson2314 7y ago
    To make this concrete https://andreaspk.github.io/ghc-week.html https://andreaspk.github.io/ghc-week.html was an event I was very excited to go to before Covid-19 led to its cancellation, and very much is a hallway track without the rest.
  - exolymph 7y ago
    Think about why people haven't already done what you suggest. What do you think the reasons might be?
    - Ericson2314 7y ago
      I know why, and I don't like it. 1. Pure "Collaboration" being a "soft" nice-sounding word institutions won't buy your plane tickets for. Planes are bad and those institutions are being bad for thinking that collaboration. Do cheaper rail-accessible regional events, which also help with communication graph ossification and density, to negotiate with them better. 2. Academic rat race becoming ever more pernicious as job market grows tighter. Academia is broken and research is yielding a lot less per cost than it used to. Academia needs to fix its shit or some right-wing goverment is going to succeed in turning off the money hose. I have zero interest in seeing status-quo-preserving procrastination on this front. 3. People that aren't qualified to partake in hallway chat are still eyeballs for marketting at industry conferences. Let's not hitch everything good in the world to the monster than is marketing and advertising? 4. Big conferences are more glamorous Giant hotel are is tasteless and so are people that uncritically enjoy them. But OK fine, Vegas conferences are exempt from my proposals.
sesuximo 7y ago
Personally I like that it's not the main event. It makes it easy to discuss different presentations. And you have an easy out ;)

ghaff 7y ago

It works for senior people at small scale. I attend one event in particular that has presentations on a pretty varied set of topics. But, while they tend to be very good, they're really just there to give the event a little structure and there's lots of time set aside for more informal interactions. It's hard to do that at a big event where a lot of attendees really are there to learn the latest features of Product X. And furthermore, I imagine a lot of managers would look askance at a request to travel across the country and hang out for a few days.

Ericson2314 7y ago
Well it would be a smaller event, and there are many discussions to be had about exclusivity and what-not. I might add a lottery-random element so it doesn't get to clubby. But these are exactly the sorts of conversions that many communities should be having anyways.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

egypturnash 7y ago

I got news for you, the Hallway Track is an important part of any industry conference. Like, I make comics, I go to comic cons, and while sitting on the show floor selling my stuff to whoever wanders by and looks interested is an important part of the whole thing, so’s stepping away from the table to have a meeting with a publisher, so’s dinner and events after the show floor closes. SF cons are like this too, though “making various social connections with other people who have this niche interest” is a big part of why you’re explicitly there. Meet weirdos you don’t have to explain your weird interest to, hang out, have some activities to share but feel free to make up your own fun and games. The organized portion of any conference is there to provide a starting point for some of the Hallway Track, and an excuse for you to leave your normal life behind for a few days to commit to being in the same place as a bunch of other people who do whatever the con’s about.

Ericson2314 7y ago
> I know it's not just an academic conference thing Yes me too. > an excuse for you to leave your normal life behind for a few days to commit to being in the same place as a bunch of other people who do whatever the con’s about Exactly, I don't want an excuses. I think we should be honest with each other about the value of the hallway track alone and not need an excuse. I think that honesty will lead to better outcomes.
- Ericson2314 7y ago
  To make this concrete https://andreaspk.github.io/ghc-week.html https://andreaspk.github.io/ghc-week.html was an event I was very excited to go to before Covid-19 led to its cancellation, and very much is a hallway track without the rest.
- exolymph 7y ago
  Think about why people haven't already done what you suggest. What do you think the reasons might be?
  - Ericson2314 7y ago
    I know why, and I don't like it. 1. Pure "Collaboration" being a "soft" nice-sounding word institutions won't buy your plane tickets for. Planes are bad and those institutions are being bad for thinking that collaboration. Do cheaper rail-accessible regional events, which also help with communication graph ossification and density, to negotiate with them better. 2. Academic rat race becoming ever more pernicious as job market grows tighter. Academia is broken and research is yielding a lot less per cost than it used to. Academia needs to fix its shit or some right-wing goverment is going to succeed in turning off the money hose. I have zero interest in seeing status-quo-preserving procrastination on this front. 3. People that aren't qualified to partake in hallway chat are still eyeballs for marketting at industry conferences. Let's not hitch everything good in the world to the monster than is marketing and advertising? 4. Big conferences are more glamorous Giant hotel are is tasteless and so are people that uncritically enjoy them. But OK fine, Vegas conferences are exempt from my proposals.

sesuximo 7y ago

Personally I like that it's not the main event. It makes it easy to discuss different presentations. And you have an easy out ;)