Posted by Kenneth Sloan on March 27, 2002 at 22:23:25:
In Reply to: Wanted: YOUR ideas for a tuba/euph conf. posted by Alan Herold on March 27, 2002 at 21:03:16:
I was at the Carrollton conference. As an academic, I go to a LOT of conferences. Here are my thoughts.
The organization was wonderful - no need to change anything. But, these things take a while to catch on. People need to know about them and plan. Reliability and predictability need to be established.
The two events were held at different times, in different locations. I'm sure there were good reasons. But, if you want this to grown into a permanent event, you need to CHOOSE a good time and place, and stay with it. I think that West Georgia is a wonderful site the folk there seem genuinely interested in a long-term relationship. Build on that.
Timing: there is "competition" in (this year) ITEC and (every year) the Ft Myer conference. You need to select a convenient date that doesn't come too close. My recommendation would be to schedule next year's event a bit later in the year (to move it away from the Ft Myer date). But, the date will also depend on what's convenient for the West Georgia people.
To build an event like this requires several years of start-up. My estimate is that you will have two more years of "not-so-hot" attendance, and *then* it will take off. That's just the way things go; it takes awhile to get on everyone's schedule.
The continuing-ed credit slant is an interesting idea. I'm not sure how this will affect attendance. But, I must report that it was a bit of a surprise to me. Somehow, I didn't quite "get it" from the early advertisements. It didn't affect my attendance one way or the other. I think it is probably a "plus", on balance - but again, it will take awhile for everyone in the area to figure out what it means to them.
The one area where I thought attendance was a real issue was the final concert. I was expecting more "locals" drawn for that one event. Perhaps it would pay to make a bigger effort there.
So...when and where is next year's TEC? (advertise early!)