Is the conference dead?

Last week we held the first Plymouth eLearning Conference committee meeting to plan the 2011 event. During the meeting some committee members expressed their anxiety about whether conferences were still viable in the current economic climate. There ensued a heated exchange about whether something like the Plymouth eLearning Conference actually had a future. My view is that it does, and in whatever form it takes, I'm determined to carry on promoting PeLC and other face to face events. Here's why I'm willing to take the risk:

Firstly, people need to meet socially. Although live streaming of events and other participatory media are being used increasingly to draw those into conferences who cannot attend physically, what they offer is still a pale imitation of the real thing, and sometimes the technology fails. Content and dialogue can be supported, but can we fully replicate the atmosphere and ambience of a live conference through a computer screen?

Secondly, although attendance at conferences is slacking off noticably (PeLC10 was down a third on the numbers for PeLC09), many conferences are still economically viable. Those present at PeLC10 were generally very positive about the event. I have seen similar events in the last year, including ALT-C, EDEN and Ulearn (pictured above: my keynote to 1800 people during the event) continue to draw numbers in and maintain their impetus. OK, you may say, what about a small conference such as PeLC? Well, another way to look at it must be the Unique Selling Point each conference offers. I can't speak for other small conferences, but I know that PeLC is popular because of at least 8 USPs: 1) it is friendly and open; 2) it is based in an idyllic location; 3) there is plenty of time for social events and networking; 4) the conference dinner is always spectacular; 5) the demonstrations (for example the Immersion Vision Cinema) are impressive and unique; 6) the Devon Cream Tea is not to be missed; 7) our keynote speakers nail it every year; and 8) PeLC is one of the best value for money eLearning events in Europe. (Want another incentive? Keep it quiet, but day 1 is free this year)....I could go on, but I think you catch the drift.

Finally, here's a question: What alternatives are there to the face to face event? OK, there are things against it - travel and accommodation costs will prevent lots of people from attending as many conferences as they would wish in the next year or two. And yes, institutions are cutting back on their conference budgets because of the economic problems. But we should not ignore the pay off in terms of the conference attendance. What would happen if there were no professional conferences? Donald Clark said recently during his ALT-C keynote that he avoided conferences because they were a waste of time. But we would be intellectually and socially poorer without them? Would we still keep up to date? To paraphrase Derek Bok: If you think conference attendance is expensive, try ignorance. What about the valuable contacts and collaborative possibilities that come from events when you least expect them, and which you might not find anywhere else? Should we ditch the conference and all meet through online media? I don't think so. I know some conferences have gone over to this format and have been reasonably successful, but personally I don't subscribe to them.

We aim to make PeLC11 one of the best events of the year. We have several great features next year, including a Teachmeet, free practical workshops and 3 excellent keynote speakers. I'm really hoping you will join us to prove that the conference is still alive and kicking.

Is the conference dead? by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.