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The International Conference Model -- Sí , Diferente!

By Vicki Cerda

Call me a "conference junkie" but attending, presenting and reporting about training conferences is currently part of my job description. Therefore, I have been to many - big, small, generic, e-Learning specific, "international" … but recently I had a chance to attend a truly international one and interestingly enough, it was right in my home town (Miami). As it is now post Labor Day and thus past the typical vacation month, I thought I would share my "travel at home" experiences with you.

This particular conference was held for the first time this year in the United States and specifically in Miami due to its location and reputation as the crossroads to Europe and Latin America. Curious about its organization, audience, and overall environment, I attended. This "trip report" is not about content (another topic altogether!) but is instead written from my personal experiences while attending this specific conference and comparing it to recent US-based ones I have attended. Below are some of my observations.

" Spanish is not Spanish is not Spanish. The language may be similar but there are many variations from country to country. And everyone speaks very fast!

" The Exposition area was "classier" and more modern than the typical US-setting. Nice touch to have tables and chairs as part of the booth so you could sit down and talk and discuss on a 1-to-1 basis. Also great that you did not have your badge swiped through a mechanism only to receive annoying unsolicited follow-up calls from vendors after. A "softer sales" approach all around. Worked for me!

" Low-key, friendly atmosphere - though I am sure a lot of business was informally being conducted.

" Sessions ran "late" into the night - 7:30 pm or so (vs. a 4pm or 5pm schedule).

" After hours events were fun, well attended and with good food and wine.

" The conference program was very wordy. Not easy to follow or particularly attractive either. Did the conference begin Monday or Wednesday? Wednesday it turns out but then what was going on Monday and Tuesday that also dealt with sessions in the same space? I never quite figured it out.

" Why did everyone have such l o n g job titles?

" The "Guest of Honor" was interestingly not a person but a country (Canada).

" The men, the majority of the presenters, were formally dressed (almost all in suits), while the women were more casually dressed.
" The program was "flexible" and at times changing it "on the fly" did not seem to be an issue. Sessions often started late or ran overtime. And some were even unexpectedly cancelled.

" The session length was 2 or hours (without a break). US-based sessions are typically 50-60 minutes. Does this say something about our attention span?

" Most conference participants were bilingual or multilingual (or at least tried to be).

" Though the vast majority of the sessions were in Spanish, languages were interchanged without any warning. For example, after 3 presentations in Spanish, the next presenter switched to Portuguese with no transition or announcement. No one batted an eye or got up or showed any surprise -- the show went on.

" Panels were not really panels (at least as I know them). My definition of panels involves attendees and panelists comparing and contrasting different views and approaches. The panelists at Virtual Educa sat at a long table but each presented individually - there was no dialogue or interaction between them.

" The PowerPoint interface and the presentation layouts were (seemed?) visually different.

" I picked up many new, interesting words and phrases. This topic is worthy of an article in itself! As an example, how would you say "switched network" in Spanish?

So, have a good trip. And remember, you don't always have to travel very far from home!

 

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