it was a great meeting this morning and I’m sure we all had more to discuss! in other organizations I’ve worked with, they have increased the meeting frequency before an event.
I was thinking it could be helpful to make some topics for everyone to chime in on. the forum gives everyone a chance to contribute without committing to a set meeting time.
Then whomever is available, we can summarize the results, and then that consensus can roll into the 3rd Tuesday meeting, so it can be as focused and productive as possible.
Megan at CM Services handles most of the conference stuff. Right now the only thing we need is people to submit content and register. Also if you have ideas please email them to Steven Spradling and myself as I don’t have the opportunity to frequent the forums as much as some.
I absolutely loved @mgaleher’s idea to have a breakfast networking event before the first session of the day! I hadn’t thought of that and I was so thankful for her insight.
Also, @LStanfield’s idea for having more equipment at the conference was great! I remember, and loved, the sandbox WIU brought! We can bring some equipment, though not nearly as cool as sand.
Honestly, I’m not comfortable discussing ideas solely on an email chain. It can be quite hard to follow and it excludes the rest of the committee, along with members. The forum allows everyone to add their input on an idea at a time that works best for them.
Last November, I asked about the conference survey results and I would love to see some discussion about this. Or, more importantly, from the previous Peoria conference, for the collective to discuss. This could be done in a topic post and then all of us could add our input to make this year awesome!
I am really excited for this new era of ILGISA, where we can connect with each other outside of the annual and regionals. I have always found it to be difficult to be a contributing member. Students and new professionals are generally unable to attend the committee calls, but being able to contribute at different times on a forum where we all can collaborate helps make our voices heard.
I do encourage all our members that if they have any new ideas they would like to be implemented, they should reach out to the various committees by any forms of communication where it can be shared and discussed in their entirety.
When I chaired the program committee last year, the annual conference is a lot of hard work and requires a substantial amount of planning and coordination. Even though there were great ideas from many people and organizations, sometimes it can’t be implemented either due to time or venue constraints. I rely heavily on the judgement of the committee chairs if additional meetings are needed and if necessary to discuss with the Board if any complex issues need to be addressed.
We are always working to make ILGISA better than it has been in the past. While the process of implementing something new may not always be perfect, what matters most is that ideas are discussed in a meaningful and collaborative way.
After the 2025 Annual Conference I put together a list of the requested feedback and we have been working to implement those requests. Speakers must use a microphone, even if you have an outside voice by default, enough buffet lines, changing the names of group sessions to be more descriptive, expanding panel topics, changing the “consult the expert room” name/location, have a “screensaver” of conference and Assoc. information between presentations, a map of rooms (which was available at Peoria 2024, but making sure it’s there again, and available digitally) . Again these are just from the 2025 feedback in Lisle.
Hey Keith! I definitely appreciate how much work goes into the annual conference! I helped plan this year’s State of the Map annual conference and it was so rewarding being able to hop in when I could. I am grateful ILGISA welcomed this forum as it has reduced the barrier for entry to contribute to this organization.
Hey Steven! Thank you for sharing your list! Which item is particularly important to you to implement? If you like, I can find time to design a “screensaver” and post the draft here for your, and the committee’s, review.