How did you like July as date for the conference

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How did you like July as date for the conference

jtuchel
Hi ESUG list readers,

first of all, I'd like to send a late but nevertheless earnest and warm
Thank You to all who organized the ESUG 2015 conference. I've enjoyed
the conference and the networking. The social event location was great
and also Brescia as a city was fantastic.

I'd like to ask all who came or couldn't come to comment on the
selection of the Date for the conference. This year, the conference was
held in early July rather than in late August.

To me, personally, that was an excellent choice, and I've spoken to many
people at the conference and on other occasions about the date. Most
people I talked to were either pleased or indifferent. But I could
imagine some people didn't come because early July didn't fit well. I
would like to have ESUg earlier in the year, and early July was very
convenient for me for several reasons:

* In my area (southern Germany), the school holidays haven't started by
that time, so the conference doesn't interfere with our vacation plans
* For exactly that reason, I think we've had a few more people from a
more "enterprisey" background
* There aren't many other events in July that might interfere with teh
ESUG conference

Let me also state very clearly that I am not asking on behalf of ESUG or
that I am in a position to influence the date, other than maybe by
starting a discussion on this list ;-)
I am not involved in the planning or organisation of the next ESUG
conferences, though this might change in the future, never say never ;-)

So, what is your opinion? Does July fit for you, or was the changed date
keeping you from attending?
Thanks for commenting. Maybe this is of help to the conference
organisers, at least I hope so.
My intentions are positive ;-)


Joachim




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Re: How did you like July as date for the conference

Martin McClure-5
On 09/24/2015 11:27 PM, [hidden email] wrote:
>
> * In my area (southern Germany), the school holidays haven't started by
> that time, so the conference doesn't interfere with our vacation plans
> * For exactly that reason, I think we've had a few more people from a
> more "enterprisey" background

There were also people that I wanted to see that could not come, because
they were still dealing with students, so I'd rather see it during the
vacation time.

>
> So, what is your opinion? Does July fit for you, or was the changed date
> keeping you from attending?

For me personally, mid-July can work, and late August or early September
can also.

But I think I prefer the later dates. The weather's better (second half
of July is peak heat for many places, and this year's heat made the
conference considerably less enjoyable), and airfares to get there are
often lower.

Thanks for asking the question.

Regards,

-Martin

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Re: How did you like July as date for the conference

Georg Heeg
In reply to this post by jtuchel
Joachim,

Short answer: I could not come.

Georg

Georg Heeg eK, Dortmund und Köthen, HR Dortmund A 12812
Wallstraße 22, 06366 Köthen
Tel. +49-3496-214328, Fax +49-3496-214712

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: Esug-list [mailto:[hidden email]] Im Auftrag von [hidden email]
Gesendet: Freitag, 25. September 2015 08:27
An: [hidden email]
Betreff: [Esug-list] How did you like July as date for the conference

Hi ESUG list readers,

first of all, I'd like to send a late but nevertheless earnest and warm
Thank You to all who organized the ESUG 2015 conference. I've enjoyed
the conference and the networking. The social event location was great
and also Brescia as a city was fantastic.

I'd like to ask all who came or couldn't come to comment on the
selection of the Date for the conference. This year, the conference was
held in early July rather than in late August.

To me, personally, that was an excellent choice, and I've spoken to many
people at the conference and on other occasions about the date. Most
people I talked to were either pleased or indifferent. But I could
imagine some people didn't come because early July didn't fit well. I
would like to have ESUg earlier in the year, and early July was very
convenient for me for several reasons:

* In my area (southern Germany), the school holidays haven't started by
that time, so the conference doesn't interfere with our vacation plans
* For exactly that reason, I think we've had a few more people from a
more "enterprisey" background
* There aren't many other events in July that might interfere with teh
ESUG conference

Let me also state very clearly that I am not asking on behalf of ESUG or
that I am in a position to influence the date, other than maybe by
starting a discussion on this list ;-)
I am not involved in the planning or organisation of the next ESUG
conferences, though this might change in the future, never say never ;-)

So, what is your opinion? Does July fit for you, or was the changed date
keeping you from attending?
Thanks for commenting. Maybe this is of help to the conference
organisers, at least I hope so.
My intentions are positive ;-)


Joachim




--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Objektfabrik Joachim Tuchel          mailto:[hidden email]
Fliederweg 1                         http://www.objektfabrik.de
D-71640 Ludwigsburg                  http://joachimtuchel.wordpress.com
Telefon: +49 7141 56 10 86 0         Fax: +49 7141 56 10 86 1


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Re: How did you like July as date for the conference

Thomas, Arden
Hi Joachim;

The traditional timeframe (late August) was better for me.  July was more difficult to schedule and prepare for.

Regards

     Arden

Arden Thomas
Cincom Smalltalk Product Manager
[hidden email]

________________________________________
From: Esug-list [[hidden email]] on behalf of Georg Heeg [[hidden email]]
Sent: Friday, September 25, 2015 3:37 AM
To: [hidden email]; [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Esug-list] How did you like July as date for the conference

Joachim,

Short answer: I could not come.

Georg

Georg Heeg eK, Dortmund und Köthen, HR Dortmund A 12812
Wallstraße 22, 06366 Köthen
Tel. +49-3496-214328, Fax +49-3496-214712

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: Esug-list [mailto:[hidden email]] Im Auftrag von [hidden email]
Gesendet: Freitag, 25. September 2015 08:27
An: [hidden email]
Betreff: [Esug-list] How did you like July as date for the conference

Hi ESUG list readers,

first of all, I'd like to send a late but nevertheless earnest and warm
Thank You to all who organized the ESUG 2015 conference. I've enjoyed
the conference and the networking. The social event location was great
and also Brescia as a city was fantastic.

I'd like to ask all who came or couldn't come to comment on the
selection of the Date for the conference. This year, the conference was
held in early July rather than in late August.

To me, personally, that was an excellent choice, and I've spoken to many
people at the conference and on other occasions about the date. Most
people I talked to were either pleased or indifferent. But I could
imagine some people didn't come because early July didn't fit well. I
would like to have ESUg earlier in the year, and early July was very
convenient for me for several reasons:

* In my area (southern Germany), the school holidays haven't started by
that time, so the conference doesn't interfere with our vacation plans
* For exactly that reason, I think we've had a few more people from a
more "enterprisey" background
* There aren't many other events in July that might interfere with teh
ESUG conference

Let me also state very clearly that I am not asking on behalf of ESUG or
that I am in a position to influence the date, other than maybe by
starting a discussion on this list ;-)
I am not involved in the planning or organisation of the next ESUG
conferences, though this might change in the future, never say never ;-)

So, what is your opinion? Does July fit for you, or was the changed date
keeping you from attending?
Thanks for commenting. Maybe this is of help to the conference
organisers, at least I hope so.
My intentions are positive ;-)


Joachim




--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Objektfabrik Joachim Tuchel          mailto:[hidden email]
Fliederweg 1                         http://www.objektfabrik.de
D-71640 Ludwigsburg                  http://joachimtuchel.wordpress.com
Telefon: +49 7141 56 10 86 0         Fax: +49 7141 56 10 86 1


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Re: How did you like July as date for the conference

Pape, Tobias
In reply to this post by Martin McClure-5
Hi all,

On 25.09.2015, at 09:21, Martin McClure <[hidden email]> wrote:

> On 09/24/2015 11:27 PM, [hidden email] wrote:
>>
>> * In my area (southern Germany), the school holidays haven't started by
>> that time, so the conference doesn't interfere with our vacation plans
>> * For exactly that reason, I think we've had a few more people from a
>> more "enterprisey" background
>
> There were also people that I wanted to see that could not come, because they were still dealing with students, so I'd rather see it during the vacation time.

I was dealing with students and could not come and couldn't meet people I wanted to meet.
August is pretty much free for University academics in Germany, that's why
it worked well for us in the previous years.

Best regards
        -Tobias
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Re: How did you like July as date for the conference

Alexandre Bergel-5
In reply to this post by jtuchel
Hi Joachim,

Personally, for me July is better. However, I would be careful when conducting such opinion survey since mostly people who are not happy with July are answering. People who are happy with July or without a strong opinion will probably not reply. Maybe using an online survey (instead of sending a mass email) will probably reduce biases, get more opinions, and reflect the truth.

Cheers,
Alexandre


> On Sep 25, 2015, at 3:27 AM, [hidden email] wrote:
>
> Hi ESUG list readers,
>
> first of all, I'd like to send a late but nevertheless earnest and warm Thank You to all who organized the ESUG 2015 conference. I've enjoyed the conference and the networking. The social event location was great and also Brescia as a city was fantastic.
>
> I'd like to ask all who came or couldn't come to comment on the selection of the Date for the conference. This year, the conference was held in early July rather than in late August.
>
> To me, personally, that was an excellent choice, and I've spoken to many people at the conference and on other occasions about the date. Most people I talked to were either pleased or indifferent. But I could imagine some people didn't come because early July didn't fit well. I would like to have ESUg earlier in the year, and early July was very convenient for me for several reasons:
>
> * In my area (southern Germany), the school holidays haven't started by that time, so the conference doesn't interfere with our vacation plans
> * For exactly that reason, I think we've had a few more people from a more "enterprisey" background
> * There aren't many other events in July that might interfere with teh ESUG conference
>
> Let me also state very clearly that I am not asking on behalf of ESUG or that I am in a position to influence the date, other than maybe by starting a discussion on this list ;-)
> I am not involved in the planning or organisation of the next ESUG conferences, though this might change in the future, never say never ;-)
>
> So, what is your opinion? Does July fit for you, or was the changed date keeping you from attending?
> Thanks for commenting. Maybe this is of help to the conference organisers, at least I hope so.
> My intentions are positive ;-)
>
>
> Joachim
>
>
>
>
> --
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Objektfabrik Joachim Tuchel          mailto:[hidden email]
> Fliederweg 1                         http://www.objektfabrik.de
> D-71640 Ludwigsburg                  http://joachimtuchel.wordpress.com
> Telefon: +49 7141 56 10 86 0         Fax: +49 7141 56 10 86 1
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Esug-list mailing list
> [hidden email]
> http://lists.esug.org/mailman/listinfo/esug-list_lists.esug.org
>

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Re: How did you like July as date for the conference

stephane ducasse-2
In reply to this post by jtuchel
usually we try to adapt to local constraints :)

On 25 Sep 2015, at 08:27, [hidden email] wrote:

> Hi ESUG list readers,
>
> first of all, I'd like to send a late but nevertheless earnest and warm Thank You to all who organized the ESUG 2015 conference. I've enjoyed the conference and the networking. The social event location was great and also Brescia as a city was fantastic.
>
> I'd like to ask all who came or couldn't come to comment on the selection of the Date for the conference. This year, the conference was held in early July rather than in late August.
>
> To me, personally, that was an excellent choice, and I've spoken to many people at the conference and on other occasions about the date. Most people I talked to were either pleased or indifferent. But I could imagine some people didn't come because early July didn't fit well. I would like to have ESUg earlier in the year, and early July was very convenient for me for several reasons:
>
> * In my area (southern Germany), the school holidays haven't started by that time, so the conference doesn't interfere with our vacation plans
> * For exactly that reason, I think we've had a few more people from a more "enterprisey" background
> * There aren't many other events in July that might interfere with teh ESUG conference
>
> Let me also state very clearly that I am not asking on behalf of ESUG or that I am in a position to influence the date, other than maybe by starting a discussion on this list ;-)
> I am not involved in the planning or organisation of the next ESUG conferences, though this might change in the future, never say never ;-)
>
> So, what is your opinion? Does July fit for you, or was the changed date keeping you from attending?
> Thanks for commenting. Maybe this is of help to the conference organisers, at least I hope so.
> My intentions are positive ;-)
>
>
> Joachim
>
>
>
>
> --
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Objektfabrik Joachim Tuchel          mailto:[hidden email]
> Fliederweg 1                         http://www.objektfabrik.de
> D-71640 Ludwigsburg                  http://joachimtuchel.wordpress.com
> Telefon: +49 7141 56 10 86 0         Fax: +49 7141 56 10 86 1
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Esug-list mailing list
> [hidden email]
> http://lists.esug.org/mailman/listinfo/esug-list_lists.esug.org


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Re: How did you like July as date for the conference

Dave Mason
Very late August is difficult for North-American academics, as classes typically start the day after Labour Day (first Monday in September), so some previous years, travelling back in time to get set up for the term is challenging.

On the other hand, it was pretty hot this year (although that was partly anomalous weather), so a bit later (like mid-August) might be better.

../Dave

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Re: How did you like July as date for the conference

NiallRoss
Dear Joachim,
    generally, I prefer August dates to July or September dates.  I
suspect that custom, and the existence of other conferences in other
months, means we could on average lose more than we gain from a
significant move of the usual ESUG dates.  I researched ESUG attendance
in relation to date when preparing the 2011 conference:  it seemed that
the traditional dates were usually better than later ones.  (I note you
are asking about much earlier ones, for which I had no significant data.)

As Stephane says, the choice of venue and local organiser influences the
dates.  For example, the earliest ESUG I recall before this one was in
Brussels in 2005 in mid-August, because hotels in Brussels were _much_
cheaper mid-August than after the eurocrats began to return from their
holidays.  In Edinburgh, I took a calculated gamble to overlap the
conference with the festival, which made it more popular and memorable
(I think) but meant I had to book the accommodation at the start of the
year and guarantee it all myself;  most local organisers are
understandably not up for that kind of thing.

I know the first full week in September is not popular with US attendees
because of the Labour Day holiday (Monday of that week).  The last
Monday of August (i.e. the Monday immediately before Labour Day in most
years) is a holiday in the UK.  Having ESUG in that week never bothers
me.  It can make UK sites easier to get (but we've had two ESUG's in the
UK in the last 5 years so that's not an immediate issue).  I do not
recall hearing another UK smalltalker name loss of the August Bank
Holiday specifically as an obstacle;  maybe the fact we get more annual
vacation than in the US makes it less of an issue for us.  Of course,
August is school holiday time (only the first-half of August in Scotland
but all of August in England), so having ESUG in August suits some but
not others in the UK for that reason, just as in other countries.

IIUC, the week straddling August-September or the week before - the last
full week in August - are the typical ESUG dates when local issues do
not supervene.  I found the mid-August ESUG in Brussels fine, so, like
David, I'd not object to earlier-in-August dates.  I much enjoyed
Brescia (but could have done with less heat).  Whatever happens, you'll
not please everyone.  Predictability is worth preserving unless there's
a strongish case for expecting more attendees at another time.

             My 0.02p
                   Niall Ross



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Re: How did you like July as date for the conference

Thomas Brodt-2
In reply to this post by jtuchel
I could attend ESUG this year *because* it was held in July. The other dates in late August to September in the recent years always collided with our local school holidays and family vacation period. And family always won, so I was on holidays during the ESUG conference. Maybe I have to change my vacation habits

Thomas
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Re: How did you like July as date for the conference

jtuchel
Am 02.10.15 um 13:23 schrieb Thomas Brodt:
I could attend ESUG this year *because* it was held in July. The other dates in late August to September in the recent years always collided with our local school holidays and family vacation period. And family always won, so I was on holidays during the ESUG conference. Maybe I have to change my vacation habits

...which is not easy given you only have a 6-week period for that ;-) Since most holiday arrangements go from Saturday to Saturday, returning from ESUG friday night is far from perfect to match with a holiday just the week after... That's why I started this thread: I wanted to find out if I am part of a minority. Which seems to be true.

Anyway, I want to thank everybody who gave their views and opinions on this topic and welcome all upcoming reactions to this thread.
I hope everybody understands I didn't want to start a revolution, just collect opinions and maybe push ESUG towards early August/July. Seems my chances are small ;-)



Joachim





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