DSG/NULab Fall Welcome
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New Panel Format
- Food laid out outside room 90 before event starts, attendees encouraged to take food in
- Brief keynote (30 minute talk, 15 minutes for questions)
- Two lightning talk panels with students and faculty (speakers had 5 minutes each, 10-15 minutes for questions at end)
- Followed with food and reception
- Set-up was theatre-style chairs with single long table and 4-5 chairs at front for lightning talk panelists
- Expect 50-ish attendees?
What Worked Well
- Selecting panelists from disciplines across campus, to ensure wide variety of representation
- Sent personal invitations, which worked better than previous general calls for participation
- Good publicity withing DSG and NULab, with DH seminars and other relevant classes specifically notified
- Delicious Haley House food
- Have an online RSVP form, which can be used to give outside attendee list to library access services.
Lessons Learned
- Ask Communications and Events office for help! They are essential (event brochure, layout advice, staffing on the day of, etc.)
- If DSG/NULab staff are speaking or otherwise presenting, do not also put them in vital organizational role at the event itself
- Charge someone with managing food delivery, again not one of the main event organizers or panelists.
- Ideally food arrives first, and participants have snacks before keynote plus break to get more food
- NB: Haley House came quite late, so have food delivered one hour before event if using Haley House
- Do advertise to BostonDH and the BLC
- It takes a lot of time to round up panelists and remind them of the lightning talk format, as well as gather participant names, contact info, and talk title
- Program feedback was largely positive; the only constructive criticism was that some attendees might prefer fewer panelists with more time to speak, or a shorter event with more time for socialization
- Need people to give introductions (likely Directors of NULab and DSG) as well as panel moderator and panel timekeeper
- Organizer should notify panel participants ahead of time that there will be a panel timekeeper, and remind them to check the front row for time indications