GLS Conference Ideas

Here are my thoughts, for next year, on streamlining, and de-headache-ifying the GLS conference printed program process:

To harness the brain power of the group, constructively critique previous (and other) conference programs as a group.

• Do this at the beginning of the conference planning process.
• Use the previous year's content for the mock up.
  

Combine printed program group and web program group.

• The program is the program; the information should be the same. The only difference should be in the form/format and in the chronology of it.
• The website is updated as information comes in, whereas the printed program is generated at the date when the website is "frozen" -- the text from the website gets "dropped" into the printed program format.
• As the website is created, the understanding that its contents will go into the printed program will be "built-in" -- the graphics will be chosen and created for both.
• The integration of the two formats will assure that "Abstract coming soon" and "Biographical information coming soon" will be kept on top of. If they are needed for the printed program, they won't be forgotten about or left unfinished in the web version.

Set and keep three timeline/deadlines for content -- initial, bothersome, and critical.

• If participants don't respond with a picture or bio info by the initial deadline, start to hound them.
• If participants don't respond with a picture or bio info by the bothersome deadline, call in the heavy hitters to use their clout to hound them.
• If participants don't respond with a picture or bio info by the critical deadline, they don't get it into the catalog.

Set up a check off list of all parts of each section. Once the information for each section is complete, mark it as such and tell the printed program person (who already knows because s/he's in the same group).

That's about all I can think of right now. More later.

Program Ideas: Some suggestions for the excellent program:

• on the schedule spread that crosses 2-pages, leave the middle borders off to indicate that the schedule continues on the opposite page. ALTERNATIVELY, include arrows pointing to the right, and "continued" (formatted sideways) to indicate that the schedule continues on the opposite page.
• better quality cover -- heavier, glossier, tougher.
• color back cover
• combine sections into four broader sections:
  

1. Overview (TOC, welcome letter, schedule)
   
2. abstracts (organize alphabetically by schedule rather than straight alpha) so readers can see all the options for a certain time together)
   
3. biographies (should we offer/allow email addresses and websites here?)
   
4. FAQs (FAQ, where do I eat, sleep, caffienate, who did the conference? -- all FAQs)

• graphics on frontis pages -- even a single elven pixie aside the page number, or a graphically-enhanced "thumb tab" for the four different sections
• separate headers differentiating each section
  
• (the pixie divider in the Abstract section is mega-smart!)
• (the pictures in the abstracts worked well too!)

Name Badge Ideas

• the graphics are super cool!
• use a larger, more visible font for the first name, like 24pt Arial Black
• the red Affiliation text is hard to read. Use a larger font in black.