Geoff,
I have been following your ramblings about the QL-is-30 "Workshop" with
more than a little interest (but not much!!)
Your comments regarding the help and interest for this event coming only
from overseas, leads me to see that you have experienced the same
apathetic response that the current QUANTA committee members have, for
many years, experienced from the South-UK QLers (and especially QUANTA
UK Members). Although the percentage attendance of the UK QUANTA members
at QUANTA events during the last decade has been unacceptably low, it is
far greater than the attendance of the OS QUANTA Members (which one can
count on one had with half the digits removed!). It will be interesting
to see what the attendance is like in Edinburgh from both UK and OS.
Those of you who have spent some time as a "QL Trader" have the benefit
of a wider address book of QLers than QUANTA has (their address book is
limited to UK and OS members past and present), which gives you the edge
when it comes to filling the void left by the apathetic UK QLers.
All the OS QUANTA members, have been invited (like the UK ones) to every
event that QUANTA has put on, be it a Workshop (one or two days in
length), Show or any other name that you would like to call it (QUANTA
has consistently called it a workshop on the grounds that it is the
attendees who make it into whatever type of event they want, when (and
if) they get there.)
You have also identified that when QUANTA were able to attract UK people
with any QL savvy to a QUANTA event, then we used them to give a talk or
demonstration (and under the direction of a previous QUANTA Chairman,
contributed financially to their out-of-pocket expenses - a move which
has been greatly criticised as "QUANTA Workshops/Annual General Meetings
cost too much to put on"). But then, QUANTA has got both money that it
is not afraid to spend (since no one else seems interested in using it)
and some equipment which you are welcome to use if you need it
(Projector & Screen for presentations).
It is also fair to say that the current QUANTA Committee have been in
service for many years unlike some other EX-QUANTA committee members
who, when times got tough, backed away from their volunteered
responsibilities, or resigned from QUANTA altogether!
And finally, you seem to have accepted that one needs local people on
the ground to investigate the availability of suitable venues for an
event such as QL-is-30 and expecting people to travel hundreds of miles
to do this is a complete waste of time, effort and money.
So we wish George Gwilt, John Sadler and all the QUANTA SQLUG Subgroup
all the best in their efforts to host the QL-is-30 event in 2014. See
you all there. :-)
Kind Regards,
John Gilpin.
QUANTA Treasurer & Membership Secretary.
treasu...@quanta.org.uk
members...@quanta.org.uk
On 14/05/2014 16:27, Geoff Wicks wrote:
On 14/05/2014 12:31, j...@sinoda.demon.co.uk wrote:
I had planned to attend Edinburgh, not to give a talk, but to gain
information and learn. However, as I seem to fit all the criteria
that Geoff has mentioned, I am happy if it is considered that I am
not the target audience for QLis30.
If the plan is that everyone must give a talk, as I do not have a
talk planned I will not attend, but I still think the show will be
fascinating and I wish you all the best.
You are the sort of person we want at Edinburgh. You don't have to
give a talk, but you have something valuable to contribute. I just
don't think there is a role for A&E at the event.
Let me say that the 2012 Quanta AGM was when I decided that I would
never go to another Quanta show. It was a two day event with nothing
whatsoever planned on the Saturday. I spent most of the time wondering
whether I could quickly devise a presentation and not having my
original material with me eventually gave up and left the show early.
(My QL project at the time was the Just Words! QL mapping page that I
had felt was too much of a minority interest for a show presentation.)
The next day there were two events planned, George Gwilt and Adrian
Ives. I was impressed that Quanta managed to get Adrian to the show as
his work was the hot topic of the time. Both presentations were badly
attended - about half the people present stayed at their tables
instead. After his talk Adrian gave a live demonstration at his
table. There were just 6 of us interested.
At the end of a show the committee had a post mortem. What was their
answer in 2013? A carbon copy of the 2012 event!
Best Wishes,
Geoff
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