2015 NBN Conference feedback

The 2015 NBN Conference was attended by over 170 delegates and was held over two days for the first time ever.  It also moved away from London for the first time too.  We wanted to gather feedback on the event to help us with the planning of the 2016 Conference and the comments of the 74 respondents are shown below.  Thank you to everyone who took part, your feedback is invaluable.

We also asked “If you have attended a previous NBN Conference, how did this one compare?” (A cross-section of comments are shown below)

• I felt the conference a vast improvement from previous ones (did not attend last year). Generally the talks were of very high quality, and I enjoyed the speed talks format. The conference seemed much more progressive and looking at instigating improvements, than dwelling on issues which I felt it did in the past. The two day format allowed for more content and a greater opportunity to learn from the speakers and meet with other delegates.

• I did prefer the two-day format. Personally I feel it was the best NBN conference I have attended. The usual one-day Friday London format is pretty hard for anyone travelling from any distance away. I enjoyed the awards events.

• It was good to hear so many interesting talks, but I think a one day conference is sufficient. I liked the format of last year’s conference.

• This is my second conference. I enjoyed the 2 -day format – it gave a greater opportunity for networking amongst organisations and individuals which I think was a little lost in the 1 -day format. This is probably due to knowing you will be seeing people for a longer time and going out for dinner etc after the awards – which I also found very enjoyable. I think the networking side of things is easy to overlook but as this is all about partnership I think anything that encourages communication amongst organisations and people should be encouraged – the 2-day format definitely helps this. I also found the whole conference to have a less rushed feel about it, with more time to take in displays and think about questions you wanted to ask etc.

• This seemed over-long with not enough variation in the style of delivery (particularly if you chose symposium A on day one).

• Although I have said I prefer the one day format- the opportunity to attend the awards ceremony was a really nice event. But the overall cost of attending the meeting was high- with the need for 2 days in a hotel in order to attend. The decision to hold the meeting outside of London has clearly worked but the venue was some way from the city. In any case please never organise a meeting on Friday in London!

• I preferred the 2-day format because it allowed for more discussion and networking in the intermissions and the evenings.

• I did find the two day format to be useful and it allowed more time to talk to others – lack of this is always the most frustrating thing about one-day conferences. Also, the standard of presentations was high for both days. The main issue for the future is probably cost both in paying for the conference and in taking two days out of a working week.

• More chance to talk and network in the two days which flew by. Perhaps a venue with nearer accommodation might be better at keeping us all together?

• Excellent – I liked the mixture of talks, especially hearing from day to day recorders

• The change in format was great! If anything I felt that more change was needed but this was heading in the right direction. Having attended the last 4 conferences, I have always found the NBN conference to suffer from serious plenary fatigue. Just so much time sitting being talked at is not engaging enough to hold your attention no matter how good your speakers are. There is so much knowledge and experience in that room that it seems a huge waste to not even have time for Q&A. Next year let’s have more open discussion sessions, interaction with the audience and structured discussions that lead into informal networking.

• This was the best I have attended and I do prefer the 2 day format for the networking and extra talks it brings. Thought the Symposium b was particularly excellent format for small group discussion – more of this please

• A very positive change. More time for breaks made the days flow better and gave more time for networking. The 2 day format allows more networking with the overnight stay. Something that is difficult if you are travelling there and back on the day of the conference.

• Better format overall. However, the presentations at the previous year’s conference may have been a little better because they gave more examples of data use. Two days is a good idea, but probably not every year. Perhaps it could be reserved for every other conference or for important events in the NBN.

• Far exceeded previous conferences I’ve been to. More dynamic, better mix of short and long presentations and workshops, better balance between academic presentations and those from active recorders. A really nice vibe this year.

• Very poor – quality and range of talks in particular (only attended 2nd day)

• I felt this format was far better for networking. First, having it as a two-day event meant that I had to make more time for attending (ie not trying to fit travel in on the same day). Second, having a social event in the evening was an excellent way of building greater networking opportunities.

We also asked “Were there other topics you would have liked to have been covered?”

• I really enjoyed the mix of talks from keynotes, collectors, and then those that use the data too. Would have perhaps been good to hear from organisations such as buglife, ARC, mycologists, but understand that spaces are limited. The app developer was also very interesting to talk to, would have made a good presentation

• More on recommended data flows into NBN. * More explanation of whether and how the current NBN Gateway may be replaced/deprecated e.g. by Atlas of Living

• No marine topics on Thursday – given only 3% of NBN records are marine this needs more focus.

• Where are the botanists? we never hear from B.S.B.I.

• I suspect we need to air more discussion on the ‘elephant in the room’ on data flow as one speaker suggested

• More time for interactive workshops/ discussions

• More from the schemes and societies about how they benefit people at local level if they do.

• A flow diagram/discussion of how data in the UK is transferred from everywhere to the NBN or how it should be ideally e.g. including charities, government bodies, LERC’s, I-record, I-spot, various apps, various recording schemes and organisations, individual volunteer recorders etc. This would kind of join all the other talks together in what is often a blurry subject.

• Frustrating to not be able to attend the two separate sessions as both of great interest to me

• Funding for LERCs and the problem of open data supply whilst still meeting LERC running costs

• More on citizen science and involving public in recording

• I use data in the planning system so the session by Suzanne Waymont was excellent, more case studies from other parts of the country would be great

• I do not think the talks followed each other in any natural order of development. I am not sure if this mattered or not.

• More entomology/plants

• Scientific applications of NBN data. Data gaps. How is our data being used by government? What do we need to do to improve data flow?

• In general I’m less interested in discussions about planning and I’d like to hear more from recorders – best practice etc.

• Perhaps more discussion on where the trainers and verifiers are coming from in the future – a key part of the sustainable nature of accurate date.

• None of the topics really covered “planning & partnership” or followed on from the various consultations carried out earlier in the year. I was expecting more examples, potential opportunities, threats etc. based on the NBN strategy.

• Having raised the spectre of the elephant in the room there was no chance to investigate the issue

• More discussion on NBN plans and proposals

• Possibly more about the Atlas and how this is going to work/look going forwards.

• More on the need for data availability in local decision making. More on adding value to data not just the need for making it open. What are the tools that people have made regardless of the openness of data. The elephant in the room of how we pay for making data freely available including recognition that the Gateway itself is not free to maintain so. How do we fund it all going forward?

• More on getting beginners into wildlife recording – success stories where organisations that were finding it hard to engage recorders found something that worked.

• This is perhaps where some of those people who benefit from data sharing could have been given more presentation time, particularly those who benefit from open data.

We also asked you to “provide any comments you have on future conference locations, topics, speakers or general suggestions regarding the conference”:

• Good to move north and this definitely changed the organisations that attended. Much more on how we use data inventively. We know it needs to be open. Lets get on to the why and what and importantly who’s going to pay for it to be collected and maintained now.

• The standard of talking by several of the speakers was dreadful. I know I am deaf in one ear but, in one case, even when I was in the front row I could make out perhaps under 10% of the words from one speaker as they were mumbled through nearly closed lips. In other cases I could make out just about everything from further back. I do not think it is just a matter of volume; it is clarity of diction that is a major problem. I was not the only one who found some speakers very difficult to understand. On the bright side, as a rule, the less clear the speaking, the more words they had on the screen so not all was lost. This is not a problem confined to this conference – I am afraid John Wesley’s advice to speakers – Stand up, Speak up, Shut up – seems to be widely ignored. If you can find a way to encourage speakers to address audiences properly that would be wonderful; if you could also tell other conference organisers how to do this that would be even better. I hope you do not think I am being unduly critical – these comments are given in a constructive a spirit.

• Please, please, please record or stream the videos next year. Whatever the cost the benefit to the network (99.9% of whom don’t make the conference) would be greater.

• York and further north is fine, further south is extremely difficult. The mix of global/national and local perspectives is extremely useful and could be used for other themes. Please try and ensure that there is something relevant for the local and amateur recorders.

• I answered 3 to the location question. I thought the location i.e. York was great, but the conference centre location i.e. Sand Hutton was very inconvenient and it cost over £60 in taxis over the course of 2 days so not cost effective at all. This is very expensive for charities/NGOs. Coaches could have been organised (I would have been happy to pay e.g. £10 for a place on a coach there and back each day, organised by NBN).

• I would have liked a chance for there to be a board where we could write something like “the big issue for me is…” and have a chance to discuss it. The conference gave a good optimistic message but there are things that still need sorting. Perhaps after canvassing views there could have been a session where they were discussed. I feel a National Biodiversity sharing network is still not in existence.

• ALL good except for the Brochure: * pp 14, 15 of the Keynote Speakers should have been inserted with the ordinary speakers into the running order of the sessions. Again, really hard to see where to write the notes. Mine are now a mess. * Typeface unnecessarily small and print colour too faint! Without varifocal glasses and a torch it was impossible to find the correct speaker slot in the brochure in the dim auditorium while viewing the presentations.

• This location was quite far for me to travel but I support the principle of varying the location.

• Although London is closer for me to get to, I enjoyed going to York for the conference and would be happy to do so again.

• Interactive workshop sessions are great – use these to enable the wider NBN community to keep giving input into the development of the Atlases and the delivery of the Strategic Action Plan. Student speed talks were good, it would be great to have talks from students’/graduates on the MMU biological recording course next year. Always good to have a speaker from Defra/JNCC/the agencies to emphasise the importance of biodiversity data to inform policy, decision-making and reporting – David Stroud was a good example. I really enjoyed the talks by recorders, they spoke with such passion and extensive knowledge and gave a great insight into what motivates (and de-motivates) recorders. A slightly less packed programme to allow more time for questions would be good if possible.

• Moving the conference around the UK is a good idea, for example having one in Edinburgh or Cardiff may be an idea? NE/EA/FC/SNH/Defra etc speakers on policy/strategic issues would be useful

• York is a great venue but central York would have been better, especially given the great railway links. Time for questions should have been allowed with less speakers. I only attended the second day so it was all being talked at with no discussion time. Some of the speakers over ran so better control on this was needed

• Similar mix of speakers and talk lengths next year would be excellent.

• I thought the workshop session on the first day was good- but 15 mins to discuss and then move on was not good- also the noise in the room with all groups speaking made it difficult to hear. the summary and discussion after the break was less good- the momentum seemed lost. Somewhere central in the UK would be good so that as many as possible can attend and moderate cost. Please consider webcasting the talks so that people can see them- and advertise that it is being done. Many of the talks should be preserved and available in the future. Not everyone can afford £350 to attend these meetings but would like to participate by hearing the talks and discussions. I don’t believe it would diminish the audience who do attend.

• I would really like to have more workshops (discussions) and far more question time after each talk as I think that is one of the huge benefits of getting everybody together. It also breaks up the talks more and keeps people engaged.

• I thought York was good and the venue was good but it would have been better if we’d had a more organised system of transport to and from the venue, but I appreciate that this might have been difficult to arrange.

• My only suggestion is that the efforts should have been arranged to have an opportunity for a meal after or part of the award’s ceremony. Not expecting the NBN to cover the cost of this, but it meant that everyone dispersed quickly after the ceremony. Was a lost opportunity.

• More ecology and conservation and biology talks. More research presented

• The location made it accessible to more people. The venue was fantastic.

• The location could do with being closer to accommodation – alternatively a later start time is required to avoid rush hour on public transport. I felt the morning sessions were a little long, particularly between morning coffee and lunch, so dropping one talk here would allow a later start. More marine content would be good, also more about mobilising historical data.

• Some female keynote speakers would be good – they were 100% male this year! In general the male:female speaker ratio was about 60% to 30% which is a lot better than most conferences, but not having any female keynotes was noticeable. Would definitely prefer not to be in London. Maybe it could move around the country? Birmingham, Cardiff, Newcastle, Edinborough, Glasgow, would all be good and would maybe encourage a different group of people to attend. Having an evening function was nice.

• Definitely hope to attend. It is more the topics of discussion as well as networking which are the draw as opposed to individual speakers necessarily. Was great for it to be in a more northern location – makes it more feasible to attend in terms of cost and travel time. Having the additional journey from York to Sand Hutton did make it difficult to get there on time for the start without an overnight stay beforehand and added to the cost, but it was a great venue. Enjoyed the symposia, but found it hard to follow discussions with the background noise of other discussions in close proximity.

• York is a good city for a conference, but the conference location was not easy to get to/from – I would like to see the NBN promoting sustainability by choosing a venue more accessible by public transport. I struggled to get back to York by car for the awards in time due to traffic. Catering was also disappointing – I was a few minutes late to lunch on Thursday and found there was little food and no plates left! Some people I spoke to also expected that the awards included dinner – some chance to eat before or during the awards would have been very welcome, especially given that I missed most of the lunch.

• Whether I attend or not will largely depend on where it is held. It would be great to rotate it around the country so that everyone has a fair crack at not having to travel too far.

• Although less convenient for me it was great to see the conference move up to York. A city centre venue would be easier to get. I would suggest having either more food in the evening with the awards or ensuring that people have time to get food in between (the conference felt a bit on the low calorie side and Thursday was a very long day to go on just a couple of sandwiches and a few chocolates). My big push for next year would be to up the interactivity of sessions and keep up the great boundary pushing content.  I’m really interested in what motivates recorders, what exciting challenges recorders face and ingenious ways that they rise to these challenges. If we want to inspire people to take up and continue recording we need to capture and use some of these amazing stories. Some of the talks also seemed a bit overly academic for me presenting basic research so encouraging those speakers to highlight interesting points and tell a story – not just present ‘introduction, methods, results, conclusions, acknowledgements’ which personally makes me switch off right away.

• There was plenty of time for informal discussions at breaks which was good, but not much time for group discussions with few speakers leaving enough time for questions. A more discursive format for one slot e.g. question panel or workshops might have helped (although of course there was the option of a parallel bioblitz workshop session which I didn’t attend).

• Overall, the conference was absolutely fantastic. NBN secretariat, you did a brilliant job. One thing I will fault is the inaccessibility of venue. If the conference was hosted in a city, I feel that a more varied array of people would attend, due to the ability to easily catch a train or a bus. But I feel that many individuals would have been discouraged to come to the conference due to the unease and expense. We should really be encouraging students and younger generations to come to this event, and I think although there was a reduced student rate (which is fab) the transport cost would have been unjustifiable. Just a minor critique – thank you for a brilliant conference.

• I wonder if the move to a 2 day conference had some bearing on the low quality/relevance of the talks i.e. struggling to fill the program (I wish I had attended the 1st day to compare). I was really expecting more to be made of the strategy – to discuss real issues and be presented with solutions – in fact I expected the whole day to be about this. The talks were just “the same old story” – and whilst a nice story, it’s one we’ve all heard before. I was looking forward to a change of venue, however having to get a 30 min bus ride from the station was not convenient (thankfully I discovered a bus DID stop at Fera at the last minute despite it being missing from timetables). Location really needs to be accessible using a single form of public transport otherwise trying to match up times becomes a nightmare. I really don’t want to say it but my attendance was a waste of time. The NBN conference is usually a given in my calendar – however I will be seriously considering attendance at future conferences.

• The content was great and I enjoyed the conference but I found it so hard to engage with because of the format. Presentation after presentation, no Q&A, no discussion, no moving around, curtains closed – not even a spotlight on the speaker. I enjoyed the discussion format of the day one symposium much more. Good idea to move away from London – always good to move around. But a shame the conference wasn’t in central York – added cost and time of getting to and from town.

• Venue with opportunities for informal socializing after event (i.e. near a pub!), from my perspective fewer “I set up y group and we’ve collected x many records” talks and more technical/practical talks on data management, potential solutions to tricky problems such as how to enter zero abundance data etc.

• Great to include students and fabulous to include some volunteer recorders – inspiring.

• How about a conference dinner combined with the awards ceremony? Would be great if you came to Scotland next year – especially with the launch of the Atlas of Living Scotland

• I felt 1/3 of the speakers were poor speakers. Maybe worth inviting speakers that are of a known quality. The mix of professional and non-professional speakers and perspectives was really great. Also liked have the Symposium B, as mixing up the format made for a richer experience. Catering left much to be desired, last year’s was much much better. Having an out of town location added additional expense, which would particularly have affected smaller organisations. Also was hard to book taxis, as York’s taxi companies are very busy at the beginning and end of the day. Enjoyed the awards ceremony, but it was a long time to go without more substantial food.

 

2016 NBN Conference

We will commence planning for this year’s event in February, so if you have any further comments or suggestions to make please let us know by 19th February.

NBN Awards

We also asked for your feedback on the UK Awards for biological recording and information sharing:

We asked whether the Awards should be kept as a separate event or included within the Conference.

The majority of respondents said that it should be kept as a separate event.  An additional comment was that it could possibly include a dinner (even if at extra cost)

2016 Awards

We will bring you information on this year’s Awards in the spring, but if you have any comments in the meantime please do let us know.