We asked attendees of the 2020 BSP Annual Conference what they thought of the online event. Here are the results…
The BSP aims to be transparent in how we organise, promote and host all our events including our annual conference. One of the key aspects is listening to participants, and acting upon their feedback. Each year we send out a survey to attendees after the event to better understand what went well, what not so well, and how we can improve things going forwards.
Annual Conference 2020 Online: ‘Engaged Phenomenology’
BSP with the University of Exeter, sponsored by Egenis and the Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health.
During the CfP period the global pandemic hit. We decided to take the conference online to honour the quality and diversity of the proposals received, as well as keep academic conversations going during difficult times. The conference ran as a live three day timetabled event with dual parallel sessions (to retain some of the feel of a face-to-face) and we kept the papers up for a week afterwards so people could catch-up with what they missed, or rewatch stuff they liked first time around.
What did attendees think of the event?
We sent out a survey to all our 150+ registered attendees, and around one third replied. As a wee bit of fun and to encourage participation there was a prize draw for one person to win £50 in book vouchers. The lucky winner was Natalia Burakowska, University College Dublin. Congratulations!
Overall, the results from the survey were excellent. Here is a taste of what some people said:
‘Congratulations on pulling off a wonderful and enriching experience’
‘All the work and dedication that was put in to organising this conference really showed’
‘I thought it was excellent – very professional, warm and engaging. Thank you’
‘Just to say thanks again for a most enjoyable and stimulating conference experience. The organizing committee should be very happy with the way it turned out’
We are really proud of the feedback we got, especially on key metrics such as ‘enjoyment’, ‘would you attend another BSP event’, ‘recommend to others’, ‘respect and kindness’, and ‘impact’. Here’s a snapshot:
However, we don’t just ask for feedback to find out what went well, but to better understand what didn’t go so well, and how we can improve things going forwards. Check out the full survey results, including our future recommendations at the end of the pack. You can download the the pdf or just click the link to view online:
BSP Podcast: For the conference our speakers recorded videos, our keynotes presented live over Zoom, and we also recorded some interviews. Podcast episodes taken from BSP2020AC are soundtracks where we and the presenters feel the audio works as a standalone. Listen in to season 5 of the BSP Podcast for content from the conference.
BSP Annual Conference 2020 Online – ‘Engaged Phenomenology‘ with the University of Exeter, co-sponsored by Egenis and the Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health. The theme of the conference was by Jessie Stanier, Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health at the University of Exeter. Check out the BSP2020AC Online homepage.
Future conferences: International Conference 2021 Online: The Future as a Present Concern. BSP with the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) and The Irish Philosophical Society (IPS): 1 – 3 September 2021.