3 - Scientific and related events: variety delights

Summary

Most scientific meetings involve more than one type of event. One can look at these events as building blocks, and it is their combination and placement that will be instrumental for the success of the meeting (see Chapter 5). The following listing is arbitrary and merely highlights options that can be modified to suit a particular situation.

Scientific events

Lectures

All good lectures have one thing in common: they are not too long. It seems that all over the world the attention span has shrunk during recent decades. Blame it on our hectic lifestyle or the impact of the mass media: most people get restless when lectures exceed one hour.

To prevent monotony, lectures (with the possible exception of Main Lectures) should be followed by a discussion period and a break. The length of the break must vary with the circumstances, as detailed in the following sections. However, even ‘Short Communications’ should be scheduled at least three minutes apart. During sessions with several consecutive lectures, one or two extended breaks are definitely indicated (see below).

Within a series of lectures, it is imperative to leave the time slot unused if a speaker does not show up, unless the change can be announced well in advance. Otherwise, participants may miss the event. Any change of schedule during a meeting is likely to cause confusion.

Punctuality of lectures is a must when parallel sessions are held. A cautionary example: At an international conference convened in a country known for its ‘relaxed’ lifestyle, the projectionists appeared routinely late after lunch and resumed their jobs at different times.