INFORMS Open Forum

Hi all:

Like many of you, I received a survey this morning about a proposed change to the schedule for future INFORMS annual meetings, shifting the schedule to Saturday through Tuesday (from the current Sunday through Wednesday).

I was surprised that the survey did not include a question like: "Would this change make it more or less likely for you to attend the INFORMS Annual Meeting?" or "Do you think that, on balance, this proposed change is a good idea?" If the survey included such a question, it would have made it easier for me to vote resoundingly against this proposed idea.

Perhaps some believe that by holding a 4-day conference that ends on a Tuesday that more people would be likely to participate on the final day. In my view this is not likely. Many busy people likely believe that a large, general conference that last 4 days is simply too long and changing the start day does not help.

I just wanted to post to say that I am personally not interested in ever having a multi-day conference begin on a Saturday. This is certainly not a family-friendly idea in my opinion. Since the survey did not ask explicitly, I will therefore use this forum instead to vote against this proposed change.

Thanks for listening, and see you (not on Saturday) in Seattle!
Alan

================================
Alan Erera
President, INFORMS TSL Society
Professor, ISyE, Georgia Tech

Hi all:

Like many of you, I received a survey this morning about a proposed change to the schedule for future INFORMS annual meetings, shifting the schedule to Saturday through Tuesday (from the current Sunday through Wednesday).

I was surprised that the survey did not include a question like: "Would this change make it more or less likely for you to attend the INFORMS Annual Meeting?" or "Do you think that, on balance, this proposed change is a good idea?" If the survey included such a question, it would have made it easier for me to vote resoundingly against this proposed idea.

Perhaps some believe that by holding a 4-day conference that ends on a Tuesday that more people would be likely to participate on the final day. In my view this is not likely. Many busy people likely believe that a large, general conference that last 4 days is simply too long and changing the start day does not help.

I just wanted to post to say that I am personally not interested in ever having a multi-day conference begin on a Saturday. This is certainly not a family-friendly idea in my opinion. Since the survey did not ask explicitly, I will therefore use this forum instead to vote against this proposed change.

Thanks for listening, and see you (not on Saturday) in Seattle!
Alan

================================
Alan Erera
President, INFORMS TSL Society
Professor, ISyE, Georgia Tech

Dear All,

I'd like to encourage everyone to take the survey about the timing of our Annual Meeting.
This is an important issue. We all would love to have, as much as possible, everyone to participate the Annual Meeting
for all the fours days. You most probably remember the returning efforts "to make Wednesday great".

As we are learning every year, Wednesday participation is much lower than the other days, many colleagues request
not to schedule their presentation to Wednesday, and the most frequent reasoning is: "I teach and cannot afford to miss 2 classes in a week".
This information was confirmed by a survey a few years ago.
Of course this is valid for friends from academia, but the fact is that the vast majority of the Annual meeting is from academia,
while the ratio is other way around for the Business Analytics meeting in the Spring.

A Saturday-Tuesday schedule would allow most of us  to enjoy the full Annual Meeting.
Thanks for all who share your opinion by filling the survey, posting your opinion, or by emailing me.
Thanks for your support of INFOMRS!

Tamás Terlaky
VP Meetings of INFORMS
George N. and Soteria Kledaras Endowed Chair Professor
Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Lehigh University

Hi all:

Like many of you, I received a survey this morning about a proposed change to the schedule for future INFORMS annual meetings, shifting the schedule to Saturday through Tuesday (from the current Sunday through Wednesday).

I was surprised that the survey did not include a question like: "Would this change make it more or less likely for you to attend the INFORMS Annual Meeting?" or "Do you think that, on balance, this proposed change is a good idea?" If the survey included such a question, it would have made it easier for me to vote resoundingly against this proposed idea.

Perhaps some believe that by holding a 4-day conference that ends on a Tuesday that more people would be likely to participate on the final day. In my view this is not likely. Many busy people likely believe that a large, general conference that last 4 days is simply too long and changing the start day does not help.

I just wanted to post to say that I am personally not interested in ever having a multi-day conference begin on a Saturday. This is certainly not a family-friendly idea in my opinion. Since the survey did not ask explicitly, I will therefore use this forum instead to vote against this proposed change.

Thanks for listening, and see you (not on Saturday) in Seattle!
Alan

================================
Alan Erera
President, INFORMS TSL Society
Professor, ISyE, Georgia Tech

Hi all:

Like many of you, I received a survey this morning about a proposed change to the schedule for future INFORMS annual meetings, shifting the schedule to Saturday through Tuesday (from the current Sunday through Wednesday).

I was surprised that the survey did not include a question like: "Would this change make it more or less likely for you to attend the INFORMS Annual Meeting?" or "Do you think that, on balance, this proposed change is a good idea?" If the survey included such a question, it would have made it easier for me to vote resoundingly against this proposed idea.

Perhaps some believe that by holding a 4-day conference that ends on a Tuesday that more people would be likely to participate on the final day. In my view this is not likely. Many busy people likely believe that a large, general conference that last 4 days is simply too long and changing the start day does not help.

I just wanted to post to say that I am personally not interested in ever having a multi-day conference begin on a Saturday. This is certainly not a family-friendly idea in my opinion. Since the survey did not ask explicitly, I will therefore use this forum instead to vote against this proposed change.

Thanks for listening, and see you (not on Saturday) in Seattle!
Alan

================================
Alan Erera
President, INFORMS TSL Society
Professor, ISyE, Georgia Tech

Hi all:

Like many of you, I received a survey this morning about a proposed change to the schedule for future INFORMS annual meetings, shifting the schedule to Saturday through Tuesday (from the current Sunday through Wednesday).

I was surprised that the survey did not include a question like: "Would this change make it more or less likely for you to attend the INFORMS Annual Meeting?" or "Do you think that, on balance, this proposed change is a good idea?" If the survey included such a question, it would have made it easier for me to vote resoundingly against this proposed idea.

Perhaps some believe that by holding a 4-day conference that ends on a Tuesday that more people would be likely to participate on the final day. In my view this is not likely. Many busy people likely believe that a large, general conference that last 4 days is simply too long and changing the start day does not help.

I just wanted to post to say that I am personally not interested in ever having a multi-day conference begin on a Saturday. This is certainly not a family-friendly idea in my opinion. Since the survey did not ask explicitly, I will therefore use this forum instead to vote against this proposed change.

Thanks for listening, and see you (not on Saturday) in Seattle!
Alan

================================
Alan Erera
President, INFORMS TSL Society
Professor, ISyE, Georgia Tech

Hi all:

Like many of you, I received a survey this morning about a proposed change to the schedule for future INFORMS annual meetings, shifting the schedule to Saturday through Tuesday (from the current Sunday through Wednesday).

I was surprised that the survey did not include a question like: "Would this change make it more or less likely for you to attend the INFORMS Annual Meeting?" or "Do you think that, on balance, this proposed change is a good idea?" If the survey included such a question, it would have made it easier for me to vote resoundingly against this proposed idea.

Perhaps some believe that by holding a 4-day conference that ends on a Tuesday that more people would be likely to participate on the final day. In my view this is not likely. Many busy people likely believe that a large, general conference that last 4 days is simply too long and changing the start day does not help.

I just wanted to post to say that I am personally not interested in ever having a multi-day conference begin on a Saturday. This is certainly not a family-friendly idea in my opinion. Since the survey did not ask explicitly, I will therefore use this forum instead to vote against this proposed change.

Thanks for listening, and see you (not on Saturday) in Seattle!
Alan

================================
Alan Erera
President, INFORMS TSL Society
Professor, ISyE, Georgia Tech

Alan:

I totally agree with you.  I have separately voiced my opposition to this proposal in private emails to Ron Askin, the previous VP of Meetings who asked the question of exhibitors 2 years ago, and to the current VP of Meetings, Tamas Terlaky, after receiving the present survey.

The questions that you stated should have been included in the survey.

As a practitioner, and a person who previously managed people responsible for a booth in the Exhibit Hall, I can tell you that asking people to "work" on Saturdays and Sundays does not always get received well.

I understand that there are many people in the academic community who cannot commit to attending the entire meeting if it is held during the week because of their teaching duties.  Maybe it is time to consider structuring the meeting around a "theme per day" idea.  For example, you could have optimization talks on Monday and Tuesday and talks on queueing on Wednesdays and Thursdays.  Most people wouldn't need to attend talks in both of those areas, so they'd only come for the days related to their area of interest.

Hi all:

Like many of you, I received a survey this morning about a proposed change to the schedule for future INFORMS annual meetings, shifting the schedule to Saturday through Tuesday (from the current Sunday through Wednesday).

I was surprised that the survey did not include a question like: "Would this change make it more or less likely for you to attend the INFORMS Annual Meeting?" or "Do you think that, on balance, this proposed change is a good idea?" If the survey included such a question, it would have made it easier for me to vote resoundingly against this proposed idea.

Perhaps some believe that by holding a 4-day conference that ends on a Tuesday that more people would be likely to participate on the final day. In my view this is not likely. Many busy people likely believe that a large, general conference that last 4 days is simply too long and changing the start day does not help.

I just wanted to post to say that I am personally not interested in ever having a multi-day conference begin on a Saturday. This is certainly not a family-friendly idea in my opinion. Since the survey did not ask explicitly, I will therefore use this forum instead to vote against this proposed change.

Thanks for listening, and see you (not on Saturday) in Seattle!
Alan

================================
Alan Erera
President, INFORMS TSL Society
Professor, ISyE, Georgia Tech