Current Research in Egyptology (CRE) Attendance Survey
As many of you, I have filled a form sent by the CRE Permanent Committee crepermanentcommittee@gmail.c
As some of you, I have been to more than one CRE in the past, and enjoyed filling out this form. The opportunity to share my ideas on how the future CRE meetings can be further improved is welcome. At the main website of CRE - http://cregyptology.org.uk/ - you may see where the meetings have been happening throughout the past years (started in the UK, and then spread to the rest of Wester Europe).
Listing my ideas to improve the already excellent opportunity that is this annual meeting:
1 - adding one day to the meeting - The D-Day
By adding one day to the meeting for discussion, the organizers may open a window of possibilities for researchers, students and scholars to intertwine their intellectual and material productions. All presentations, poster information and revealed research in scholars' lectures have a space for questions. But this space is very slim. Some minutes in between presentations, and some more discussion poster information with authors on chat mode, and even the minutes following a keynote lecture are not enough. There is always something more coming to mind that is lost, not in translation, but in the middle of coffee breaks (also very slim in time), lunch times, and cocktail hours. Because one is tired, or carrying books bought with promotional prices, busy trying to answer important emails or writing messages. An extra day will be gifted with the power to dissipate all those doubts, brought on post-its and written on notebooks' margins. Digital or analogical. The D-Day or Discussion Day could be organized like this: morning sessions-language, scripts, religion, art, daily life presentations, posters and lectures' discussion/afternoon sessions-archaeology (including mission reports), museum collections, materials and technologies' discussion. The organizers can create an online live document where participants write their question, doubt, comment, their email and name, so that those can be scheduled to 'speak' in the relevant session.
2 - setting all presentations, keynote lectures and poster discussions in the same location - 1L
Having to delve in a foreign city, learning which bus is closer to your hotel, how much and where you have to walk until reaching the CRE meeting is already time-consuming. A whole day of activity is already tiring. Finding the stamina to visit long-desired monuments and museums, while attending the meeting, crossing town, back and forth, is physically demanding. Why not having everything in the same place? Because of room space? Sponsors include conditions of using this and that room? Well, as having been part of a team who already organized an international congress in the past, I can say that congregating the efforts is beneficial in all fronts. Sponsors cannot dictate how organizers will use the facilities they make available for the meeting. That is one point not open to discussion. And those who cannot travel and be present 'in the flesh' can attend online (for free of course-think of many Egyptian colleagues who may not be able to travel outside of Egypt for the meeting). Online attendance must be available for all presentations, lectures, and discussions. Organize everything in only 1L or 1 Location.
3 - giving public transportation passes to all participants for the duration of the meeting - The Pass
This point is umbilically connected to the former. Where the participants choose to stay, regarding their accommodation cannot be 'organized'. Participants go to CRE meetings with different agendas. Some make this part of a family vacation, bringing more family members with them. Others use the opportunity to visit friends and stay with them. Some of these friends do not live in the city centre. Not having the stress of finding out which tourist pass or public transportation option is for you, because the organizing committee offered a pass is a must. Considering that participants of CRE meetings are not exclusively 22-year olds, comfort is a relevant issue to be taken into consideration. Find sponsors for The Pass.
4 - meals and food options and restrictions - MO or Meal Options
University cafeterias and lunch halls are very option-reduced. Finding sponsors among restaurants and coffee shops next to the meeting venue should be the first thing an organizing committee search for, after securing the venue. Giving meal-vouchers to participants, with choices of different 'cuisines' would encourage group lunches instead of people seating in the grass, by themselves, and eating cookies and chocolates...instead of a good lunch. Set up different sponsors for Meal Options.
5 - day trips, or the ability to choose; organizing more than just one day trip - DT1 and DT2
Continuing on the topic of age-gap, day trips have to be plural. The organizers have to set up, at least, two different day trips. There is always an archaeological site, palace, museum-house or ruins to be visited; but there is always also a small museum in the city centre, another museum house, a private collection, or another out-of-the-city location to visit that is not physically challenging. Suggesting 'walks', as the next organizer (Basel) did, in the Alps, I presume, is not for all. day trips have to happen with private transportation. Using public trains or other public means of transportation is prone to confusion, some lost items, lost people, people on the wrong train, and waking up at odd hours to a) go from your place of accommodation to the meeting point, b) be on time at the meeting point, c) wait for all registered participants, and d) depart on time. Organize a DT1 and a DT2.
6 - the list - LL
One thing CRE meetings have been great on, but organizing committees not always enthusiastic about is connecting people. Either because they just do not remember doing that, or because they think some will not want that, so it is best not wasting time asking for it. Wrong. Participants of CRE meetings want to stay in touch. We have social media, people! Build up a LL, a live list online, where all registered participants decide on which details and informations they choose to share. Build a form or doc, and let people fill it up, with the option of leaving information available AFTER the meeting. Online so that contacts of all participants are available for the future.