>That's a great idea! We've also been discussing other ways to engage new people, such as asking veterans be sure to introduce themselves to new attendees, and even identifying an indicator on the badge for new attendees.

Doug,

We talked about this very topic last night at out Chicago Users group meeting. Your partner, Rick Schummer, was giving a pitch for attendance.

I made the point that there is a need to do more to encourage attendees to feel involved. Those who run conferences have been doing it for so long that they tend to forget the feeling on being kind of anonymous and passive as a student in a lecture hall. Those who attend need some specific ways to break the ice and feel that they can express themselves.

The line that got some approval was "Yes we have superstars but there is also a sky full of dimmer lights." We go to conferences to network, socialize, learn from, and be inspired by the other attendees as well as the speakers.

Some tactics to adjust the balance of focus more toward the attendees could include --- expanding "who's coming" to include a short bio or a few lines indicate areas of interest. To make this not one more chore on the organizers, we could open up a wiki page and let attendees express themselves. Then an attendee would have a richer understanding of whom they would like to meet and talk to. One of our members volunteered to set up the page.

Even some recognition in plenary sessions for attendees by state or by who came the farthest or by who has gained some recognition for some accomplishment or who is a user of a particular framework or who concentrates on what industry or types of apps. I remember hunting around to find the Illinois attendees to invite them to join FUDG at one of Whil's conferences.

Someone also suggested arming attendees with a small number of paper business cards in addition to their name tag so that they wouldn't be writing email addresses on napkins.

I know that many of these things are already part of your approach and are a hallmark of Fox gatherings. I just think a few conscious plans could make it even better. I also know that as volunteers you, Rick, and Tamar are making big time sacrifices and we appreciate it greatly. The ideas are not meant to cause more work because they are largely in the realm of attitude and atmosphere. They could make the event more attractive and boost attendance. We really like your policy of giving the user group a small refund for every one who goes.

Bill