Local Food Conference Debriefings and Feedback

Hi All,

I participated in a conference call debriefing for the Choices Conference today, an informal discussion of what worked well, what could be improved, and ideas for the next Choices Conference to be held in March 2009. Organizing a debriefing meeting soon after any big event is an excellent way to get participant, vendor and coordinator feedback while it is still fresh in all of our minds.

One of the things we all agreed upon is the next conference will use less disposable paper. Although we are in the design business and many of our products are printed on paper, we make every attempt to make those items beautiful, reusable and collectible. We aren't big on creating a 12 page program for a conference that will be thrown away at the end of the day.

Here's some ideas we came up with today:

• Post speaker bios and conference session topics on a web site dedicated to the conference.


• Request that speakers provide a copy of their talk that can be posted on the web site after the conference.


• Post conference sponsors and exhibitors names, logos, web addresses and phone numbers in a special section on the web site.


• Create a one page eye-catching "conference-at-a-glance" handout that participants can reference throughout the conference. Reference the web site in the document for later use.


• Provide lap tops in a secure area at the conference for participants to reference the web site.


• Use the money saved in printing the 12 page brochure to provide a "give-away" item for conference participants. This year we designed an eye-catching bookmark as a "Save the Date" reminder for the 2009 conference. Last year the conference menus were printed on a beautiful full color Eat Local Food postcard.


• Alternatively, spend the extra money saved on better food for your conference!! This year's Choices Conference had delicious healthy food from local farmers and businesses, which I'm sure participants appreciated and will remember.

Good Luck on your next local food event or conference and don't forget the debriefing afterwards!