Events – Professional Academic Corporate etc

EVENTS 

CONFERENCE CONVENTION SEMINAR WORKSHOP UNCONFERENCE etc
ACADEMIC EVENT MANAGEMENT

A Primer

By

VIKRAM KARVE

We may classify events can in a few broad categories based on their purpose and objective: 

1.  Leisure Events  [leisure, sport, music, recreation] 
2.  Cultural Events [ceremonial, religious, art, heritage, and folklore]
3.  Personal Events [weddings, birthdays, anniversaries]
4.  Organisational Events [commercial, political, charitable, sales, product launch, trade fairs, shows, road shows etc]
5.  Academic Events [conferences, workshops, seminars, symposium, unconference]

In this article – let me focus on Academic Events – since that is what I am most conversant with – having been an HR/Training Manager and Professor for many years in my long career – and having participated in and actively presenting papers (and also passively attended as delegate). 

As a part of my work – both in the Navy and in Academia – I have organised many Conferences, Seminars, Workshops, Symposia etc.

Of course – I have organized and participated in many other types of events as well – and may write about it subsequently.

The two main stakeholders in an academic event are the organisers – and the participants – or – delegates.

From the academic point of view – the Organisers view the event as one-way communication – a gathering where they impart information to the attendees. 

Of course – there may be other commercial motives and career ambitions as well.

The Delegates may look at the event from different points of view. 

There are a number of reasons why persons attend academic events like conferences – learning experience, enjoyment, professional networking, seeking peer group approval and prestige [by presenting their research papers] – or as a perk or reward for good performance etc.

Conference: A meeting of individuals or representatives of various bodies for the purpose of discussing and/or acting on topics of common interest or theme. 

A conference is a large event, lasting several days and attracting a large number of delegates. 

Typically a conference may attract more than a thousand delegates (1000+ delegates)

A session is an unbroken period within a conference.

The plenary session is a session at which all delegates are present. 

The “Graveyard Shift” is the session immediately after lunch – when most delegates are likely to feel drowsy, have a siesta and nap off. 

A poster session affords opportunity for authors of papers which are not actually presented in the conference to display posters, summaries and abstracts of their papers to delegates and stand by to discuss and answer questions. This is held during conference session breaks outside the main conference hall in the foyers and adjacent lobbies.

Convention: A convention, or congress, is a gathering of greater importance than a conference, much larger in size, with a few thousand participants, with a formal agenda and programme, with the aim of formulating policy.

Seminar: A seminar is a small to medium sized event with the number of delegates ranging from 20/30 to around 100/200. 

Seminars are compact one or two day events designed to educate and inform delegates of the subject(s) of interest and discuss issues of common concern.

Symposium: A symposium is a Seminar where only a single topic or subject is discussed in an informal way encouraging inter-delegate-speaker communication and debate.

Colloquium: In a colloquium one or more experts or eminent academicians deliver lectures on a subject followed by a question and answer session. 

A colloquium is purely academic in nature.

Workshop: A workshop is a small gathering of delegates to discuss and exchange ideas on specific topics or to solve particular problems. 

It is like a symposium but more formal in nature.

Meeting: A meeting is a much smaller event – maybe involving a few executives or invitees – discussing business or a precise agenda.

Information Flow: In a symposium and workshop the flow of information is between all the participants, delegates and speakers; whereas in a seminar and colloquium the flow of information is primarily one-way from the speakers to the audience. 

Of course – in a meeting – there is more of presentation, deliberation and discussion with the aim of collective consensus and decision-making.

Clinic: A clinic is a meeting of a select group of persons with common interests, confronting and discussing real-life situations and problems, organised for the purpose of diagnosing, analysing and seeking solutions to specific problems.

Unconference: An “unconference” is a facilitated, participant-driven face-to-face conference centred on a theme or purpose.

Even at traditional conferences – the most productive moments often occur during informal networking – tête-à-tête – and discussions between the formal sessions – in tea and lunch breaks – and in the evenings over cocktails/dinner/get-togethers etc

That is what an “unconference” aims to achieve.

The cardinal premise of an “unconference” is that there are no spectators – in an “unconference” – everyone is a participant.

This sets the stage for everyone to actively contribute and is another factor in making this event so unique.

The idea of “unconference” probably emanated from the Fundamental Law of Conventional Conferences: 

“The sum of the expertise of the people in the audience is greater than the sum of expertise of the people on stage...”

The aim of an unconference is to break the barrier between the audience and the speakers on the podium. 

Members of the audience and participants write topics they are interested in on boards, consolidate the topics, and then break into discussion groups.

With the advent of the internet and increasing virtual interaction – meetings, conferencing, networking and modern forms of “formal” and “informal” web-based communication and learning technologies – the concept of “unconferencing” is more attractive than traditional conferences of the “old mould” type.

So how does one plan and organise such academic events...?

There are so many aspects and factors to be considered – topic, venue, dates, programme, speakers, papers, delegates, technology, communication, budget, accommodation, food, entertainment, PR, promotion, publication, sponsorship, commercial aspects, check-off lists… 

I will end now. 

But – more on this topic – and about other types of events – later on my blog. 

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
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Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)

This blog post is a revised repost of my article written 25 years ago in the 1990s and posted online earlier at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2010/09/event-management-conference-seminar.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.com/2017/05/event-management-academic-events.html  etc 

Pune (Poona) Memories – A Walk Down Memory Lane – Strolling Down Main Street (MG Road)

Once in a while – I stroll down Main Street (MG Road) in Pune Camp.

And – whenever I do so – I remember this memoir I had written many years ago after a stroll on Main Street. 

Strolling Down Main Street (MG Road) Pune

Travel Memoir

By

VIKRAM KARVE

Pune, the Queen of the Deccan, in the 1960s and 1970s, was indeed a “paradise” – one of the best places to live in.

Life was good. 

It was easy to be happy. 

The threshold of our happiness was so low that it was very easy to be happy. 

Those days – in the 1960s – Pune was known as Poona. 

Poona comprised two main parts – Poona City and Poona Camp. 

(Poona was renamed Pune in the 1970s. So – for ease of understanding – I will use the present name “Pune” in this article – and – I will call the two parts of Pune as Pune City and Pune Camp).

Pune City comprised the “Peths” – the older Peths named after the days of the week in Marathi (Somwar, Mangalwar, Budhwar, Guruwar, Shukrawar, Shaniwar, Raviwar Peth) – and the newer ones like Kasba, Narayan, Rasta, Ghorpade, Sadashiv, Nana, Bhavani, Ganj, Ganesh, Navi Peth etc. Of course – the newer “posh” localities like Deccan Gymkhana, Erandawane, Shivajinagar etc were included in Pune City later. 

Pune Camp comprised of Main Street (MG Road), East Street, Centre Street, Arsenal (Moledina) Road, and the adjoining Cantonment Areas. 

(Today’s “suburbs” of Pune were villages or farmlands or desolate places...) 

In those days of the 1960s/1970s – Pune primarily comprised of the “Peths” and Pune Camp. 

We lived on Tilak Road, in Sadashiv Peth, and one of our most enjoyable highlights was the occasional visit to Pune Camp – to see the latest Hollywood Movie in royal style relaxing on those unique easy chairs at the inimitable West End Cinema, relishing tasty mouth-watering bites and soothing thirst-quenching sips at the Soda Fountain during the interval.

This was followed by a leisurely stroll on Main Street (MG Road) and East Street, window-shopping, bird-watching and snacking, nourishing fulfilling satiating continental dishes at Greenfields, maybe a browse at Manney’s, and then a hearty Chinese meal at Kamling or Chung Fa, or a Mughlai repast at Latif, or Punjabi Food at Kwality, Biryani at Dorabjee or George, or Sizzlers at The Place (the first Sizzler Place in India) next to Manney’s. 

The icing on the cake was a Meetha Masala Pan at George to carry home with us the lingering flavour and fragrance of the delightful evening.

Let me take you back in time, to those glorious days of the 1960s/1970s. 

So come with me, Dear Reader, and let’s start from the West End of Main Street and stroll down memory lane.

Opposite West End there is Naaz, so let’s go in and relish those delectable Mutton Samosas, Bun Maska and refreshing Irani style Chai.

A few years later, Naaz split into two – a Non-Veg Naaz at the original location and a Veg Naaz at the other end of the building, towards George. “Liberalisation” and “Globalisation” took its it toll and in due course the Non-Veg Naaz was replaced by a Barista and then the Veg Naaz was replaced by a shoe store. Greenfields, the delicious breakfast place at the other end of Main Street has disappeared too.

Next we stop at Pasteur Bakery, for here we are going to sample their signature Almond Macaroons – wonderful, divine, scrumptious crisp crunchy crust, sumptuous rich moist chew, the lingering heavenly flavour of almonds, luxuriant sweetness, supreme, unforgettable, unsurpassed, fantastic – the best Macaroon I have ever tasted.

And then there is the one and only Marz-o-rin next door for Chicken Rolls, Sandwiches and Cold Coffee. I am so happy that Marz-o-rin still retains its friendly character and is still going strong, becoming better each day. The signature dish of Marz-o-rin is the Chicken Roll – it is matchless. I have tasted Chicken Rolls all over the place but there is nothing like the lip smacking one served by Marz-o-rin. Generous boneless pieces of delicious chicken, the lip smacking mayonnaise, and the soft mellifluous roll yummy treat I love it. If you are vegetarian, try the slightly tangy tomato and green chutney vegetable sandwiches. And wash it down with a cold coffee.

Well that's what we old fogies always did in the good old days and still do whenever we visit Marz-o-rin. Now there are many more delightful options, and comfortable seating upstairs and friendly atmosphere in the balcony where you can sit and observe the goings on below while enjoying your snack. I like the hot bakes, especially the Bean Bake Chicken or Cheese, Macaroni, and Spaghetti with the zesty sauces. And, of course, there are all kinds of excellent Burgers, Rolls and Sandwiches, including whole wheat versions for the health-conscious foodies.

“Health-Conscious Foodie” - now that's a nice oxymoron, isn’t it…?

The chillers are exciting too Kool-Blue or Green Apple on a hot and sultry afternoon. And there a variety of juices, shakes, and ice creams to choose from. You can try what you want, everything is appetizing and tasty, but remember, in Marz-o-rin you must relish the Chicken Rolls, vegetable sandwiches and Cold Coffee for old times sake. And don't forget to take a yummy parcel for the folks at home…!

A bit ahead, across the road, there is Mona Food – whose delicious fulfilling chola bhatura is still unsurpassed but Mona Food is no longer the simple, unpretentious, no-nonsense value-for-money eatery it once was, but it is still worth a visit so we will relish those delectable chole bhature some other time – we want to keep our appetite for dinner, isn’t it…?

So let’s build up an appetite, and just stroll, past Needlewoman, D. Phillips, Imperial Hosiery, Footwear, Clothes, Sports, Stores and Shops of all kinds – window-shop and bird-watch. The old faithful die-hards still patronise these stores, but the youngsters prefer shopping in the glittering Malls proliferating all over Pune.

But before we decide where to go for dinner, let’s not forget to get those peerless Shrewsbury Biscuits, Wine Biscuits, Chocolate Walnut Cake and Cheese Papri from Kayani Bakery and my favourite irresistible Sev Barfi from Bhavnagari Sweets.

Hungry…?

In a mood for some delicious Chinese food. Okay, let’s go to Kamling on East Street.

Kamling...? Hey, where’s that...? 

Kamling was the best Chinese Restaurant in Pune, famous for its signature pork dishes (especially the sweet and sour pork) and inimitable American Chopsuey. Despite the fact that Kamling was patronised by number of distinguished personalities and famous film stars – it always remained a down-to-earth affordable restaurant.

Snap to the present. 

Kamling has vanished – and in its place there is Mayur Dining Hall where you can savour an excellent Vegetarian Thali. (I believe even Mayur Dining Hall has relocated)

And many other heritage places have disappeared too – like Naaz, Greenfields and the West End Soda Fountain and Lords, the best tailoring shop in Pune, but many like Pasteur, Marz-o-rin, Mona Food, Dorabjee, Chung Fa, Sizzlers, Burger King, and George are still going strong, and Main Street still hasn’t lost its captivating charm. Some eateries like Olympia on East Street, which served delectable kababs and rolls, have transformed into new avatars. 

Even the iconic Manney’s Bookstore shut down a few years ago. 

After a stroll down Main Street (MG Road) – I feel hungry. 

I want to have a leisurely “heritage” meal. 

I decide to head for Dorabjee. 

So – I walk leisurely towards Sarbatwala Chowk till I reach Dorabjee and Sons.

I dive in through the low entrance of Dorabjee’s and look around.

The eatery is crowded, with noisy families bashing away regardless greedily devouring the heaps food before them.

The mouth-watering aroma, and the sight of the appetizing food, creates in me such ravenous pangs of hunger that I quickly sit on the only vacant table and order a Mutton Biryani – the signature dish of Dorabjee.

As is the hallmark of authentic speciality cuisine restaurants the menu is select just a few choice dishes a single page.

There's Sali, Curry, Masala and Biryani in Mutton and Chicken; Kheema, Brain, Eggs, and combinations thereof, cutlets in gravy, and a few Veg dishes, for appearance sake.

On Sunday afternoons, you can have Dhansak, maybe on your way to the races in the season. 

I spoon some Biryani onto my tongue, seal my lips, close my eyes, turn my senses inwards with full consciousness to imbibe and savour the unique medley of juices released by the succulent piece of mutton, the bitterish-sweet taste of the slightly burnt crisp fried onions, and the spicy flavoursome rice.

It is superlative delicious authentic cuisine at its best.

Dorabjee serves the best heritage mutton biryani in Pune – no doubt about it.

Yes, Blue Nile, George and Good Luck serve good heritage Biryani too and now there are many new high falutin places in Pune which serve good biryani too but the charm of these heritage eateries remains. 

I don’t know why, but it appears that, of late, the unpretentious Blue Nile is trying to masquerade as an upscale restaurant – the quality of the biryani is certainly not what it used to be.

But Dorabjee still remains the same, as if time has stood still.  The fervent atmosphere of the place and exquisite quality of the food is such that one can eat enthusiastically, with wholehearted zest and gusto. ; not apologetically and self-consciously, as one tends to do, trying to be prim and proper, in highfalutin restaurants. 

At Dorabjee, you can enjoy every morsel of your food with passionate ardour; not apologetically and self-consciously, as one tends to do, trying to be prim and proper, in highfalutin restaurants. 

And as I reach blissful satiety I realize that a well-filled stomach radiates a kind of spiritual happiness.

The ideal way to end this rich spicy repast is to cool it off with a Falooda. Falooda is to Mutton Biryani what Mastani is to Mutton Kolhapuri.

So – I walk down Sachapir Street, cross Main Street, and head for Badshah on East Street to down a deliciously sweet and chilled Rose flavoured Royal Falooda. 

Of course, what better way to conclude the nostalgic food walk than with a Meetha Masala Pan at George to carry home with you a lingering flavour and delightful elevating fragrance.

Pune may have changed – and the “food district” may have shifted to Koregaon Park – but heritage institutions like Dorabjee, George, Kayani in Pune Camp – and a few heritage eateries in Pune City still preserve the flavour of yesteryear Pune.

But these are a few exceptions as everything seems to be getting “standardized” and Pune’s unique culinary culture and landmark heritage foodie institutions are slowly vanishing.

Pune – the “Oxford of the East” – the “Queen of the Deccan” – the salubrious “Pensioners Paradise” – a city which once famous for its laid back lifestyle, lovely charm and unique culture of its own – is fast metamorphosing into a faceless metropolis. 

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

This is a repost of my article written around 13 years ago in the year 2006 and posted online earlier at urls: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2011/02/living-in-pune-down-memory-lane-food.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2011/08/yesteryear-pune-strolling-down-main.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.com/2016/03/strolling-down-main-street-pune-travel.html etc

Travel Trivia – Can Neighbours have Contrasting Cultures and Attitudes...?

Travel Trivia 

Contrasting Cultures and Attitudes  

Observations from our recent Europe (Austria Switzerland Paris) Tour

By

VIKRAM KARVE

Last month – in July 2018 – we visited three countries in Europe – Austria, Switzerland and France (Paris).

It was a 12 day group tour (with a serendipitous unscheduled one day stopover at Istanbul, Turkey – due to our delayed Paris–Istanbul Flight – which resulted in our missing our connecting flight to Mumbai – and this gave us a whole day to see the sights in Istanbul and relish Turkish Delight and Baklava.

We left for out tour from Mumbai and flew to Vienna via Istanbul.

The Europe tour started off from Vienna (Austria).

After Vienna – we visited Salzburg (Austria) – Innsbruck (Austria) – Vaduz (Liechtenstein) – Lucerne (Switzerland) – Endelberg (Switzerland) – Bern (Switzerland) – Geneva (Switzerland) – and – we saw many interesting places enroute like Mondsee (Sound of Music) – Wattens (Swarovski) – Rhine Falls (Zurich) – Interlaken – the magnificent snowclad mountains/glaciers at Mount Titlis and Jungfraujoch (Top of Europe) in the SwissAlps– cruises on Swiss Lakes etc.

Finally – we had 3 days in Paris (France) – where the Europe tour terminated – and we flew back home to India (Mumbai) via Istanbul.

In Austria and Switzerland – we saw a number of “tourist attractions” – and – at each place – the local tourist guides would glorify the rich heritage of their nation, eulogize their national culture, extol their national history and laud their achievements.

Hearing the Austrian/Swiss tour guides lavishly praise of all aspects of their country – it was evident that they were immensely proud of their nation and their people.

However – the moment we entered France – we were in for a surprise.

The tour guide warned us:

“Paris is full of thieves and criminals. You may get “mugged” or robbed – if you are not careful. Guard your belongings properly. Avoid going out of your hotel at night. And – even in daytime – don’t carry anything visible – no purses or anything in your pockets. There are thieves and pickpockets everywhere…”

We were told to carry our passport and money/cards in a pouch and tuck in the pouch inside our shirts so that it was not visible.

We were warned that if we lost our passports – it would be a troublesome hassle to get new travel documents and we would be offloaded from the tour.

We were advised to lock our valuables in the safe in our hotel rooms – and to carry only the “hidden” pouch with passport/money/cards – and not to carry any bags with us.  

The tourist guide narrated some sordid instances of tourists getting “mugged” and losing their passports, money and valuables in Paris due to “snatching” and pickpocketing.

He impressed upon us that Paris was a dangerous place.

He then made some disparaging comments about “immigrants” – who – according to him – had spoilt the culture and vitiated the safety in his country.

Our coach driver (who was driving us for nearly 10 days since the first day in Vienna) also said that we should take care of our luggage and not leave any belongings in the bus.

He narrated an incident in Paris where a thief had jumped into the bus (the moment he opened the doors for passengers) – and – the thief decamped with a bag.

(In Austria and Switzerland – the same bus driver would tell us to leave our bags and belongings in the bus – and he assured us they were perfectly safe)

The bus driver too made some disparaging comments about Parisians – especially their terrible traffic sense.

At Eiffel Tower (and other tourist attractions) we saw notices warning of “pickpockets” (“Beware of Pickpocketing”) – and we did observe some “unsavoury” looking men hanging around the entrances of various tourist places trying to hawk “curios” (our guide had warned us to avoid these “shady” hawkers as they were likely to cheat us or snatch our bags/money).

All this was quite surprising – since in Austria and Switzerland – we had roamed around freely on the streets – even late at night – and it was considered perfectly safe to do so.

Unlike in France – in Austria and Switzerland – the tour guide (and local guides) had never warned us to be “careful” (from thieves and pickpockets) – and – we were encouraged to venture out of our hotels and see the cities and do shopping – whereas – in Paris – we were advised not to leave the hotel – and not to walk around the streets – especially at night.

Is Paris (France) really so unsafe as compared to other European countries like Austria, Switzerland etc…?

Were the tour guides exaggerating the “dangers” of Paris…?

Why were they “running down” their own country/city…?

Maybe – the tour guides were speaking from experience – because they did not want a “mishap” to happen to the tourists under their care.  

It may not be fair to generalize – but – we observed that in Paris (France) – that – things were quite disorganized and inefficient – and people tended to be rude and unaccommodating towards tourists – as compared to Austria and Switzerland – where things ran like clockwork – and people were courteous and helpful.

There was a huge difference in the way the local tourist guides conducted tours of various attractions.

The tourist guides in Austria were most meticulous and efficient as they conducted the tours and explained all aspects of the historical places with great dignity and passion.

Their sincerity and pride in their national heritage was clearly palpable.  

In contrast – the tourist guides in Paris were perfunctory and they seemed to be in a hurry to finish off the tour.

They had an air of arrogance too – and it seemed that they take tourists for granted.

Maybe – Parisians feel that their “tourist attractions” are so famous – that tourists will come in any case – hence the “couldn’t care less” attitude.

This contrast in attitudes was quite surprising to us.

We wondered how the cultures of neighbouring countries could be so different…? 

Dear Reader: 

During your Travels – have you noticed such contrasts too...? 

VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:
1. This story is a fictional spoof, satire, pure fiction, just for fun and humor, no offence is meant to anyone, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh.
2. This story is a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story is a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.
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