A Critical Analysis By Desh Mittra

Organization of the Conference --

The total network was very good. The commitment and passion for the purpose of the day was visible through the day. The flyer of the Conference was impressive and worked very well electronically. The volunteers were prompt giving information and helpful.

Sponsors –

There was good number of sponsors. They were given more than enough recognition throughout the program. Maybe the sponsors can be only given a letter of appreciation instead of a plaque.

Venue –

The venue was appropriate, accessible, and had ample parking.

Brochure –

The Brochure was professionally done. Having the evaluation form in the program book was a brilliant idea. The evaluation form was also very well done.

Registration –

The registration process was seamless. The registration packet was good. However, personally I think, spending money on such a beautiful backpacks is a waste. Majority people do have so many of these that we don’t know what to do with those. If given, one per family would be a better option.

Hall –

The tables’ layout and booths were nicely laid. But for the people sitting at the back it was hard to read the slides. Perhaps another screen at the center of the hall could resolve this problem. Secondly, if the lights could be dimmed during slide show.

Food –

The servers were prompt in bringing water on the tables. The lunch was really good vegetarian food but the service the food took long time. Secondly, the dessert should not be kept outside. Either only one dessert could be served in a platter on each table. Setting dessert outside was more time consuming and noisy.

There should be some arrangement to encourage people to return.

Opening –

The opening and welcome speeches were very appropriate. They were brief and to the point.

Speakers –

Dr. Thakker’s speech was very informative and interesting.

Shannon Mckay was good too. Majority liked the way she engaged the audience and practiced deep breathing.

Tammy Woroschuk was good but she should have listed the services available to people with various problems clearly. It would have been nice if she had some handout of common resources available for the audience.

The first two mini speeches were really good. But if there are any last minute additions, those should be kept in the second half. This way the main speakers get priority and we don’t have to cut their time slot. The Art of Living was basically a commercial.

The keynote speaker talk was dragging and not interactive. She was very knowledgeable and expert in the corporate world. But for this conference, she was kind of a misfit.

The lunch time session was not useful at all. It seemed hardly anyone paid attention to it. This was the time for the audience to connect to each other. May be this time could be to interact with the speakers. Alternatively, the speakers can throw two/three questions to people to discuss on their table among themselves.

The last speaker was good but not relevant to the contents of the Conference. The examples given by the speakers were primarily good for western audience, while majority of the audience were from eastern background.

Panel Discussion –

The first panel discussion was another unpleasant thing in the Conference. The moderator did not engage the audience. She was stuck on one question only which was her own.

Other Remarks –

The conference was too long. For emotional subjects, 9.5 hours are too long especially for the adult audience. Sitting on chairs for that long was hard too. If some other kind of sitting i.e. yoga mats is also available, that would be better.

The audio visual people were good. Making slides available to people was a nice idea. May be some door prizes could be added throughout the day.

On the whole it was a good conference. It gave a good opportunity to meet people. We will attend it again.

I congratulate the whole planning team for such a nice conference.

Sincerely

Desh Mittra

People Interviewed: (Meera Mittra, Dr. Harkirat Sidhu, Krishna Gupta, Moneek Sandhu and Sheetal Mehta Walsh)