In-person meeting at RSECon24 (September 2024)

[manics]

Detail

As with previous years we're planning an in-person meeting at RSECon24 on the Monday.

We should submit a proposal to the RSECon24 organisers, or at least an expression of interest to check they're happy with us holding a satellite meeting on Monday 2 September

Actions

• [x] Contact RSECon24 organisers to check we can hold a meeting on Monday 2 September
• [x] Write proposal if necessary
• [ ] Write draft agenda by 9 June the latest
• [ ] Send reminder by 28 July

Who can help

@manics @harisood @Davsarper

[Davsarper]

Last year during RSEcon23 we considered if we had the numbers to do our own meeting in person, not directly along the RSEcon conference.

But it remains an important conference for a big part of our community and this year is in Newcastle which will be easier to reach.

With the growing of the community we could also consider joining other events important for other members of the community.

We need to start seriously considering (in another issue) wheter to detach or to look for other events to be part of.

Summary: yes, this year we would like to join RSEcon again as it worked well

[manics]

I've asked the conference organisers about holding a meeting on the Monday.

[manics]

I had a chat with Dave Horsfall and James Graham. I outlined what we've done in past meetings (hybrid talks in the morning, breakouts in the afternoon), and they've very happy for us to hold a meeting on the Monday :smile:

• We'll need to decide on rooms. The original plan for RSECon satellite meetings was for them to be in a neighbouring building to reduce costs, with only the main RSECon conference held in the building used in 2022. But given the expected 100+ UK TRE attendees using the main conference building is probably better. Then we can sort out large rooms, smaller breakout rooms, room layouts, etc.
• Room prices/layouts to be provided
• Catering options to be provided
• Deadlines by which we need to make final decisions to be provided
• UK TRE needs to cover costs
  • Can we obtain sponsorship (e.g. from HDR UK)? Ideally we need to agree this as soon as possible so we can make firm bookings.
• Hybrid attendence supported
  • We can hire the same company that RSECon use for streaming the main conference but cost will be very high
  • Rooms already have good AV and streaming options, so we're better off having our own volunteers to run a Zoom linked to the AV
• We should have our own registration page as last year, but the RSECon registration form can include a checkbox for people to express interest in the UK TRE meeting
• UK TRE meeting details can be incorporated into the RSECon website
• The RSECon platinum sponsor is https://www.cloudkubed.com/ who do some TRE work, they may be interested in talking to us

Actions for Tuesday meeting:

• Are we happy with the above?
• Can we get sponsorhip from HDR UK or some other source?

[Davsarper]

• This year it would be good to make it properly hybrid with online breakout rooms, for which we need volunteers
• Sponsorhip: DARE covering the TRE meeting and HDR the general conf as last year may work as well
  • [ ] We need to find potential sponsors asap
  • last year it was about £5k
• [ ] Communicate soon to the whole community, ask for volunteers for the online part so it hybrid
• [ ] Add/update calendar
• [ ] Update event page

[manics]

HDR / DARE are waiting for confirmation of Phase 2 funding (hopefully soon) before committing to sponsorship.

[manics]

Quote for room booking and catering:

Regarding costs, based on your expected numbers we want to put you in room G.06 of the Frederick Douglass Centre. This room has a capacity of 170, and we are holding it for you on Monday 2nd September. Please take a look at the room details and let me know if you're happy with this option.

Expected costs for room and catering are:

£600 a day for the G.06 room £35.95 per person for catering Let me know if you get a positive response for sponsorship, and we can book in another call. We can plan the next steps, and move towards getting things confirmed and advertised.

For 100 people: £3595 + £600 = £4195 For 150 people: £5392.50 + £600 = £5992.50

[manics]

Follow-up with HDR, if still no money consider a shout-out at June meeting

[manics]

Still no reply from HDR UK.

We also need to fill in the RSECon satellite meeting google doc from the organisers (shared via email)

[manics]

We need to submit the completed RSECon satellite meeting google doc to the organisers by this Wednesday (12 June)

[manics]

The RSECon satellite meeting google doc was submitted on Tuesday.

Suggestion from @crickpetebarnsley on how we run this meeting:

We wanted a forming question that ties the event together. A few points that may help flavor that questions are:

• This year we have moved a long way from the Swansea situation: We have SATRE established and we have strong evidence that our Data Zone is different to our Research Zone.
• The MRC proposal lists 13 points around a 2035 vision for digital research infrastructure
• We have the opportunity to bid for funding via a skills+ network. This proposal should be tying the UK TRE community (and the conference day) together - or at least supporting it.

Equally last year we talked in very general terms that TREs are a key thing. We had general breakout rooms where anyone could propose a topic and time made for it be discussed

This time we can ask other questions (based on the change in position formed by the above points). Ideas to start are:

• Why have we not got a national infrastructure plan - how might we get there?
• What is the voice of the patients, what do they want to see?

My personal view is that we should have space to allow networking and discussion, but that the resource consumption of the event (£ and attendees valuable time) needs the event to lay out a more purposeful agenda. I like the idea of talks focused on the forming question(s) / topic of the event (not a general open to anything call). I like the idea of stalls to act as hubs for discussion and interaction.

[Davsarper]

25 June

• General agreement on more focused discussions and questions posed to the community
  • A main one being what the strategy/focus/aim of this community should try to achieve
• How to brainstorm the questions with the community and decide which ones, what format for discussion? breakouts (you have to choose and not participate in every one)
• Let's preserve the role of the community as the place where you go to learn about everythign is happening i.e. keep the lightning talks open, but focus discussions
  • On lightning talks: last year there was no opportunity for questions/network after, can we have something to help with that -> stands
  • Is lightning talks the best format for this part? people where split anyway last year, what about a poster format?
  • Presentation is sometime a request for people to have attendance covered, this (whatever format) could tick this
  • Poster cons are availability for online participants and no captive audience for those less known/not attracting as much attention. BUT they allow for that networking we are looking for
• Let's start an agenda doc to think in writting
• Go back to feedback from last year: @Davsarper dig that up
• Contract: we need a decision on people soon to be able to move forward

[manics]

Key Deadlines from RSECon organisers:

• These are preliminary, and subject to change
• 12th June - Completed information sheet
• 12th June - Registration page online
• 14th June - Information published on RSECon24 website
• 17th June - Event publicised by RSECon24
• 1st July - Final commitment to proceed with the event, and with costs for room hire and catering
• 1st August - Advise current registration numbers and dietary/additional requirements
• 12th August 2024 - Confirmation of final numbers and dietary/additional requirements
• 12th August 2024 - Invoice for costs will be generated by the RSE Society with deadline for payment set as 12th September, or 30 days from invoice, whichever is later

[Davsarper]

We can start writing the agenda and everythign we need to make it happen here https://hackmd.io/7QIbxNNIQayrA-tBDkqSpg

[Davsarper]

We sent a reminder event last week, including general structure and call for lightning talks.

Next reminder need to be more concrete and the specific agenda

[manics]

All done and written up