Re: Cuds in San Francisco -- MIDRANGE-L

Andrew,

In a message dated 98-12-15 15:07:03 EST, you write:

> I'm the cuds manager for Common and I have an important question...
>  What would make you guys come to CUDS <again?> at San Fran Common?
>  Please think about this question and respond to the Midrange-L or to me 
>  personally.  I really appreciate you guys taking the time to think about 
>  this.  CUDS is an important part of Common where many of the fixes/problems
>  on the AS/400 get discussed and fixed, and where many requirements get 
>  solved within IBM.  Not only that, people meet the speakers @ Common and 
>  discuss what was learned in their sessions. (actually many of you on this 
>  list are probably the speakers...)
>  Thanks for your time...

Thanks for asking, although that's a hard question to answer.  When I was a
"first timer", CUDS reminded me of a singles bar -- trying to meet people with
common interests (as Common User Discussion Sessions suggests), yet constantly
confronted with those that had been there for years and only wanted to talk
about previous COMMON conferences with other people that had been to them.
Volunteers tried to make your life easier, but only in 5 minute increments.
Yet, I always managed to find someone with common interests and the sessions
were always well attended back then.

Perhaps charging (albeit a nominal) fee for drinks has done CUDS in, although
I would hate to think that.  Could be that the lack of presence by influential
IBM personnel of late has been responsible.  Perhaps eliminating smoking even
in designated areas has done CUDS in, although I'd hate to think that as well.
Dry CUDS draws off a few folks, but not enough to count.  The controversy we
had over the MIDRANGE-L sign, while interesting, certainly didn't drive anyone
off and we won in the end.  The snacks certainly haven't gotten any better or
worse, so why don't people come any more?  Hmmm.

I think that the problem with CUDS is a combination of all of the above.  The
drinkers say "If I've got to pay $1 for a drink, I might as well go to a more
colorful local establishment and pay $2."  The smokers say the same thing, and
don't have to go outside to partake of their habit (BTW, there are many people
that smoke when they drink that don't do so otherwise).  The "Dry CUDders"
would rather sit around in a nearly empty room with their 25 other friends
than deign to look upon someone else partaking of alcohol -- understandable
for those that have kicked a drinking problem, but just doggone obnoxious for
the rest.  Finally, CUDS just hasn't been that "discussable" in the last few
I've attended -- the music's been enjoyable, but too darned loud to understand
someone else speaking in a normal tone of voice (says the man that cranks up
_everything_ to the max at home and in the car, but then, I'm alone in those
situations).

To bring people back to CUDS, I'd suggest the following:

1)  Re-establishment of free drinks, although that's probably not going to
happen.
2)  Re-establishment of smoking areas, non-smokers need not pass by them.
3)  Establish a Q&A session with IBM personnel and major vendors based upon
topics voted upon by attendees.
4)  Perhaps have a few of those free "vendor giveaways" occur at CUDS with the
"you must be present to win" clause -- good exposure for the vendor with more
people signing up, and more attendees at CUDS.
5)  Allow tables to be segregated into areas of interest based upon the
stickers that everyone places on their badges.  Although I was hacked that no
ERP sticker was available at NOLA, I would be drawn to tables entertaining
people of like interest were I a "first timer" again.
6) Provide "real" food, stay open later, and just make it more darned fun.
I'd bet that 40%+ of my time spent during CUDS, since I've actually known
people at conferences, has been spent deciding where we're going to go eat
because chips and pretzels just don't cut it when you've already missed
breakfast and lunch for sessions.  Why go to CUDS, which has no food and shuts
down before midnight, when you got out of your last BOF at 10:30 and local
establishments are open until 4AM or later?

HTH,

Dean Asmussen
Enterprise Systems Consulting, Inc.
Fuquay-Varina, NC  USA
E-Mail:  DAsmussen@aol.com

"Too many people quit looking for work when they find a job." -- Anonymous
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