Session selection surveys
BP Translation Conferences have always been ahead of the curve in experimenting with new formats, new content, and new conference experience. Now, for the first time ever, conference attendees can have their say in selecting the sessions they would like to see most at the event.
We received many very exciting proposals that address legit needs of freelance translators. Most potential speakers submitted 2 or 3 proposals.
How the surveys are structured
The survey lists all the proposed subjects together with a very brief description in brackets. These are not linked to any speakers, intentionally. The idea is to filter out any bias for or against any particular speaker.
BP Translation Conferences have always been ahead of the curve in experimenting with new formats, new content, and new conference experience. Now, for the first time ever, conference attendees can have their say in selecting the sessions they would like to see most at the event.
At this point the goal is to select which sessions to include in the conference schedule. Masterclasses, short talks, and regular length sessions are all listed in the survey, in a randomized sequence. In fact, subjects are grouped in batches of 5, and these batches are shown in a randomized sequence. This way we can filter out any effects of a particular session being shown first or last – respondents may get tired of grading after a while.
Under each subject you will see a scale of 1 to 4. A grade of 4 means you want to see that session in the conference schedule; a grade of 1 means you think that proposed session does not belong in BP17.
All questions are compulsory – please express your genuine opinion, don’t mechanically click the same values.
The whole purpose of this exercise is to democratize the selection process as objectively as possible.
A lucky winner gets a 100€ discount
Completing both surveys takes some time (shouldn’t be more than 5-7 minutes though). In an attempt to convince as many attendees as possible to take their time to complete the survey, a prize of a 100€ discount will be awarded to one lucky winner. Please note that a winner will be picked only if there are at least 80 respondents.
The offer is valid for the ‘full package’ only. ‘Full package’ means conference attendance on both 5 and 6 May, plus the welcome dinner on the 4th and the farewell dinner on the 6th. (Dinner on the 5th will be included in all tickets.)
The prize is not transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash. To be eligible, you need to provide your email address, and complete the survey by Saturday, 3 December. Eligible email addresses will entered a certified online draw using RandomPicker.com.
> > Take the survey
You can start completing the survey here.
Who are the speakers behind these proposed subjects?
First I thought of creating a second survey with all the names, asking you to vote for them as well. Then I had the idea of simply listing all applicants here. By the time I publish this post, I decided not tell you guys any specific names just yet.
We’ll have some return speakers from previous conferences, but the majority of the people will be new to BP conferences. The first batch of speakers will be announced early next week.
What next
Survey results will be used to support the session selection process. The conference organizer reserves the right to have the final word in picking the sessions for BP17.
Conference schedule is likely to be announced by mid-December.