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Conferences

I have had to decline an invitation to present workshops at a conference in Barcelona in October. It is rare (in fact It’s never happened before) that I decline an invitation, because I am always keen to spread the word and do what I can to further the cause of natural birth.

In this case, I was asked to do 6 workshops of 1 ½ hours each over the course of one day, all on the same topic, with groups of up to 50 people each time. There would be two short breaks and lunch, and the day would have stretched to 12 hours of work. I have decided that this is unacceptable, for me and for those attending - no-one can be at their best when working like this. I also question whether the participants are capable of taking much in during days packed out like this. Perhaps, if the organisers change their format another time, I can contribute, which I will be very happy to do on a more professional basis.

Organising conferences is quite an art. I have done this a number of time over many years and know that they are exhausting for the participants, as well as for the organisers and speakers. I believe that a Conference presents the professional face of an organisation and that this image is important. Behind the scenes it is vital to carry this theme on - paying speakers well for their time, providing them with good audiovisual and venue support, making sure that they are comfortable, accommodated and valued. This costs money, and the expenses incurred must be covered by the costs of the event. If that means participants paying a little more, then they must realise that they are privileged to have access to so much expertise in the one place - something they could never achieve otherwise.

I’ve given years of free time to promoting better midwifery and great births for women but as I get older (sigh!) I am realising that it is time to take stock of the time I have available and to use it wisely. It is a hard juggling act - balancing community support and the need to provide viable professional services - but I am going to get plenty of practise, it seems.

Posted by andrea at February 07, 2005 07:05 AM