I just had a really frustrating conference experience. I was told the event would have a large audience from my field, so I put a lot of work into organizing a panel, recruiting panelists, preparing questions, and promoting the event. When I arrived, there were very few attendees. Several sessions were scheduled at the same time, our assigned room had not actually been reserved, and the organizers moved us to a different room at the last minute without telling us. There were no signs and almost nobody knew where the panel was. My panelists had taken time off and made arrangements to attend, so I feel terrible about wasting their time. How would you handle something like this? Should I contact the organizers, ask for a refund, or just let it go? And how can I spot these problems before agreeing to a conference in the future?
What do you do when a conference is badly organized?
7 replies · 393 views
I would contact the organizers, but I would keep the message factual and professional. Explain what happened, how it affected you and the other panelists, and what you expected based on the information you were given. You can be very clear without sending an angry email.
I would also ask for your registration fees back if the conference failed to provide basic things that were promised. Whether they agree is another question, but it is reasonable to explain why you are asking.
I would not assume your panelists blame you for what happened. They know you were not responsible for the room reservation or the conference schedule. If you organized the panel and then tried to solve the problem when things went wrong, they may actually remember how you handled the situation more than the conference itself.
For future conferences, look at who is actually organizing the event. Professional associations and established organizations usually have a history you can check. Look at previous programs, past locations, speakers, and whether people in your field actually attend.
A small conference is not automatically a bad conference. Some small meetings are excellent. The problem is when the organizers make claims about attendance or participation that do not match reality. I would be especially cautious if you cannot find much evidence that the conference has happened successfully before.
I would also confirm practical details before traveling: the exact venue, room, schedule, contact person, and what happens if the program changes. If the organizers are difficult to reach before the conference, that is useful information in itself.
Try not to let one badly run conference make you think you damaged your reputation. Most people who were not there will never know what happened. Take the useful lesson from it, document the problems, and be more selective about which conferences you agree to organize or attend.