#Medieval: A Students’ Conference is born I
by Annie.K Röseler
April 22nd, 2022. Finally, it’s the day. The first #Medieval Students’ Conference @hhu_de in an – admittedly – rather small room with an – admittedly – rather small audience. Remember, we’ve all just come back from online teaching and many people are still very hesitant when it comes to live classes. Many faces are still covered by medical masks. But! Though we might lack publicity and recognition in our first year, we more than make up for it with the enthusiasm and commitment in this room. Both participants and audience contributed wonderful deliciousness-es to the buffet, helped set up the place, lined up refreshments, brewed coffee, brought laptops, cables, and – of course – loads of exciting presentations.
As much as I’d love to talk about those the presentations and all the brilliant and lovely people who shared, helped, and turned April 22nd into a wonderful conference day, today’s a different topic: how did we get from the vague and idealistic idea of a conference by and for students to the actual thing, to April 22nd?
In her blog posts, Dr Kehoe pointed out facts, tips, and good advice about organising a conference – for the pros. What’s left to say in the light of this brilliant example? In a nutshell, the difference is: less money and more freedom.
Let me make one thing clear, however: if you hate deadlines and reminding people over and over and over and over again, you are in the wrong position for organising a conference. Many people, not only students, tend to extend your deadlines for you – by simply ignoring them.
Hence, my first advice: Patience.
Before any real planning and managing can start: what kind of event do you want to create? Here are some guiding questions that might help you: who are you addressing with this conference? Students, senior academics, the fuzzy group of the ‘public’? What is the main purpose? Will the conference be a playground or a place for examination and exams? What kind of atmosphere should the conference create – a social gathering, informal or highly formal, purely academic, possibly even with guests from outside your university? Based on this information identify possible venues and dates (or at least get a rough idea at this stage). Make sure your target group is actually available and ready to participate. Most students won’t be happy about a conference during their exam time. Once, you’ve made up your mind and gathered all the information you need, you have a framework for your event that can now be filled with content and concreteness.
Rewind. Are you sure you want to do it? If your answer is a resounding and wholehearted yes, then, and only then, get started. What you need first and foremost is to know that you have enough support to pull this through. Organising is not a one-person-shit-show, but a group effort with everyone contributing one or several pieces to the puzzle. You’ll need all kinds of support: positive words to keep you going; advice on how to proceed; ideas and new impulses; people who love designing posters, who love to social media, who help with technical problems, who already have experience with organising conferences and might give advice; you’ll need muscles to carry the drinks and the equipment; and the list goes on. Put simply: your support is your safety net – morally and physically.
Second tip: get people interested in your idea. Give them a free choice of how and to what extent they would like to contribute.
Let’s move on to phase two.
Find out what you need to realise your framework: do you need any permissions to run the conference? If yes, who is the go-to-person and what do you need to get the permission? Check out how to book a room and whom you should contact. Narrow down the dates that are most suitable for you and your target group. Once you have a green light from the permission-department, the room-department, and calendar-department, it’s time to think about the timeline in general, the content, the program, and the advertising campaign.
Let’s not rush, shall we? Let’s have a break, a cookie or two and a nice hot coffee before continuing with phase three.