Here are the things learned from doing logistics at the 2018 Workshop:
1. While NCGR & ISU personnel worked well together to get the financial transactions done, doing cross-institution payment was time-consuming at both ends. Future financial arrangements should send conference money to the institution where they take place. This will save many hours of staff time, as well make the reimbursement process for workshop attendees faster and easier.
2. In the future, workshops should take place at the hotel, not at NCGR. Yes, this means more cost for the hotel, but this is more than made up in savings in other areas:
- No rental cars are needed, saving approximately $60 per night (parking included) for roughly 70% of attendees, or $1260 for 30 attendees.
- Attendees save 30 minutes/day of driving to and from NCGR, for 15 hours of time saved.
- The hotel can handle coffee service, saving NCGR employees' time picking up supplies and doing service.
- Small meeting rooms can easily be obtained at the hotel and working groups can go out to lunch together.
3. It's not worth the minor cost savings to have two classes of attendees (costs paid and unpaid) because of the awkwardness. If the grant can legally pay for people it should do so. Foreign attendees are also critical to the success of the project and whatever hoops that need to be jumped through to get them should be jumped through.
- The cost/benefit ratio favors hotels near the Plaza.
- People seemed to like the excursion to MeowWolf (which they had to pay out of pocket for).