Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!sun-barr!newstop!sun!dogwalk!herzog
From: herzog@dogwalk.Sun.COM (Brian Herzog, Sun Microsystems, GPD)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: SIGGRAPH pet peeves
Summary: some answers...
Message-ID: <123643@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>
Date: 25 Aug 89 22:14:41 GMT
References: <4400038@m.cs.uiuc.edu>
Sender: news@sun.Eng.Sun.COM
Lines: 102

In article <4400038@m.cs.uiuc.edu>, shirley@m.cs.uiuc.edu writes:
> I have some peeves with some minor points of the (generally excellent) 
> SIGGRAPH conferences.  They follow in random order.  Am I being unreasonable?
> 
Since you state them to be minor points, no. :-)  The responses below are
based on experience close to the action, but are my personal opinion only.

> 1. The reception costs are bundled with the technical and course 
>    registration fees.  This way people who are already having their way
>    paid can get the receptions covered too.  Those paying their own way
>    are forced to pay for possibly unwanted services. 
> 
It would be wonderful if SIGGRAPH could fine-tune each person's registration
to provide (and allow admission to) only those session and events in
which s/he wishes to participate.  SIGGRAPH "unbundles" as much as it 
practically can, as much or more so (I believe) than other conferences of 
comparable size, and certainly more than small conferences, which are 
usually all-or-nothing affairs.  At the other end of the spectrum are
those who would feel they were being nickle-and-dimed to death if they
had to pay for every little thing.  And others who would object because
their companies would not reimburse them for the "extra" activities.

> 2. In my experience, The course meals are consistently abominable.  This too
>    should be unbundled.  [...]
> 
Sorry you were disappointed.  Most comments this year were to the effect
that '89 had the best course lunches in a long time.  Course lunches are 
a compromise between limited hotel/convention center menus and limited 
budget.  In response to past complaints, a great deal of attention is now
given to course lunch menus, and the majority of comments this year 
indicate that the effort has been worthwhile.

> 3. The courses too often include material being presented verbatim from the
>    technical session.  This is a waste of time and money for the course 
>    attendants.  How about having half day courses?  I'd
>    say most of the courses I've taken have a half day of 'non-filler'.
>    I'd much rather take four of these than two full day courses, though
>    it could lead to an organizational nightmare.
> 
You answered your own question.  This option is reviewed by most, if not 
every, conference committee, and the '90 courses chair has expressed 
interest.  I happen to be one of the most vocal critics of this idea, 
and I'm softening, so who knows?  (I'm just glad I won't be doing
registration the year it happens! :-)

> 4. The conference proceedings has had a fairly constant number of papers
>    and pages for all the years I've seen ('78-'89).  Is graphics
>    really not growing?  SIGGRAPH attendance says otherwise.  Why not have
>    parallel conference sessions?  If cost is the problem why not break the
>    proceedings into volumes and unbundle their cost as well?
> 
Cost of the sessions or the proceedings is not really the issue.  As
other responses to this message have already noted, the problem is forcing
people to choose between parallel sessions.  SIGGRAPH already has parallel
paper and panel sessions, and the last couple of conferences have
experimented with a few triple sessions in parallel.  Attendees don't like it.
BTW, SIGGRAPH attendance cwappears to be stabilizing.  SIGGRAPH '87 and '89 
(conferences held on a coast tend to be "really big" as opposed to "big") 
were comparable in size, as were SIGGRAPH '86 and '88 (and probably '90).

> 5. How about REAL poster sessions, like many conferences have?  [...]
> 
I will pass your suggestion on to the appropriate '90 committee members.

> 6. Does the tee shirt have to be ugly as sin?
> 
I personally did not care for this year's tee shirt either, yet it was
essentially sold out by Monday.  Many people loved it.  Same for the mug.
Short of turning out so many variations that the conference turns into
a merchandise mart, every year is going to see some people who don't
care for that conference's souvenir items.

> 7. Do we really have to wait in line for the film show?  Why can't they
>    just open the autitorium 2 hours early?
> 
The following is a paraphrased (by me) response from Sally Rosenthal, the 
'89 computer graphics theater chair:  The doors are opened as early as
possible, which typically is a half hour before the show.  There are
several reasons why the doors can't open earlier.  The same room is
used for technical sessions during the day, and work must be done to
change over for the show (for example, projectors that are tuned for
the flesh tones of talking heads must be retuned for the show).  Running
the show is not a trivial effort; it must be rehearsed.  The A/V crew 
has been working all day and needs a dinner break.  And finally, security
is a concern.  It's the old story of a few people ruining things for
everyone else:  in past years there have been problems with people going
into the A/V "kitchen" and tweaking dials, disturbing equipment, etc.
No amount of security can prevent this if people get in early enough.

I would also like to note that considerable effort is made to ensure that
only as many tickets are sold as there are good seats, so if one doesn't
want to stand in line, all one has to do is arrive five minutes before
showtime and stroll right in.

A general comment:  many people involved with putting together the 
SIGGRAPH conference read this forum, and value the opinions expressed here.  
I do encourage those who have specific comments, criticisms and suggestions 
to also send them to siggraph@watcgl.waterloo.edu which will help ensure
that the information is also passed on to those who may not read it here.

Brian Herzog
herzog@sun.com