Conferences are a part of almost any human activity, but they are especially important where the business is conceptual; e.g., politics, policy, advocacy, academia, research, and professional services. “Real” meetings held in physical locations remain important even in the virtual age. There’s something about being able to shake hands, share meals, stop someone in the hall, watch the body language of speakers and other participants, feel group energy – to say nothing of the tantalizing prospect of chance encounters with new people and ideas - that Web2.0 still can’t match.
The collection of organizations and individuals covered by this series of postings are engaged in each of these spheres. The CMOs are a unique kind of professional services business – akin to hospital management. BAEO, HCREO and NAPCS, and the state charter schools associations advocate on behalf of their respective constituencies' specific interests in public education. The foundations pursue social agendas. Fordham, the Institute for the Transformation of Learning, Education Sector, Education Evolving and AEI engage in policy analysis.
For attendees, conferences are a primary vehicle for making new contacts, exchanging ideas, obtaining knowledge, and getting a grasp of their world’s gestalt. Organizers use conferences for outreach, to share their knowledge and values, learn, and create and reinforce consensus. Speakers and other invited participants reflect who the organizers believe have something important to say by virtue of their position, experience or expertise; something organizers want attendees to hear. Participants want to transmit some substantive message and/or psychological perception.
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