I saw this tweet come through the other day from Steve Collins:
@docbaty proposal for @uxaustralia side event – “The UX of tasting a single malt”. Dead set serious.
This got me to thinking about the nature of social events at conferences. And, naturally, about single malt whiskey
Appreciation of a good single malt is a shared vice for a few of us within the user experience community – and I know that this is not universal – but there are enough of us that Steve’s suggestion is certainly worth thinking about. It might be a formal whisky appreciation mini-course, or a tasting put on in a bar, or a gathering at someone’s home or workplace.
Now, in general… what makes a good conference? To me it is a blend of location, venue, speaker quality, interest in the presented material – and yes – it is also about the social stuff.
Who do I know that is going along? Are these “my kind of mad UX/IA people” in general? How well do I feel accepted into the conversations when I am there? Are the social venues crowded and noisy with long lines at the bar and a long wait for food? I want to know where I fit in and how well suited the venue is to my style of conference socialising – which is having a drink or two while chatting to people, catching up, learning – and I grant that your mileage may vary.
Are you any different? What is your ideal conference social experience? Can you define it? I think it is fair to say that the whole UX Australia team is really interested in your answer
And by the by, if you think that Steve Collins’ suggestion is a good one, please say so.