{"id":6729,"date":"2018-07-07T12:31:29","date_gmt":"2018-07-07T02:31:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stumblingpast.com\/?p=6729"},"modified":"2022-08-04T00:33:47","modified_gmt":"2022-08-04T00:33:47","slug":"behind-the-scenes-at-ozha2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stumblingpast.com\/2018\/07\/07\/behind-the-scenes-at-ozha2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Scenes at #OzHA2018"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Samuel
Conference convenor, Samuel Furphy thanking those who worked behind the scenes to make this such a good conference. Event manager and historian, Dr Karen Downing is third from the right.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This week I have given you some snippets from the fabulous program at this year\u2019s Australian Historical Association conference<\/a>, known on Twitter as #OzHA2018. But while it is important, it is not just the program that makes a conference enjoyable. There are two other factors in a successful conference \u2013 the manner in which it is organised and administered, and the attitude and behaviour of the participants. We had a fabulous conference not only because of the thought-provoking papers, but also because of the attitude and work of the organisers behind the scenes and the particpants.<\/p>\n

How Thoughtful! – the organisation of the conference<\/h2>\n

Everyone that I spoke to at the conference was incredibly impressed with the way that it was organised. I was really impressed that the organisers were using the conference hashtag to promote it on Twitter months before the start of the conference. This ensures that historians on Twitter (#twitterstorians), knew about the conference and what the conference hashtag was. The conference program had a good section on Twitter etiquette, details about the university wifi for us to log into, and the wifi access worked right from the start.<\/p>\n

But for many people the first indication they had that this conference took organisation and thoughtfulness to a new level was when they pulled out their name tags. The lanyards were made by women at the \u2018Welcome House\u2019 in the Philippines which helps young women who have been caught up in people trafficking for the sex industry. These are sold in Australia by a not-for-profit organistion called The Trading Circle<\/a>. I have never seen so many photos of conference name tags on Twitter. Conference participants were delighted to be supporting such a worthy cause. How thoughtful.<\/p>\n

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Best conference badges ever? #OzAH2018<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/mUls74CPZB<\/a><\/p>\n

— Professor Clare Anderson FBA (@sysgak) July 4, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n