"View from Here" Blog

As I write this blog post in February 2022, the Program Planning Committee for the 2022 IEP Annual Workshop has finished its job (spread across 6 meetings since late-August 2021) and is looking forward to an interesting and varied Workshop Agenda during March 22-24, 2022. The IEP Program Support Team still has significant logistical planning to complete, but we’re making progress towards what we think will be another informative and engaging IEP Workshop.

Feedback on recent past workshops has been positive and encouraging, but not without critique. As we face a different future for the IEP Workshop in 2023 and beyond, I wanted to address a few items regarding the IEP Workshop format and outlook that might be a change for some who are not involved in the Workshop planning process. One thing that will remain is a focus for the Workshop that serves the IEP community first, and hopefully also satisfies communication and technical needs of others.

Focus and Logistics for the IEP Annual Workshop in 2023 and the future

An emphasis on information produced directly from IEP studies and surveys, including related science and program activities

While there is always a desire for IEP scientists to participate in more widely ranging venues and formal conferences concerning estuarine science more broadly, the IEP Workshop must renew its focus on the needs of its participating public servants. We leave the more formal conference organization (State of the Estuary Conference, Bay-Delta Science Conference, for example) to others who have resources dedicated to executing these conferences. The IEP Workshop provides a place to have more in-depth and less-formal interactions, including trainings and “lightning talk” formats, as examples. We’re looking for a place to share in-progress work, develop communication skills, and encourage collegial interaction to support those less-experienced within our ranks.

Decreasing reliance on registration fees

Quite simply, the popularity of the IEP Workshop has grown beyond our ability to support the 400+ participants that would like to attend each year, especially since we have no appropriate mechanism for conducting revenue-neutral registration while offering the kinds of amenities that conference attendees have come to expect from a more formal conference-like gathering. We have managed to pull off several recent Workshops in the face of increasing difficulties (through heroic efforts of IEP Program Support Team staff), but I’m aware that we have reached the end of this method of underwriting our Workshop. We simply don’t have the resources to continue to meet the needs of an annual gathering of 300-400 in-person attendees given the variability of external circumstances. We will continue to explore options to add remote aspects as part of our commitment to sharing IEP science in a timely manner while maintaining technical relevance.

What does this mean for future IEP Annual Workshops?

Change venue and format to be cost-neutral

The IEP Coordinators Team has committed to supporting the Annual Workshop through registration and communications in a cost-neutral way using available State or Federal facilities. This improves effectiveness of registration, training, tracking, and access to those who are directly affiliated with the IEP. It will mean that maximum size of the Workshop will decrease to approximately 200 people and will no longer include amenities such as food or lodging for out-of-town attendees, although they are readily available nearby. It also means we will not have to rely on a volunteer or paid vendor relationship to conduct registrations-related business and payment. Using vendor-based financing or voluntary donations of services of this kind has resulted in significant use of staff resources and resulted in increased financial liability in the event of problems or cancellations. We would like to further minimize or eliminate the need to use this type of arrangement in the future.

Future IEP Workshops will likely continue to include training modules to help satisfy technical and continuing education needs within the Program and will thereby help justify attendance by IEP member agency employees.

Increase our use of on-line tools for sharing updates on IEP activities

The IEP has increased the use of on-line media (web postings, open data repositories, on-line media access points, open access publications) to continue support for those who have come to rely on the Annual Workshop for updates on IEP activities and Project Work Team reporting. Our commitment to enhancing the scientific peer-reviewed literature, and accessible, informative Agency Technical and Annual Report publications remains, and will take on renewed importance as the Workshop becomes more internally focused. As a result, the IEP Annual Workshop can continue to be of use and interest to IEP scientists and managers for ongoing studies, programmatically focused material, and skills training for IEP employees, while the broader distribution of peer-reviewed science and reporting can be more effectively communicated using available, now-established means of electronic communication.

The technical arrangements of the Workshop Program and the physical venues we use for the Workshop will likely change substantially as we move to holding the Workshop in available public venues such as State/Federal auditoriums, public meeting spaces, or government hearing rooms. Many successful seminars and workshops have been held in these spaces in the past, and we think they will suffice for our re-imagined needs beginning in 2023 and into the future.

How can you get involved in planning the 2023 IEP Annual Workshop?

Participate in planning the workshop program

Volunteer to help with our planning efforts by sending your name and desire to participate to Christine Joab or Steven Culberson. We anticipate holding our first planning meeting sometime this coming summer (August 2022).

Send us your ideas for workshop topics and training

Help us understand what the IEP community is most interested in for training sessions and workshop topics. Send ideas for sessions or themed communications to Christine or Steve and bring them to the Science Management Team or your Project Work Teams for discussion and development.

Sign up to lead a session

Sign up to lead a presentation session, discussion, or training event and help identify speakers and participants. We’re looking to change the way we hold the Workshop while retaining what you have found enjoyable and useful in the past. We don’t know where to focus our efforts unless we hear from you. Please get involved and help the Workshop evolve in the way you would like.

Provide us your feedback

Of course, we’re willing to take feedback during the upcoming IEP Annual Workshop in 2022. If you have ideas, please bring them to us in any of our discussion venues or communicate your desires to your IEP Coordinators for their consideration. We look forward to hearing from you about the future of the IEP Workshop and what you’d like to see!