Institute Intelligence By Stephanie D. Moore, NADOA Treasurer The NADOA Board of Directors and Institute Committee would like to thank everyone who took the time to provide feedback on the November 2017 Institute. Many countless hours are logged by all of the individuals who help to plan and put the annual Institute together, which begins two years prior to each event. Your suggestions and comments are appreciated. The 2018 Board and Institute Committee have already started the heavy-duty planning for our September event in Nashville. Your feedback is important. We have reviewed your comments and suggestions from the Lost Pines Institute and hope to address some of them below to your satisfaction. If you have never been involved in the planning of these types of events, believe me, the costs and planning can be pretty unbelievable!! When trying to stay within a sensible budget and use NADOA’s funds responsibly, you will see below why we have to carefully choose meal and snack options. I have pointed out some recurring comments below and I also want to provide some facts on what attendees may not realize. Institute Cost Facts (Includes Service Fees and Taxes) Food and Beverage prices below are on average for the last 5 years! • Average Institute Registration Fee for Past 6 Years - $582.50 • Average Cost of Food, Entertainment and breaks from 2017 - $448.36 per attendee • Average Audio Visual Cost from 2017 - $106.50 per attendee • Average Cost of Soda/Bottled Water - $7.00 per 12 oz. can/bottle plus service charges and taxes •Average Cost of Coffee/Tea - $95 per gallon plus service charges and taxes
Common Survey Threads - 2017
“Not enough snacks during the breaks” – The Institute Committee will work on this.
“We need more advanced topics” – Yoli Bazan and I are working on this and are planning “Advanced Calculations” sessions for Wednesday, so plan to arrive early. Other Advanced classes are being considered. “Too cold in all of the meeting rooms” – This is something we should be able to adjust in the meeting space area and will be more diligent about keeping up with. Please tell the room moderator you are cold so they can report it. “No Wifi in the Meeting Space” – WIFI in the meeting space is a tricky thing. Most hotels restrict WIFI in the conference space, but please know that we are working on a possible resolution for this. Are you willing to pay for WIFI in the conference area out of pocket? “Food at the hotel is too expensive” – Unfortunately, with the size of the NADOA events, smaller hotels cannot accommodate us. Dining at most hotels that can host our annual event can be a bit pricy. Remember, networking is a huge part of our organization, so we feel it is important to continue to have attendees together for meals and events. Thankfully, most of NADOA’s Institutes are located in busy areas where you can access cheaper dining options outside the hotel.
“Missed the Panel Discussions” – This is an option that will definitely be considered for this year.
“No list of attendees handed out” – This list is something that is usually given out at Institute, but more than likely missed due to the hectic fall season many of us had due to Hurricane Harvey, including not only planning Institute once, but twice!
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N a t i o n a l A s s o c i a t i o n o f D i v i s i o n O r d e r A n a l y s t s
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