Somewhat of a tangential question but what is the point of making EAGx region-specific? If these are the only events with a relatively low bar of entry, why are we not letting people attend them until one happens to come along near where they live? Without this restriction I could easily see EAGx solving most of the problems Scott is bringing up with EAG.
[I run the EAGx conference series] - I think there are significant benefits to local coordination - It’s very expensive to fly everyone from around the world to one location - I think attending 1-2 conferences a year is probably the right amount (I’m aiming to eventually have 1 conference per region per year, with lots of overlap with other regions)
EAGxVirtual does kind of solve the problem Scott is bringing up, and I’m very excited about it.
Just flagging that in my view the goal to have just 1 EAGx per region, and make the EAGx regionally focused, with taking very few people from outside the region, is really bad, in my view. Reasons for this are in the effects on network topology, and subsequently on the core/periphery dynamic.
I find the argument about the cost of “flying everyone from around the world to one location” particularly puzzling, because this is not what happens by default: even if you don’t try to push events to being regional at all, they naturally are, just because people will choose the event which is more conveniently located closer to them. So it’s not like everyone flying everywhere all the time (which may be the experience of the events team, but not of typical participants).
EAGx events are primarily for people in that region, but not exclusively. We do invite some speakers and contributors from outside the region and some others.
the effects on network topology, and subsequently on the core/periphery dynamic.
Sorry, could you spell these out? I don’t know what you mean.
even if you don’t try to push events to being regional at all, they naturally are, just because people will choose the event which is more conveniently located closer to them
Yes, that’s what I expect too, though we do see lots of people apply for conferences very far away from them.
Sorry, I think “flying everyone from around the world to one location” was a bit of a strawman. I expect they’ll mostly look like EAGxPrague did this year, which had a strong continental European swing but wasn’t exclusively for continental Europeans.
On the one hand, I was accepted to two EAGx’s this year, both in Europe (and could eventually attend one of them). I’m not sure if Israel counts as “in the region” of Oxford or Prague, but I suspect it doesn’t. So some EAGx are probably not really region-specific.
On the other hand, some of these conferences were (or will be) in places which are far away from EA hubs, like India, Latin America, or Kenya. And in that case there’s some trade-off between connecting the local community to other EAs, and strengthening the local community itself. If you let too many people from EA hubs come (and they will), you’ll get another EAG that just happens to be further away, leaving behind the local community that’s being built.
Just to clarify: EAGx conferences earlier this year have been accepting some applicants from outside their region when the applicant’s region doesn’t have a conference yet.
Oxford and Prague were primarily for the UK and continental Europe respectively, but accepted some people from e.g. Israel because there isn’t a conference in Israel (yet...) :)
Somewhat of a tangential question but what is the point of making EAGx region-specific? If these are the only events with a relatively low bar of entry, why are we not letting people attend them until one happens to come along near where they live? Without this restriction I could easily see EAGx solving most of the problems Scott is bringing up with EAG.
[I run the EAGx conference series]
- I think there are significant benefits to local coordination
- It’s very expensive to fly everyone from around the world to one location
- I think attending 1-2 conferences a year is probably the right amount (I’m aiming to eventually have 1 conference per region per year, with lots of overlap with other regions)
EAGxVirtual does kind of solve the problem Scott is bringing up, and I’m very excited about it.
Just flagging that in my view the goal to have just 1 EAGx per region, and make the EAGx regionally focused, with taking very few people from outside the region, is really bad, in my view. Reasons for this are in the effects on network topology, and subsequently on the core/periphery dynamic.
I find the argument about the cost of “flying everyone from around the world to one location” particularly puzzling, because this is not what happens by default: even if you don’t try to push events to being regional at all, they naturally are, just because people will choose the event which is more conveniently located closer to them. So it’s not like everyone flying everywhere all the time (which may be the experience of the events team, but not of typical participants).
EAGx events are primarily for people in that region, but not exclusively. We do invite some speakers and contributors from outside the region and some others.
Sorry, could you spell these out? I don’t know what you mean.
Yes, that’s what I expect too, though we do see lots of people apply for conferences very far away from them.
Sorry, I think “flying everyone from around the world to one location” was a bit of a strawman. I expect they’ll mostly look like EAGxPrague did this year, which had a strong continental European swing but wasn’t exclusively for continental Europeans.
There is an EAGx Virtual. This EAGx happens online.
I hope they are friendly for the less western timezones as well!
I’m not answering on their behalf, only guessing.
On the one hand, I was accepted to two EAGx’s this year, both in Europe (and could eventually attend one of them). I’m not sure if Israel counts as “in the region” of Oxford or Prague, but I suspect it doesn’t. So some EAGx are probably not really region-specific.
On the other hand, some of these conferences were (or will be) in places which are far away from EA hubs, like India, Latin America, or Kenya. And in that case there’s some trade-off between connecting the local community to other EAs, and strengthening the local community itself. If you let too many people from EA hubs come (and they will), you’ll get another EAG that just happens to be further away, leaving behind the local community that’s being built.
Just to clarify: EAGx conferences earlier this year have been accepting some applicants from outside their region when the applicant’s region doesn’t have a conference yet.
Oxford and Prague were primarily for the UK and continental Europe respectively, but accepted some people from e.g. Israel because there isn’t a conference in Israel (yet...) :)
There were people from Israel at EAGx Prague. There were also people from further away.