The group photo always seems to take 20 minutes or so. It’s kind of fun, but times the number of participants, (1k?), that’s ~300 hours, or around $10k of value. Is it worth it? I’m skeptical, but could see it.
I wasn’t there but I’d suspect that people are just talking and socializing during most of that hour, and many of them would be doing so anyway. So the real cost is a lot less than $10k.
I expect that marginal group photos have rapidly diminishing utility. If we kept using the photo from EAG 2015, the people for whom group photos have marketing power wouldn’t know it’s an old photo or it wouldn’t matter.
I strongly suspect that the group photo is of very high value in getting people to go, making them feel good about having gone, and making others feel good about the conference. However, it sounds like trying to optimize to shave a few minutes off would be pretty high value.
I felt that the group photo was a waste of my time because I wasn’t visible to the camera. But if I hadn’t participated I suppose someone else might’ve gotten my bad spot.
As a reductionist I’d be equally satisfied with a photoshopped image of everyone’s online face cropped together, but realize that most others probably don’t feel that way :)
The counterfactual to the photo is people talking to each other at the conference. Since people talk on the way to the photo and right up until it’s taken, the per-person value lost is not 20 minutes, but far less.
Also, I’d gladly pay $10K for the photo even if that’s what it cost. I think we easily make that up by increasing marginal EAG attendees for next year.
Not having the group photo.
The group photo always seems to take 20 minutes or so. It’s kind of fun, but times the number of participants, (1k?), that’s ~300 hours, or around $10k of value. Is it worth it? I’m skeptical, but could see it.
I wasn’t there but I’d suspect that people are just talking and socializing during most of that hour, and many of them would be doing so anyway. So the real cost is a lot less than $10k.
Pretty sure that more than pays for itself in the marketing power it has. Brochures for sponsors, advertisements for next year, etc.
I expect that marginal group photos have rapidly diminishing utility. If we kept using the photo from EAG 2015, the people for whom group photos have marketing power wouldn’t know it’s an old photo or it wouldn’t matter.
I strongly suspect that the group photo is of very high value in getting people to go, making them feel good about having gone, and making others feel good about the conference. However, it sounds like trying to optimize to shave a few minutes off would be pretty high value.
I felt that the group photo was a waste of my time because I wasn’t visible to the camera. But if I hadn’t participated I suppose someone else might’ve gotten my bad spot.
As a reductionist I’d be equally satisfied with a photoshopped image of everyone’s online face cropped together, but realize that most others probably don’t feel that way :)
The counterfactual to the photo is people talking to each other at the conference. Since people talk on the way to the photo and right up until it’s taken, the per-person value lost is not 20 minutes, but far less.
Also, I’d gladly pay $10K for the photo even if that’s what it cost. I think we easily make that up by increasing marginal EAG attendees for next year.