It’s a pity you don’t feel comfortable inviting people to the conference—that’s the last thing we want to hear!
So far our visual style for EAGxUtrecht hasn’t been austere[1] so we’ll think more about this. Normally, to avoid looking too fancy, I ask myself: would this be something the NHS would spend money on?
But I’m not sure how to balance the appearance of prudence with making things look attractive. Things that make me lean towards making things look attractive include:
This essay on the value of aesthetics to movements
This SSC review, specifically the third reason Pease mentions for the Fabians’ success
The early success of SMA and their choice to spend a lot on marketing and design
Things I’ve heard from friends who could really help EA, saying things like, “ugh, all this EA stuff looks the same/like it was made by a bunch of guys”
For what it’s worth, the total budget this year is about half of what was spent in 2022, and we have the capacity for almost the same number of attendees (700 instead of 750).
In case it’s useful, here are some links that show the benefits of EAGx events. I admit they don’t provide a slam-dunk case for cost-effectiveness, but they might be useful when talking to people about why we organise them:
Open Philanthropy’s 2020 survey of people involved in longtermist priority work (a significant fraction of work in the EA community) found that about half of the impact that CEA had on respondents was via EAG and EAGx conferences.
Anecdotally, we regularly encounter community members who cite EAGx events as playing a key part in their EA journey. You can read some examples from CEA’s analysis
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts! I hope your pseudonymous account is helping you use the forum, although I definitely don’t think you need to worry about looking dumb :)
Hi James, I feel quite guilty for prompting you to write such a long, detailed, and persuasive response! Striving to find a balance between prudence and appeal seems to be the ideal goal. Using the NHS’s spending habits as a heuristic to avoid extravagance seems smart (although I would not say that this should apply to other events!). Most importantly, I am relieved to learn that this year’s budget per person will likely be significantly lower.
I totally agree that these events are invaluable. EAGs and EAGxs have been crucial in expanding my network and enhancing my impact and agency. However, as mentioned, I am concerned about perceptions. Having heard this I feel reassured, and I will see who I can invite! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
It’s a pity you don’t feel comfortable inviting people to the conference—that’s the last thing we want to hear!
So far our visual style for EAGxUtrecht hasn’t been austere[1] so we’ll think more about this. Normally, to avoid looking too fancy, I ask myself: would this be something the NHS would spend money on?
But I’m not sure how to balance the appearance of prudence with making things look attractive. Things that make me lean towards making things look attractive include:
This essay on the value of aesthetics to movements
This SSC review, specifically the third reason Pease mentions for the Fabians’ success
The early success of SMA and their choice to spend a lot on marketing and design
Things I’ve heard from friends who could really help EA, saying things like, “ugh, all this EA stuff looks the same/like it was made by a bunch of guys”
For what it’s worth, the total budget this year is about half of what was spent in 2022, and we have the capacity for almost the same number of attendees (700 instead of 750).
In case it’s useful, here are some links that show the benefits of EAGx events. I admit they don’t provide a slam-dunk case for cost-effectiveness, but they might be useful when talking to people about why we organise them:
EAGx events seem to be a particularly cost-effective way of building the EA community, and we think the EA community has enormous potential to help build a better world.
Open Philanthropy’s 2020 survey of people involved in longtermist priority work (a significant fraction of work in the EA community) found that about half of the impact that CEA had on respondents was via EAG and EAGx conferences.
Anecdotally, we regularly encounter community members who cite EAGx events as playing a key part in their EA journey. You can read some examples from CEA’s analysis
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts! I hope your pseudonymous account is helping you use the forum, although I definitely don’t think you need to worry about looking dumb :)
We’re going for pink and fun instead. We’re only going to spend a few hundred euros on graphic design.
Hi James, I feel quite guilty for prompting you to write such a long, detailed, and persuasive response! Striving to find a balance between prudence and appeal seems to be the ideal goal. Using the NHS’s spending habits as a heuristic to avoid extravagance seems smart (although I would not say that this should apply to other events!). Most importantly, I am relieved to learn that this year’s budget per person will likely be significantly lower.
I totally agree that these events are invaluable. EAGs and EAGxs have been crucial in expanding my network and enhancing my impact and agency. However, as mentioned, I am concerned about perceptions. Having heard this I feel reassured, and I will see who I can invite! Thank you!
That’s nice to read! But please don’t feel guilty, I found it to be a very useful prompt to write up my thoughts on the matter.