You said, we did.
Shortly after our previous event we asked attendees to fill out an anonymous feedback form. As this was our first ever meetup we felt it was vital to find out what the community enjoyed and what could be improved.
We were bowled over by the huge amount of positive feedback, and happy that 95% of respondents would recommend attending a future event. More importantly we had actionable feedback which we can use to make the next Kernow DAT event even more successful.
Broadly speaking, the feedback received can be categorised into three distinct areas:
- Food & Drink
- Logistics and structure
- The bigger picture
Here’s how we’ve acted upon your feedback.
Food & Drink
Where was the Tea & Coffee?
We only had beer, cider and soft drinks at our first event. We completely omitted hot drinks for the evening, which was an oversight on our part. In the future we’re planning to offer freshly ground coffee and quality teas alongside our other beverages.
Can we have Pizza next time? Pretty Please.
Sure can! In addition to bigger pasties, veggie dippers, nut pots and festive treats we’ll be laying on for the ‘Redux’ event, Crowdfunder have promised to provide as much Pizza as our attendees can eat (within reason). No promises on having your favourite topping, but with an expected audience of 60+, there will be lots of cheesy delights for you to choose from.
Logistics and Structure
Question format didn’t work.
We completely agree! We had planned to host a Kanban fishbowl-esqe panel discussion at the end of the evening, however we abandoned this idea at the last moment. This time around we’ll be opening up the floor for a couple of questions after each speaker.
Multiplayer Games.
Games are better when played together. MESH, who provided our ‘Retro Games Corner’, are digging out the multi-taps and bringing a multiplayer game for us to enjoy. Keep your eyes on our twitter account for an audience poll where you get to decide which games are on offer. Goldeneye? Tekken? Mario Cart? WWE? Something else? You decide!
Can we have more info on the speakers and their background?
Great idea. In the future we’ll give a fuller introduction to the speakers including who they are, what company they work for and a little more about what they do.
No name badges?
We liked the informality that not having badges contributed towards, but appreciate that they are the standard at the majority of networking events. Next time out we’ll have some DIY badges available for anyone who wants one.
Bigger Picture
How can people to offer to do talks?
Good thinking. We’ve added a simple form, available from our homepage, which allows potential speakers to submit a talk proposal.
More talks on the intersection of art’s / tech please.
One of the repeating comments we received was on the absence of ‘Arty’ talks. Finding the right balance of speakers is a delicate and difficult task. We’ve already confirmed the lineup for the next event, however having a better representation of the art’s community is one of our top priorities going forwards.
We’re actively looking for speakers to talk about how tech is evolving the creative arts and sharing their projects with the community. If you know someone who is doing interesting things in this sphere, please point them our way.
What’s your mission statement?
Until it was highlighted in the feedback we had never considered the need for a mission statement. We have big ideas for Kernow DAT moving forward. When the time is right we’ll develop a longer term plan which will include a mission statement.
Whilst we might not have a mission statement, internally we do have a stated aim.
‘We want to contribute towards building a thriving tech community in Cornwall, eat some pasties and have plenty of fun’.
Hopefully that will do for now.
Join us at the next Kernow DAT event to see first hand how attendee feedback is making our evenings even better. We’re at the Crowdfunder office in Newquay on the 9th December and doors open at 6pm. As always tickets are free and include refreshments. We’d love to see you there.
