Following each annual conference, IAMCR conducts an online survey of participants to evaluate how we did and to learn how to make future conferences better. A total of 1,766 participants were invited to complete the survey for the 2019 conference and 931 (53%) responded. Respondents came from 73 of the 83 countries represented at the conference.
Overall the conference was highly-rated by participants. Asked to rate it on a scale of 1-5 where 1 is Poor and 5 is Excellent, 27% said it was excellent (5) and 47% gave it a 4 (Figure 1. Click on the chart to enlarge it). Only 5% rated the conference negatively with a 1 or 2. Comments left by respondents commended the organisation, venue and networking opportunities. Others said it was expensive, and were not happy with the quality of the lunches.
Eighty-one percent of respondents said they would recommend future IAMCR conferences to colleagues (Figure 2).
Perhaps the main reason people appreciated IAMCR was the opportunities provided for intellectual exchange. 78% of respondents rated the conference highly for its opportunities for intellectual exchange, 92% said they met someone at the conference who they plan to contact again for something related to their work (Figure 3) and 89% said they acquired new information, knowledge or methods applicable to their work.
The results of the detailed survey, with 31 questions covering logistics, content, social events, accommodation and other themes, are being carefully studied by the organisers of next year's conference, determined to make IAMCR 2020 even better!
See a summary of selected survey results
A selection of comments left by respondents
- Una grandiosa y enriquecedora experiencia a nivel académico y personal.
- Excellent in relation to the interaction with members of my panel, the intellectual exchange with them and the overall experience of the conference in the Madrid venue.
- Es muy difícil organizar un evento de este tipo y siempre hay aspectos por atender, pero la UCM hizo un gran esfuerzo.
- Thank you very much for the fantastic organisation. Only one little thing was poor: the quality of lunch was bad, and we produced so much waste. But the rest was awesome!!!!
- Esta fue la primera vez que participé y me llevo una gran experiencia que será muy útil para mi formación y enriquecedora para mi proyecto de investigación.
- Aconsejo bajar los costos de inscripción, aún cuando esto implique brindar menos servicios.
- I participated in a satellite conference (pre-conference) which was fantastic. These pre and post events are also very meaningful to the success of a conference.
- Enhorabuena a IAMCR por la organización de este congreso. El número de asistentes y las expectativas generadas fueron enormes, pero todo salió muy bien.
- Except for the huge volume of accepted papers for which participants were advised to waitlist for second acceptance to present their paper, the IAMCR 2019 was excellent, including the book fair, the very helpful student volunteers, the organised schedule, the food, and the ambiance of the conference environment.
- Many thanks to the LOC and IAMCR team for a great event! Everything was well organized. We had some issues with wifi connection that not always worked well on campus, and with food (could be better, to be honest) but overall everything went great. A special thanks for the gala dinner, it was terrific!
- El campamento de verano para los niños fue de mucha ayuda para las madres trabajadoras. El servicio excelente y el costo excepcional.