TCUK12 summary, likes & dislikes

This was my third consecutive year at TCUK, and I was surprised and glad to see how much I enjoyed it in different and new ways than before.

I mainly enjoyed seeing acquaintances and friends again who made me feel like I was part of the family. I was glad to help the conference organisers in a small way by facilitating two sessions. And it was great to hang out with the international tech comm “jet set”, whether they’re from England (hi, Alison, David, Elaine, Felicity, John, Jonathan, Robert and Sue) or from farther afield (hi, Charlotte, Diego, Janet, Karen, Leah, Maxwell, Morten and Ray).

I also felt more relaxed and less nervous, because my own session was a panel discussion which can only stand limited preparation. By contrast, my presentations in previous years were prone to overrehearsing… 🙂

The panel itself went quite well, even if Robert Hempsall had to bow out at the last minute. Karen Mardahl, Ray Gallon and I discussed how internationalization, specifically different language skills, different cultures and different technology affect accessibility. Thanks to our audience who contributed their own experience, it was a lively discussion and the 40 minutes went by very fast.

Likes

• Nice size. TCUK is small enough to have a very cozy, almost intimate feeling about it, yet large enough to be dynamic and diverse.
• Professional, constructive vibe. Whether they’re newbies or experienced, many delegates get involved and contribute their experiences and opinions in the sessions during Q&A and outside, in the foyers, over lunch or at the bar. I see a lot of communal participation and engagement and very little sit-back, entertain-me consumerism.
• Diversity and quality. I’ve been amazed once again at the wide variety of topics and the generally high quality of the programme:
  • The 3 keynote lectures by Leah Guren, Scott Abel and Karen Mardahl were excellent: Relevant, inspiring and entertaining each one of them! Their general upbeat tone pervaded the entire conference.
  • The 6 workshops on Tuesday (as far as I’ve seen and heard) were hands-on, very practical and applicable. Participants contributed interesting, sometimes provocative perspectives which added insights and reflection to the practical exercises.
  • The 30 sessions on Wednesday and Thursday (again, as far as I’ve seen and heard) were for the most part well-presented and an interesting mix of conceptual, high-level discussions and roll-up-your-sleeves practical advice.

Dislikes

• Sessions are too short.  At 40 minutes total, they often have 30 minutes or so for the actual presentation and some time for Q&A. I prefer presentations of 45 minutes plus Q&A afterwards, which can run for 5 to 15 minutes.
• Food. Personally, I didn’t care much for the food at the hotel, but that is a matter of taste, as always. Other delegates liked it just fine.
• No time to explore. Glancing at Northumberland from the plane, I regretted making such a tight schedule that I saw nothing outside the hotel and the airport. It looks like a beautiful area well worth exploring.

In-depth session reports

For more details about some of the sessions I have attended, see my previous posts:

• TCUK12, day 1: Workshops & company
• Leah Guren’s Fish Tale at TCUK12
• Ray Gallon’s Hairball of Content at TCUK12
• Scott Abel on Structured Content at TCUK12
• David Farbey on editing at TCUK12

– If you’ve attended TCUK12, feel free to add your impressions in a comment below. If not, you can still add a comment or ask a question… 🙂