Letter from WAPOR President (August 2024)
This post is also available in: 简体中文 (Chinese (Simplified)) 繁體中文 (Chinese (Traditional))
Video from WAPOR President (August 2024): https://youtu.be/dnkB4g9dS0U?si=ozvgf9hjZ19tQpxW
Note: This document was translated from English into many different languages. In case of any discrepancy or inconsistency between the English version and any other translation, the English version shall always prevail.
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Conferences are our most important events – this I wrote last year after our Salzburg conference. This statement is even more valid this year because we have organized a two-in-one WAPOR 77th cum WAPOR Asia Pacific 7th Joint Annual Conference, and our first-ever joint global-regional conference has passed all performance tests with flying colours.
Allowing that my sample may be biased, all conference participants who have spoken or written to me have hold the conference in high regard, and many of them have already committed themselves to joining our next conference. Just like last year, I have openly solicited comments from our members, and I will dedicate this President’s Letter to re-posting their comments. Last year, I received 15 pieces of sharing. This year I have 22 at the time of writing this letter, representing an increase of about 50%. Last year, I capped my re-postings at 50 words, this year I expanded it to 100. For those longer than 100 words, please click on the relevant weblinks to read their full text. Here comes the sharing, arranged in chronological order of their submission:
Nirit Avnimelech, Israel: The conference was wonderful!!! My only suggestion is to have a list of all the people that attended, with their contact details; I spoke to some people and would love to follow up, but for some of them I don’t have a card!
Thomas Roessing, Germany: That was one great conference! Great place, nice people and most inspiring presentations. The event was perfectly organized, the venue for the conference dinner was beautiful and the food was delicious. A model for conferences everywhere.
Frits Spangenberg, the Netherlands: A nice ambiance, a great variety of papers and very well organized. The format is as it is, too many presentations and too many parallel sessions, but I do not see another possibility to change this. WAPOR has always been very strong in friendship and personal relationships, it is not always easy for First Attenders to integrate. My suggestion: actively invite existing members to coach First Attenders, for instance, during the breaks to make them feel that their presence is appreciated.
Lee-Yen Wang, Taiwan: This is a wonderful convention. I enjoyed every minute of it. The workshop was very informative, and I learned a lot from it. There were eight workshops, but we could only attend two of them. It would be very beneficial if we could access the PPTs.
Colin Irwin, Canada and UK: Amazing! We were blessed with a designer brand umbrella and NO rain! The student team in green tea shirts made sure all went very, very well and we did not get lost. No hitches or hiccups! All the sessions I went to were excellent. I stayed an extra day and went with colleagues to the must see DMZ. There is nothing quite like it anywhere else in the world. And I have seen and passed through quite a few. The whole world needs reunification now! [see the full passage #1 below]
Syed Arabi Idid, Malaysia: I was impressed. The papers and discussions during and between the sessions were of high quality. The students at the counters were really good. A small comment is that the conference, sessions, and lunches were held in two different buildings, which required taking long strides and several steps to reach the halls. Being slightly taken over by age, I feel the strides were really long this time around. [see the full passage #2 below]
Egle Butkeviciene, Lithuania: I had a big pleasure of attending WAPOR conference in Seoul! It was an incredibly enriching experience. The atmosphere was vibrant, filled with like-minded individuals, passionate about understanding and shaping public opinion research discourse. I left the event feeling inspired to apply what I learned in my own work.
Wen Szu Ni, Taiwan: I communicated with a scholar, she agreed that art and science are actually not far apart, and everything in theatre is about “people”. This is the reason why I do theatre. I want to know what “people” are, and the part that I do not know or can never know. I will always remember this question: What is more important, truth or humanity? For me, who has only been doing art, there is really no truth, only facts and realities.
Gabriela Aguirre Fernandez, UK: The WAPOR Conference was outstanding and I am very grateful for the opportunity to attend and present my paper. I am delighted to be a WAPOR member. And I am looking forward to future Conferences.
Chu-Ling Tseng, Taiwan: I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to attend and present at the WAPOR Conference. It was an enriching experience, and I am thrilled to be a part of the WAPOR community. I am eagerly anticipating future conferences and the chance to continue engaging with such a vibrant group of scholars.
Hak Jae Kim, South Korea: It was really a great honor and pleasure to join the WAPOR 2024 conference. It was a great opportunity for me to meet experts on surveys and polls, and also great joy to see fellows working on similar topics with me. It was a pity for me to miss additional opportunities to join other sessions and schedules where I could have more chances of learning and conversation from great scholars. I will remember this summer for participating in this wonderful event. [see the full passage #3 below]
Erica Metheney, Sweden: This was my first WAPOR conference and I could not have had a better experience. Logistically everything was communicated very clearly, and it was easy to know where to go and who to ask for help if needed. The variety of the sessions created an inspiring environment with a supportive and encouraging spirit. I’m looking forward to engaging more with the WAPOR community in the future. Thank you again for all your work at WAPOR. It is truly an amazing organization.
Yisong Hu, China: I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the organizing committee of WAPOR. I had a wonderful time at the conference and gained a lot from it. I am very pleased to serve as the Chinese National Representative for WAPOR, and I am looking forward to the next conference.
Chan-Hoong Leong, Singapore: This is my first on-site conference with WAPOR. I enjoyed my time at the conference and I learnt a lot interacting with other scholars and practitioners. Jibum and Sungkyunkwan University have done a fabulous job. A small suggestion – a lot of photos were taken, perhaps future conferences could set up a social media account or an online folder for participants to share/upload their favourite photos taken – this can be archived and shared among participants. I look forward to attending the next WAPOR conference. [see the full passage #4 below]
Daniel Tsang, USA: I’m impressed with how members from WAPOR Asian Pacific have grown. I was happy to assuage nervousness from new presenters and make new friends. One would think my presentation on ‘After-life of data archives’ and a plenary on data archiving would be a hard sell, but I do believe those in attendance came away with new perspectives, and a new commitment to preserving our historical memory. I was thrilled to learn of a NASSDA, Network of Asian Social Science Data Archives (https://nassda.org/). [see the full passage #5 below]
Lai Sim Fong Zoe, Hong Kong: It was a good chance to reflect upon the work of the 100% City series. I found a lot of insights. The encounters with other experts also gave me new inspirations. However I guess the gap between the practicing artists and the academic world is still wide, and the format probably hindered us from understanding each other. If I may suggest, inviting scholars from performance studies who share similar interests in arts and statistics will be a good choice. [see the full passage #6 below]
Haitham Numan, Iraq: I would like to express my gratitude for your sharing. This was my first in-person conference with WAPOR, and I truly enjoyed my time at the meeting. I had the opportunity to interact with other scholars and practitioners, and it was a great learning experience. I am eagerly looking forward to attending the next WAPOR conference in person.
Lydia Repke, Germany: Participating in this year’s WAPOR Conference in Seoul was a true pleasure. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and it is an honor to contribute to the WAPOR community through my workshops. Each year, the sense of belonging deepens, and it increasingly feels like being part of a close-knit family. I hope to see everybody next year again.
Wai Yu See Toh, Malaysia: It was my first WAPOR conference and it was a pleasure to have presented to like-minded experts in the field. The myriad of attendees at the conference truly allowed us to expand our network as well as to reconnect with old friends in our field. My only feedback for future conferences would be to provide transportation options both to and fro the accommodation and the conference venue. Otherwise, Kudos to the great conference and looking forward to the next one! [see the full passage #7 below]
Mohammed Farid Azzi, UAE: All sessions, including the panel discussions and keynote speeches, were expertly prepared and presented. They offered insightful information and useful takeaways. Strong professional ties and meaningful conversations were made possible by the thoughtfully planned social events and breaks. I’ve established a number of contacts that I think will be helpful for upcoming projects. However, I would recommend additional time for Q&A, and less presentations in a panel. These small changes, in my opinion, could improve the meeting experience even further. [see the full passage #8 below]
Cees L. Faber, Saudi Arabia: An excellent conference in Seoul, impeccable coordination, short opening speeches and overall thoughtful structure. Dare I say a significant improvement on last year. However, in terms of presentation content feedback, many presenters missed ‘taking pride in your slides’. Additionally, around structuring presentations, where we have 15-20 minutes, a number of presenters probably did not dry-run and some spoke the first 5-10 minutes about themselves and/or their institute before getting to the essence of the paper. This is not a Seoul factor, it was the same in Salzburg. [see the full passage #9 below]
Yasuyuki Saito, Japan: At the WAPOR conference in Seoul, I sensed an energy that I had not felt at previous conferences. Various polling methodologies and analyses from around the world were presented, but the presentations from the rapidly growing Asia region stood out as particularly exceptional compared to those from other areas. Next year, the main conference will be held in St. Louis, USA, while the Asia-Pacific regional conference will take place in Tokyo, Japan. Having witnessed the success of WAPOR in Seoul, I am confident that the Tokyo conference will also be a great success.
Last year after Salzburg, I asked all members to work together to further develop our conference program. This year, I would like to make the same call, expanding on what I wrote before: Back in 2012, we changed our traditional conference cycle from Europe-America-Europe-America to a three-year cycle by adding a third place. In 2020 the pandemic set in and we had to make adjustments. Now with Dubai, Salzburg and Seoul behind us, let us put in more effort to develop our conferences, both at global and regional levels, engaging as many Chapters as possible. Maybe one day, we will be asking our members to bid for conferences, global or regional, annual or otherwise, just like bidding for the Olympic Games.
Finally, as a continuation of what I started last month, I have again compiled a short video for posting along with my President’s Letter. Last time, I called for donations of videos on Humanity (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u98Kl3_G0wM). This time, I would like to share the very last part of my presentation at the Keynote Roundtable on Humanity, on further globalization of WAPOR.
I have four more President’s Letters to write after this one, I intend to include one short video in every one of the Letters, probably as my “final innovation” in the area of membership communication before WAPOR turns another new page.
Humbly yours,
Robert Chung
WAPOR President
[Full passage #1]
Colin Irwin, Canada and UK: Amazing! We were blessed with a designer brand umbrella and NO rain! The student team in green tea shirts made sure all went very, very well and we did not get lost. No hitches or hiccups! All the sessions I went to were excellent, but sadly I missed the final session on reunification as it was at the same time as my own. So I will catch up with Jibum Kim when I see him in Seoul in October. Big thank you Jibum! I stayed an extra day and went with colleagues to the must see DMZ. There is nothing quite like it anywhere else in the world. And I have seen and passed through quite a few. The whole world needs world reunification now!
[Full passage #2]
Syed Arabi Idid, Malaysia: I was most impressed by the organization of the WAPOR conference. The papers and discussions during and between the sessions were of high quality. I must congratulate you and the committee members for the job well done. I should also congratulate Jibum and his team for tying all the loose ends together and his splendid efforts to obtain the sponsors. The students at the counters were really good. If I can make it, a small comment is that the conference, sessions, and lunches were held in two different buildings, which required taking long strides and several steps to reach the halls. Being slightly taken over by age, I feel the strides were really long this time around. All in congratulations to you and your team.
[Full passage #3]
Hak Jae Kim, South Korea: It was really a great honor and pleasure to join the WAPOR 2024 conference. It was a great opportunity for me to meet experts on surveys and polls from Gallup, GESIS, Pew Research Center, ISDPR, etc, and also great joy to see fellows working on similar topics with me. It was a pity for me to miss additional opportunities to join other sessions and schedules where I could have more chances of learning and conversation from great scholars. I will remember this summer for participating in this wonderful event. Thanks for the hard work to organize this event, and I look forward to meeting all of you on the next occasions.
[Full passage #4]
Chan-Hoong Leong, Singapore: Thank you for the leadership and guidance to WAPOR. This is my first on-site conference with WAPOR. I enjoyed my time at the conference and I learnt a lot interacting with other scholars and practitioners. I want to thank Jibum for organising the conference, it’s an incredible task and he and Sungkyunkwan University have done a fabulous job (thank you!) A small suggestion – a lot of photos were taken at the event, perhaps future conferences could set up a social media account or an online folder for participants to share / upload their favorite photos taken at the event – this can be archived and shared among participants. I look forward to attending the next WAPOR conference.
[Full passage #5]
Daniel Tsang, USA: I’m impressed with how members from WAPOR Asian Pacific have grown, especially among new presenters and attendees from South Korea. I was happy to assuage nervousness from new presenters and make new friends. One would think my presentation on ‘After-life of data archives’ and a plenary on data archiving would be a hard sell; but I do believe those in attendance came away with new perspectives, and a new commitment to preserving our historical memory. I was thrilled to learn of a NASSDA, Network of Asian Social Science Data Archives (https://nassda.org/). Many thanks to Robert for leading us with vision and humanity.
[Full passage #6]
Lai Sim Fong Zoe, Hong Kong: It was a good chance to reflect upon the work of 100% series. I did found a lot of useful insights and seeing it from a new lens, especially in the discussion of the panel. The encounters with other experts also opened up some new inspiration for me. However I guess the gap between the practicing artists and the academic world is still wide to be honest. We are speaking very different languages, so it wasn’t a very good fit in this conference, given such a short period of encounter. The format (aka a world conference) probably hindered us from understanding each other, if I may say so. If I may suggest, inviting scholars from performance studies who share similar interests in arts and statistics will be a good choice, who will give a better framework of the current development of performing arts, sharing in the language that might be a bit closer to you. Other suggestion will be, a longer and closer collaboration with artists and a smaller group of experts of statistics, who are interested in utilising arts as tools in their work, to connect with the wider public with arts. This remind me of a resident artist programme at CERN https://arts.cern/programme/connect. In fact there are many these kinds of programmes in institutes and top universities that you could reference.
[Full passage #7]
Wai Yu See Toh, Malaysia: My greatest appreciation to your good self and the entire organizing committee for a wonderful conference. It was my first WAPOR conference and it was a pleasure to have presented to like-minded experts in the field. The myriad of attendees at the conference truly allowed us to expand our network as well as to reconnect with old friends in our field. My only feedback for future conferences would be to provide transportation options both to and fro the accommodation and the conference venue. Otherwise, Kudos to the great conference and looking forward to the next one!
[Full passage #8]
Mohammed Farid Azzi, UAE: I’m writing to thank you for the excellent planning and implementation of the 77th WAPOR Conference in Seoul, Korea. My team and me from the UAE Trends Research and Advisory Center were able to network, exchange expertise, and explore new ideas, thanks to the conference. All of the sessions, including the panel discussions and keynote speeches, were expertly prepared and presented. They offered insightful information and useful takeaways that I intend to apply to my work. Another noteworthy aspect was the networking opportunities. Strong professional ties and meaningful conversations were made possible by the thoughtfully planned social events and breaks. I’ve already established a number of contacts that I think will be helpful for upcoming projects. But I would want to provide a few recommendations that can improve the experience for those that come again. I would like to see additional time for Q&A, less presentations in a panel. These small changes, in my opinion, could improve the meeting experience even further. Once again, I want to thank you for taking the lead in planning such a great occasion. The 77th has raised the bar for subsequent conferences, and I’m excited to take part in more of them. I would like to thank your staff for their tireless efforts, which were clearly visible at the event. I hope all of your future activities bring you success. My special thanks go also for the wonderful, organized and dedicated Korean team and their leader Jibum. And a special mention to Kysenia the tireless Executive Director.
[Full passage #9]
Cees L. Faber, Saudi Arabia: Trust this message finds you well and congratulating you and the team on an excellent conference in Seoul. Impeccable coordination, short opening speeches and overall thoughtful structure. Dare I say a significant improvement on last year. We, the SCOP are grateful for the opportunity that we could present to two well attended sessions. In terms of content feedback – discussed this briefly with Chase Harrison in passing, we couldn’t help noting that: (1) Presentation Design: Many presentations – in particular some of the more academic origins – were missing ‘taking pride in your slides’. Some visibly hurriedly thrown together …. With obvious ‘cut and pastes’, hence not making ‘the standard’. (2) Presenting structure: Where we have 15-20 minutes to present a paper in which one needs to get to the point: Premises/hypothesis, to the data, to analytics, to conclusion & outcomes, a number of presenters probably did not dry-run and some spoke the first 5-10 minutes about themselves and/or their institute before getting to the essence of the Paper. This is not a Seoul factor, it was the same in Salzburg. To the above I offered our support to Chase, should WAPOR want to have a short training session: Design & Structure, getting the basics right.