Salzburg Conference Sharing (October 2023)

This post is also available in: Español (Spanish) 简体中文 (Chinese (Simplified)) 繁體中文 (Chinese (Traditional)) العربية (Arabic) Русский (Russian)

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.

Conferences are our most important events. Many years ago when we did not have Regional Chapters, we also organized regional conferences or seminars. Next year in Seoul we will run a consolidated Joint Conference with our Asia Pacific Chapter, this will be another breakthrough in our global-regional collaboration.

Before we move on, I would like to post the following sharing of our Salzburg conference sent to me by members via different channels, in chronological order of their confirmation for posting. Due to space constraints, I have capped each sharing at 50 words. To read their full version, if available, members can check our WAPORnet posts at WAPORnet@WAPOR.simplelists.com or write to the members named for more discussions:

• Hynek Jerabek, Czechia: The Salzburg meeting was excellent, good selection of topics, perfect organization, nice place and interesting discussions. Thanks to the organization team and to the session chairs.
• Mihirani Dissanayake, Sri Lanka: That was my first WAPOR conference experience. The support given by the organizing committee was amazing. It was a content-rich conference that I attended. The networking opportunities created around the conference was unmatchable. I am hopeful to attend the next conference in another great destination.
• Thomas Roessing, Germany: The Salzburg Conference was great. I met so many old friends again — and made new ones — , from all over the world. So many inspiring talks, deep thoughts and so much fun! I hope to see you all again next year in Korea!
• Zoran Gavrilovic, Serbia: This was the first time I was a part of the WAPOR conference. It was fantastic and inspirational. I could not participate in all the panels. There is an opportunity for presenters to send us their presentations?
• Munqith Dagher, Jordan: It was a very fruitful and informative conference. I enjoyed the sessions I attended, though there were a number of presentations that weren’t worth it. I do believe that we should focus on quality over quantity. About the coming conference, July is not a good time.
• Christine Quirk, France: I thank the organizers for recruiting Ukrainian panelists to discuss Ukraine. On the paper submission process, I suggest arranging a briefing session for non-academics before the deadline about what types of submissions are sought and how to package them to make them appealing to the panel.
• Elena Koneva, Cyprus: I’m delighted with how the sessions have built genuine friendships and professional relationships. Speakers spent quality time in meetings, dinners, and discussions. I watched with joy as they agreed to continue communication and cooperation. We should also thank the students who ensured the event ran seamlessly.
• Michael Nitsche, Austria: The conference was great and everybody enjoyed Salzburg. I am not sure if end of July is the best time traveling to Seoul. WAPOR should have a much stronger voice in the media. WAPOR should be the global voice promoting best practices and transparency in methods.
• Nirit Avnimelech, Israel: This is my second WAPOR conference, but I’m already addicted! The people, content, energy, are all amazing. The only downside was that the venue and size of hotels made informal meetings complicated.
• Yossi David, Israel: The conference was excellent, much more accessible for students and people from non-Western countries. I’m definitely happy about that change. I experienced several challenges: the program was sent too late, quite a few panel chairs didn’t keep to the time, and problem finding the conference dinner.
• Firas AlKayal, Syria: An excellent event with a well-chosen selection of topics, impeccable organization, a delightful venue, and engaging discussions. I want to thank the dedicated organization team and the session chairs. Salzburg meeting was a memorable and enriching experience, made possible by the collective efforts of everyone involved.
• Carmen Fernandez, Spain: It was a very intellectually stimulating event. It’s not every day that you get the chance to learn from such a diverse and knowledgeable group of academics, I left the event feeling inspired and intellectually enriched. It also was fun and plenty of opportunities for networking.
• Egle Butkeviciene, Lithuania: A true pleasure to join WAPOR 2023 in Salzburg! If someone asked me to describe it with adjectives, I would say “balanced and inclusive!” It was a perfect balance between methodological and substantive research, under an overarching mood of inclusiveness. Already looking forward to next year!
• Burova Olga, Ukraine: Speakers from Ukraine want to thank WAPOR for hosting us. This conference was amazing, very well organized with good equipment, assistance and high quality sessions. It was a great pleasure to become part of WAPOR, we wish to find some funding and become speakers next year.
• Tlegen Kuandykov, Kyrgyzstan: It left a lasting impression on me, personally as a young professional, and for Central Asia Barometer as an organization. Looking forward to future opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing within the WAPOR community. I eagerly anticipate the next WAPOR in Seoul (CAB will certainly attend!)

As serious researchers, we should all be mindful of the submission bias of these feedbacks. Our Membership Committee will soon conduct an anonymous post-conference survey, but that would also be subject to response bias. Therefore, please just take these feedbacks as qualitative sharing from some self-selected members who wanted to strike a note in our mind. If they failed to impress us, we can wait for the more scientific results. In any case, our WAPORnet is an open forum for all Members and Friends, please feel free to say anything there, any time.

At this juncture, let me ask all members to get prepared for our 2024 Conference in Seoul, as well as to think ahead for our 2025 Conference in St Louis. 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 and Salzburg behind us, while heading towards Seoul and St Louis, let us put our mind and heart together to further develop our conference program, both at global and regional levels, engaging as many Chapters as possible. Maybe one day, we would be asking our members to bid for conferences, global or regional, annual or otherwise, just like bidding for the Olympic Games.

Recently we heard some suggestions for changing the date of our Seoul Conference, mainly due to the temperature of the city in late July. I now call on all members to think of ways to mitigate the potential problems, like holding more pre- and post-conference activities (like workshops, trainings, associated functions, and so on) on different dates and at difficult locations. Changing the main conference dates at this late stage would be rather counterproductive, especially when the decision was made after a due process.

WAPOR is now calling for nomination to various Council posts. For members who are keen to help us grow, please nominate yourself or any of your fellow members to run for these leadership posts. This is the best way to develop WAPOR along all lines.

Humbly yours,

Robert Chung

WAPOR President