Analysis of Feedback Comments for NIST/ATP 1999 National Meeting

Survey Questions

Location and facilities Location ok if you are staying in the hotel; traffic to and from the Bay area in horrible Plan something in the mid-east to eastern U.S. No easy access to non-hotel restaurant Scattered over two locations. Had to hike between sessions Hotel staff very attentive to attendees Hotel infrastructure was a mess- construction annoying (3)* Meeting space too spread out

Pre-conference registration process Slow return of receipt

On-site conference registration process Smooth process Lack of organization; there was not a registration packet. You were referred to a table to gather things yourself.

On-site management/organization Excellent help from NIST staff at the conference. I had several questions and at least 3 times they went out of their way to assist me. Well organized Rooms on the opposite end of the building did not have adequate support staff. Rooms too far from registration desk. NIST/ATP staff very friendly Lack of proper, detailed signs

Technical content Redo economic session on academic concerns Confidentiality concerns may preclude more content Technical comments could have been more in-depth

Presenters/instructors Some presenters need timers to keep them on schedule Export workshop presenters read from charts and offered little added value

Support materials No copies of slides available (3) Each speaker should hand out hard copies of materials (2) Need room assignments on program

Audiovisuals There were glitches in computer generated slides; electronic presentations (4) Need better AV for computer talks Actually use newer technology to showcase innovation Hard copies of presentations would have been helpful

Key note, evening activities, etc. Superb reception Keynote address was excellent Food was excellent No coffee available near the session rooms on the first day Monday keynote was superb Keynote speaker for ADL session was unprepared and rambled. Poor content and presentation Vint Cert very entertaining

Exhibit/demos Gave me a good idea about what the ATP program does and supports More exhibits would be nice Need more hours to allow more interaction with exhibitors Find ways to bring more people through the exhibit area. Attendance was sparse. Easy access to displays. Good spacing. I missed all of the relevant ones due to timing of session Traffic in exhibit areas was light and some of the booths were not manned Exhibitors should stay open as late as stated in schedule Closed too early Prefer more biotechnology (2) Too few exhibits

Overall rating considering costs, expectations and benefits Cost too high Cost too much for one day attendance

11a. Why should ATP do this kind of meeting again? Very interesting technologies which are not presented in this much detail at any other venue Need to continue to show how this program is being used to foster innovation (2) Good forum for new ideas and industry trends Very important from a science/business perspective Helps to plan investments in future technologies Valuable and instructive at a reasonable price. Good use of time. There are lots of benefits to continuing this meeting Great networking /interacting with other companies (7) The ALS market is changing so quickly Excellent cross communication Continue to broaden coverage of the program Great to preview new technologies Much better content than other focused scientific meetings High visibility; good opportunity to reach large numbers of people (3) Good exchange of information within the industry (8) Good opportunity to educate/learn about ATP (5) It is helpful to see the progress of ATP grant programs I want others in my organization to be exposed to the business models of success that are built into ATP programs Good for all areas of business development before and after award. One of the few research funding mechanisms that does not focus on military applications

11b. What was the most useful? Session on academic problems and how to solve them Session presentations (10) Q & A following sessions Exhibits (2) Presentations by awardees (3) Analysis of requirements for proposals/criteria for awards (6) Case studies Business Advice Meeting with NIST/ATP Program people Technology panel presentation ATP objectives, mission, how-to Health care track Networking/ meetings others in related areas (6) Overview of funded programs Specific speakers- Lotus, Kuzman, Cisco and ATP Technical sessions MEMS related activities Adaptive learning technology Having industry, business development and government people address the same issues ALS workshop (2) Business and commercialization Learning systems presentation Discussion of ways to form successful partnerships Session on wireless Session on innovative tools for maintenance Intelligence on industry joint ventures in progress Diversity of speakers Tons of state-of-the-art information from ATP winners Interaction between ATP and industry EAO led sessions

11c. What was the least useful? Lack of abstracts (2) "Narrow" technology talks Keynotes Displays ATP intro Listening to technical presentations that did not relate to my field, industry or interest Digital TV Long lecture format Evaluation session Cancellation of VC forum Keynote message of Dr. Malcolm Not enough networking opportunities No information from ATP losers No information on commercialization statistics Technical presenters who refused to give details Technology showcase

11d. What changes would you make? Include a poster session (2) Provide abstracts (7) Leave space next to abstracts for notes Make sure that presenters address topics stated Provide more on the experiences of awardees with regard to their interaction with ATP Programs (agenda booklet) needs more detailed information Allow more time for exhibits Minimize or eliminate administrative overview presentations Include people who are more involved in technology Classroom rather than theater setup Avoid over use of some sessions e.g. MMI & MEMS Change location to east coast (3) central U.S. (2) More practicing what we preach More interactive (smaller) group activities (2) Hold presenters to strict speaking schedules Have meeting rooms closer together Content too technical Have all speakers provide handouts in their sessions Shorten events Evaluation form needs to be done in each session Having materials available on the web is extremely useful and facilitates diffusion of ideas More cutting edge concise thinking Fewer panels sessions Lower cost for one day attendance Develop conference registration packets Better identification of location of workshops Improve signage so we know who is in what room. Make clear in program / Separate capital management/business talks from the other sessions to make it easier to see both Choose facility with meeting rooms closer together Have separate sessions for first time applicants

Additional comments: ATP should develop a booklet or presentation on academic participation Good open forum. Half hour talks give sufficient time for key technical details Keep the food. Food was excellent. (5) Session 29 title did not match the presentation. Need an ATP meeting devoted to health care The panels were a good idea, but needed better discussion of issues Add e-mail addresses to participant's list Enhance participation with universities Please support the conference community online after the conference- e-mail lists, places for discussion threads, links to other relevant web sites