Do The Right Thing

Home Truths 2: evaluation report

What you told us

The summary
Although the average scores were generally and slightly lower than last year (our aim is always to be at least into the 4s!) the conference was well received overall. The venue came in for a bit of stick from a fair few - as did the difficulties getting to the venue (although the person threatening to commit suicide by jumping off a city centre car park roof did add to the usual morning congestion), and the expensive car parking. We thought it would be interesting to use a different venue, seeking inspiration from a grand old building. It was also, comparative with the usual conference venues, competitively priced which, of course, helped us to keep costs very reasonable. Make no mistake, the clique of national conference organisers would have a third of the workshops we offered and would charge two to three times the amount we did. But clearly the Guildhall Theatre was not designed for conferences, so this experiment failed. Sorry. Derby city centre also caused some grief, but we're committed to holding quality events in the region and need to do some thinking about this. Also what we have clearly learned is that the whole package - not just the message and learning but the venue, food and so on - is what makes for a memorable experience.

Each question was scored on a scale of 1-5 (1= poor; 5= excellent)

Question	Average score
1 How would you rate the conference overall?	4.0
2 How would you rate the venue?	3.4
3 How would you rate the administration before the conference?	4.2
4 How would you rate how the conference was organised on the day?	4.1
5 How would you rate the first keynote speech? (Jane Booth)	3.8
6 How would you rate the second keynote speech? (John	3.8
7 How would rate your first workshop? Marac & IDVA Homeless young people Proud labyrinth Multi-agency approach	3.7 3.3 4.2 3.0
8 How would rate your second workshop? London experience Domestic violence & pregnancy White Ribbon Campaign Changing Places	4.7 4.5 3.2 4.3
9 How would rate your third workshop? Perpetrators of domestic violence Domestic violence course Children who witness domestic violence	3.1 3.6 3.5
10 How would rate your fourth workshop? Domestic violence family safety units Working with male victims	4.2 4.2

Here is a fairly representative sample of the things that were said:
The good stuff: what you liked

In general
"Excellent day - very informative workshops and thought provoking"
"Fantastic day - really good choice and selection of subject areas"
"Excellent - I came a long way for this - and was not disappointed!"
"Very enjoyable"
"I learned a lot"
"Lots of new ideas and perspectives"
"very enjoyable - a few pointers I can use in practice"
"Some very powerful speakers and performances"
"Very informative and given some good ideas and good networking opportunities"
"Well organised; pleasant and relaxed; made some good contacts"
"Overall the conference was enjoyable, informative and a good use of officer time - unfortunately the venue let it down"
Thank you. I am glad I attended and look forward to seeing the agenda for Home Truths 3"

Workshops
"Really enjoyed the diversity of workshops"
"Speakers and workshops very motivating and informative. Very useful."
"Excellent having so many workshops"
"Workshops were pitched very well - assumed that participants already knew the basics which meant that I was able to learn something new"
"Some valuable workshops - lots to take back to base - thank you"
"Found the workshops and speakers inspirational and thought provoking"
"Great range of workshops"
"Great talk by London project"

Home Truths staff
"Well organised and helpful staff"
The drama - Out of Harm's Way
"Excellent - I imagine it works really well in schools"
"Enjoyed the play - very useful for working with children and families"
"Excellent conference drama"
"The drama was excellent and very thought-provoking"
"Play - excellent"
"Conference drama - very well performed but better aimed at schools"

The food
"Nice food"
"Nice lunch"
"Coffee, food etc was excellent but really needed better place to sit and eat"

What you weren't happy about

The venue
"A little difficult to reach and park"
"I do feel that the venue was not ideal and hindered the day's organisation"
"Derby is an impossible place to get to from the North West. Finding the venue was a major challenge."
"Some of the venue rooms were either too hot or too cold. I also do not feel that the venue was suitable for holding lunch facilities were left sitting on the floor"
"Venue was not suitable for all needs - lots of stairs; lots of people around drinking and eating areas making it difficult to move carrying things"
"Quite disappointing after last year's event. Poor venue, poor catering. So physically less enjoyable"
"The venue was inconvenient, uncomfortable, unsuitable, terrible to get to and noisy. This took a shine off the day for me"
"Catering arrangements poor, eating lunch on stairs"

What we think: We need to take this firmly on the chin. We got it wrong. We tried something different and it didn't work out for a good number of you. Sorry.

The workshops
"The workshops were more presentations than workshops"; "I didn't feel that the workshops were held as 'workshops', they were more like lectures"; "they were presentations, not workshops"; too much 'death by PowerPoint'"
"It was not always possible to read material on projectors" "Too many initials"; "too jargonistic (abbreviations with no expansion)"
"Disappointed with content of some of the workshops - however the London experience was exceptional"

What we think: We need to make sure we better brief workshop leaders in the future.

Getting there
"My paperwork said that the conference was being held at the Darwin Suite/Assembly Rooms"
"Traffic a nightmare getting into Derby"

What we think: Yes, sorry. The information we sent out in the e-mail said the directions were to the Assembly Rooms but our venue was across the square. However, of course, people tend to print out the attachment map and not the e-mail. Lesson learnt.

Food
"I didn't like eating lunch on the stairs"

What we think: Not sure what happened here. People started to do so and others joined in. But you could have had lunch in the theatre or bar. We thought people had sat on the stairs by choice. We should have made it clear that you could (as many did) eat elsewhere in the building. But even so - it highlights again the fact that the theatre was not built for conferences.

Your suggestions
"Would be better to start at 10am - for those travelling"
What we think: yes, you're right. We started early to cram stuff in - but lesson learnt.

"Out of town would be better"
What we think: Or certainly if we allowed more time for people to get to a venue. If we go out of town, we'd worry about people who didn't (or didn't want to) drive.

"I would have preferred to have less workshops and have more time in each workshop. They were too rushed."; "possibly too many workshops - long day if travelling as well"; "would have benefited from smaller workshops - too much time on participants' introductions"
What we think: Perhaps it might be better to be more focused - and hold smaller, more specific events? Let us know.

"Could be run as a two day conference"
What we think: It's expensive enough to put on as it is - but we run to very small margins. Two days would be great for us - but not sure people could afford the cost (we'd be looking at £300 - or £350 with overnight accommodation booked) in the numbers we would need to make it work. But again - tell us.

"Would have liked more time for questions with both keynote speakers"
What we think: Sure - but we are between the devil and the deep blue sea. We think what attracts so many delegates is partly the huge line-up (loads of stuff going on) and the price. So we have to stack it high - which means less time. Again we will best directed by you - tell us.

"A glossary of all abbreviations would have been useful"; "I felt that lecturers abbreviated things quite a lot which caused confusion - how about a helpful abbreviation list included in the packs"
What we think: Dead right. This was my fault (Graham speaking!) - I should have as chair insisted on no abbreviations and told workshop leaders the same. If we all talk the same language we don't need glossaries. I'll make sure this is the case next time.

Thank you for all your comments. They really do make us think and change.