Socializing With Likeminded People
By: James E. Tew
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Is it just me?
Every time I communicate about bees – in any format – I mention my age. It has been my harsh realization that age determines the stage of beekeeping that I am at. I still love bees, but I am now in a “reflective” late stage of beekeeping. I think about the good times and all the good bee people with whom I have interacted. I still have a few hives of bees, but that “few” is probably too many. In my late stage of keeping bees, increasingly it’s the beekeepers who mean the most to me. Some are lifelong friends while others are brand new to me. I need people as much as I need bees.
So much has changed
Just a few decades ago, subscribing to bee magazines and attending bee meetings was a good as things could get. Now, in addition to bee magazines and attending meetings, I participate in podcasts, watch streaming videos, and sometimes I join virtual meetings. As modern and marvelous as those attributes are, in my aged opinion, nothing beats the old way. Is it just me?
Going to meetings and actually talking to real people, in real time, easily beats watching a small icon video image. And the bee magazines – wow! Find an old beekeeper and ask to look at a bee magazine from maybe 1975 or as old as 1948. The quality of these publications has improved and modernized exponentially. Yet, as beekeepers are nearly buried in various bee information sources, the bees are fundamentally the same. One of my points in this piece is that, at the fundamental level, beekeepers are still the same, too.
Why this is on my mind
I recently attended the Fall meeting of the Alabama Beekeepers Association. I found that after visiting old friends and making new friends, I was revitalized. I respected my memories of many of the old group that have now crossed over. Later this month, I will participate in the Ohio State Beekeepers Association Fall meeting. I hope I have similar feelings. Maybe it’s because I cut my bee teeth on live meetings, I find that I get my best vibes from them.
The December Bee Culture issue
The December issue of Bee Culture focuses on reviews of selected successful beekeepers. Every year, I struggle with various ways to write about the activities of other notable beekeepers while not appearing to be “picking and choosing.” There are so many devoted beekeepers out there who deserve to be highlighted. How would I select such as individual? I can give some cryptic examples. John H. and Kevin S. (Alabama), I just spoke with you a few weeks ago. Charlie P. (Tennessee) is long time bee friend. Matt S. (Maine) has stayed in touch with me for decades. You all deserve highlighting, but then I would be omitting so many others.
The “Good” meeting
Beekeepers’ abilities grow after attending productive meetings. Energy is restored. Confidence is boosted. Beekeepers are supported. Certainly, we should enjoy podcasts and videos and surf the web for information we desire, but I truly hope we don’t give up on the traditional meeting as a support mechanism for the typical beekeeper.
The “Good” meeting continued
In a few weeks, I will go to the annual two-day Fall meeting of a state beekeeping group. As have so many others, I have gone through this meeting ritual many, many times. The more meetings I attend, the less certain I become about what comprises a “good” meeting. In numerous past articles, authors have listed and outlined various ways to help assure a successful meeting, but I wonder how objective such writers are. (You should know that I too, have tried to write previous articles on this topic.)
A bee meeting is evaluated in different ways by different people attending the same meeting. Attendees, organizers, commercial exhibitors, speakers, and facilities all have different criteria for evaluating the same meeting. A good meeting for one subgroup may the worst meeting ever for another subgroup attending the same meeting.
Speakers.
My concept of a great meeting is primarily based on my involvement as a speaker. I suspect that some speakers are categorized as necessary nuisances for meeting organizers. “I need a PowerPoint projector.” “I have a flight that leaves earlier than I thought.” In the old days, I would ask for an empty slide carousel or maybe a bottle of water. It’s true, speakers can be an elitist group, but they can have their legitimate complaints, too. I now present some examples that may very well get me in trouble.
- Many years ago, another speaker didn’t show up. With no chance for preparation, I was asked to “go longer” to make up the time difference on the schedule. (Pity the audience.) As best I could, I mentally lengthened my presentation and launched in to it. With no warning, about 50% through the new time allocation, the MC publicly requested that I cut it short so we could have a longer break. I experienced “Speaker Nosebleed” – a presentation initially too short was suddenly too long. I can only suppose I was doing badly in my presentation. The results? We all looked bad.
- I was presenting a talk outside the U.S. to a packed room. With absolutely no warning, all the electrical power went off. Honestly, the room was as dark as a tomb. It was pitch-black. I was afraid to move for fear of falling from the stage. At last, someone found a door and let in some outside light. I was told that “I could finish up.” What could I say in a room of 200 people enshrouded in dim light that they wanted to hear? I chose to say, “Thanks for having me here today. Goodbye.” That seemed to be the right thing to say.
- In the old days, projector bulbs were notorious for dying at the worst possible time. “No, we don’t have another projector bulb. Do you really need your slides?” I suppose I should have done the old, “Thanks for having me here today” routine. Instead, I always tried to carry on, but I felt that I slowly died before the group. Now, more often than not, the problem is computer compatibility with the video projector.
Speakers can be an organizational pain, but helping them look good in front of the audience helps provide a positive meeting atmosphere.
Organizers.
I don’t particularly want to try to outline Little Jim Tew’s Easy Guide to a Perfect Bee Meeting. I don’t feel qualified for such a task, but below, I have presented some broad suggestions for organizers.
Time
The true gift of a good meeting organizer is one who starts the meeting on time, stays on time and ends on time – all without appearing to be a schedule brute. Speakers that drone on and on can make a meeting organizer digest his/her stomach. How you politely word, “You’re done!” can be the good organizer’s challenge.
Sight and sound
The attendees must be able to hear the speakers and see the graphics. No PA systems or inadequate systems, auditorium echoes, small projection screens, and people who stand at the back of the room and chat are all reasons that even the most prepared speaker has trouble succeeding.
Everything else is nuts and bolts
Meeting facilities, directions to the meeting site, promoting the meeting, restrooms, lunch, and light switch locations are some of the picayune organizational nuts and bolts that can improve a meeting.
Participants.
Without participants, there is no reason for a meeting; therefore, participants must be cut some slack. Other than listening to the presentations, participants may be coughing, coming/going during the presentation, challenging the speaker, and sleeping during presentations are common participant activities. Though such activities may occasionally be distracting to the presenter and disconcerting to the organizer, they are common attendee behaviors and should be expected. As it were, “the customer is always right.” High levels of such behaviors are indicators of a meeting that is not going as well as it could.
Where is this discussion going?
If my purpose is not to attempt an outline for the perfect meeting, what am I trying to do here? This thought is what I’m aiming at. A successful meeting supports beekeepers and maintains relationships. Good meetings generate loyal beekeepers.
One of my points…
Meeting organizers are sometimes disappointed at the turnout and with the success of the meeting. There will be the usual comments about how much advertising was done; how much preparation went into the development of the meeting; reference to the high-quality speakers will be made; and myriad reasons why beekeepers chose to do something other than go to a bee meeting will be discussed.
Why do I anticipate this reaction? Because it is such a common outcome. It appears to be a trend across U.S. society that people don’t attend meetings the way they (apparently) once did. I don’t know why, but it’s not just beekeeping. I don’t even know for sure that it is bad to have a smaller group in attendance, but not so small that group dynamics are lost.
Yet another point…
The donuts were late getting here. The keynote speaker is jammed in traffic. The computer program is not loading. There’re still lots of people in the registration line. The mayor of the city is on the way to give the welcoming address. I could never list all the unexpected things that can jam a meeting.
My second analogy – once the meeting starts, it’s like a tree in a storm. The tree must bend and flex, giving to the storm pressures, but the tree must endure and after the storm passes, still be standing. Things, both big and small, will go wrong in most meetings – guaranteed. It is impossible to anticipate every glitch. How organizers and speakers adapt to problems goes a long way in determining how the participants evaluate the meeting’s outcome.
A success story (so far)…
I hope I am not telling too many tales here, but I would like to describe a successful meeting, with which I had many years’ experiences. This group has faced all the challenges I described above. The Tri-County Beekeepers’ Association (TCBA) Annual Workshop is held the first weekend of March every year at Ohio State University, Wooster, Ohio. While this may sound like an advertisement for the meeting, I don’t mean for that to be the reason for this discussion. Last March, there were a few more than 700 participants at the one-day workshop, making it a large, local beekeeping meeting.
The workshop organizers are frequently asked for the secret to attracting and conducting such a large meeting. If there is a secret, it is not obvious to me. A remarkably small number of club organizers arrange for the speakers, meals, facilities, and topics. On the day of the meeting, club volunteers coalesce into an experienced team and cooperate to conduct this bee training session. It appears to me that the foundation pillars for this successful meeting are:
- Always held the same time – 1st weekend in March.
- Always held at the same place (Ohio State University, Wooster, Ohio).
- One day long (9:00 am – 3:00 pm).
- One or two nationally known speakers addressing practical topics with many other specialized speakers covering other topics.
- Lunch provided for about 60%
of the attendees. - Economically priced.
- Extensive commercial exhibits.
- 2-tier educational system (extensive elementary and advanced topics).
- No business meeting of any kind.
- Comfortable meeting facility with a tested computerized pre-registration procedure.
If you can see secrets in the list above, please point them out to me. A second Ohio group, The Southwest Ohio Beekeeping Workshop meets the following weekend near Cincinnati and is similarly successful. But this group has not had the opportunity to meet at the same place each year. That meeting averages 300-400 participants – a very respectable turnout.
It has taken time.
The attendance at these meetings did not develop overnight but has literally taken decades to get to this point. During those years, the groups have had lunch not show up on time, speakers do not show up at all, late Winter blizzards, and the requisite temperamental PA systems. But on the positive side, they have successfully conducted thousands of hours of beekeeping training on every common bee topic.
Summary.
Organizational meeting experience is not easy to acquire. Good meetings don’t just happen. Meetings have personalities and moods that can’t be readily manipulated. As usual, in all beekeeping endeavors, good luck is always helpful.
An enjoyable meeting makes good memories and fosters successful
beekeeping. It’s an opportunity to socialize and to interact with longtime friends. In my reflective stage, I truly enjoy visiting with longtime friends and making new acquaintances. Thank you for reading through this piece.
Dr. James E. Tew
Emeritus Faculty, Entomology
The Ohio State University
tewbee2@gmail.com
Host, Honey
Bee Obscura Podcast
www.honeybeeobscura.com
