We have received a very thoughtful complaint about yesterday’s message, so let me take a few minutes to address it and to answer other frequently asked questions on the 2011 SharpBrains Summit.
Complaint: “Why do people who procrastinate and sign up late warrant a special “perk” (referring to the “Integrative Neuroscience and Personalized Medicine” reference book we offered yesterday)? If that is the kind of business ethic you promote it almost makes me want to cancel my earlier registration.”
That is an excellent point, which we did take into account but did not communicate properly. The reason we felt it was fine to offer such a “perk” was because discounted early-bird rates had just expired. Assuming 20–30 people register to the Summit by end of today, this gives them (you!) a 33–50% chance at earning a perk worth $89 (because we offer 10 books), so that option represents the equivalent to $30–45, which is less than the discount early-birds received. We appreciate the commitment by every person who register to the Summit, and especially by those who do it early so we can plan things better. I apologize for having given the wrong impression. And hope a few more people register and participate in the Summit — perhaps motivated in part by the “perk”. The more we are, the merrier.
Question: will presentations be recorded and accessible after the event? I will be travelling part of the time, does it still make sense for me to participate? can I register only to attend a few sessions or is the Summit “a whole package”?
All presentations will be recorded and accessible to Summit registrants for 3 months after the Summit, so one can easily attend some sessions live and access the rest online afterwards. The other big benefit from the Summit is to connect with colleagues/ partners, which can be done during the whole year via our Summit-only group on LinkedIn, and via casual gatherings we want to facilitate after the Summit. The whole Summit is one package, including 3‑days of content and the community/ connections, so we don’t offer partial registrations.
Question: Where is the Summit located?
In your office/ home. There’s no need to travel anywhere. So far we have around 180 Summit participants, and each of them will participate from their respective locations, including the Speakers and Moderators.
Question: I get it, this is a virtual conference. But why do you organize it this way?
My personal answer is that this is the best way to bring together under one “roof” a true dream team of over 40 Speakers and a couple hundred professionals leading influential industry, research, clinical, entrepreneurial and policy initiatives in the US and abroad, and deepen the conversation around a critical opportunity. “SharpBrains” is anyone working hard to improve things.
The answer by Peter Reiner, Co-Founder of a Center for Neuroethics (so hopefully he’s more objective than I am), is this “…Even better, you don’t have to go anywhere!! This is a virtual conference, so all that you need is a computer (you need to be able to run Flash, but if you can watch YouTube videos, you are all set) to attend from the comfort of your own home or office. I attended the 2010 Summit, and it was remarkably effective – not only did it save travel expenses and time for me (not to mention that it was environmentally responsible), but it turned out that the virtual conference had an advantage over in-person conferences in one way. Most people have had the experience that some of the most valuable discussions at conferences occur not from the podium but in the hallway. The virtual conference software allows for hallway conversations, but the bulk of that conversation occurs as a public comment stream. Getting to hear what many people are saying in the ‘hallway’ is much better than hearing only one person, and if you like what they say, you can send them a note and continue your conversation as a private one.”
To Learn More and Register to 2011 SharpBrains Summit: Retooling Brain Health for the 21st Century, please click Here.
