Right now, I have a bunch of ideas floating in my writing list from this conference. New tools, new insights, new ideas for programs or approaches that could be useful back home in Saskatoon. I think I could write up one of those topics each week between now and the end of the year and perhaps get through them all, though I still have a half-day left to add to that list.
I’m not going into any of those takeaways right now, because one thing keeps coming up in my mind: the importance of connections at this conference. Over the past few days, the laws of probability have been strained around how often I’d run into colleagues and friends, including one person who (we managed to figure out) I had met at a conference 8 years ago. I’ve had conversations with people from around the world and even ran into a few non-Canadians who know where Saskatoon is. I’ve had the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by other independent consultants, and hopefully provide them with some ideas in return. And last but not least, I’ve had the opportunity to laugh and share some inside evaluator humour, including through the magic of Chris Lysy’s cartooning.
Cartoon brain trust grew, then everyone left me #eval15 @ecgrim pic.twitter.com/P6S5e6xGmR
— Chris Lysy (@clysy) November 13, 2015
Over the coming days, I hope to produce a more content-focused roundup of the conference, but in the meantime, to everyone I’ve had the chance to discuss and learn from and share with, thank you.