Drupal Association - The Future of DrupalCon

I didn't take any notes at the BoF, but here are my key take aways:

1. BoFs needs to be done even better. Proposed improvements include:
   • Allowing conference attendees to indicated topics of interest ("discussion requests") prior to the conference
   • Allowing BoFs to be proposed prior to the conference
   • Allowing BoFs to be added to individuals schedules
   • Provide voting mechanism to gage interest in BoFs and use this data for room identification
   • Determine rooms based on popularity to maximize efficient use of the space
   • "Suggested guidelines for BoF organisers" should be provided e.g.:
     • If you are presenting a formal session, you should provide a follow-up BoF for more in depth interaction.
     • Note-takers should be identified at the beginning of each BoF and the notes should be added as comments to the BoF nodes.
     • The format of the dicussion should adapt to the number of participants. For example, "an introductory round circle is a good idea for small groups 5-10 people but not for large groups. Similarly, if too many people show up, BoF organisers may want to change to a "breakout" format wherein the group breaks into smaller groups around sub-topics and then come back together for report backs. Ideally, the report backs would be done in the last 15 minutes, but if necessary, can simply done by the delegated note-takers in each of the sub-groups. Either way, it is useful to identify potential sub-topics ahead of time.
     • "Facilitation techniques" should be suggested, aimed at fostering respectful discussions and maximizing participation (e.g. Delegate somebody to manage speaking order, and encourage this person to prioritize individuals who haven't yet had an opportunity to express themselves.)
2. More guidance and transparency is needed with respect to how the community can assist the DA in the organisation of DrupalCons. The existing lack of guidance results in individual initiatives that do not fit with the needs of the DA and are therefore not well received. This creates a negative feedback loop.
3. Interest was expressed for more dedicated events possibly tacked on to one end of the conference the way the training's currently are. From "Drupal for Non-Profits" to wilder ideas such as a "Drupal Festival" (heavily social Drupal event with bands, camping, hiking, etc.), there is interest in events that are more focussed and outside of the current big-business focus.

Umm... that's all that comes to mind for now. I'd be curious to see how this compares to the notes taken by the official note-taker.