Being in the same situation of trying to find a good tool for my own organization, we recently tried out the free and french made SciencesConf:
https://www.sciencesconf.org/?lang=en
The interface is available in English, but has some small cultural quirks like lastname being before firstname on forms, etc.
For our purpose the system was a bit too complex and rigorous in its work flow. One such annoyance was the signup process: Creating an account was separate from registering for a conference. This left some users mystified.
As with all conference tools we've tried, building the public facing website is much more difficult tedious and laboursome than what you would expect from modern day publishing platforms such as WordPress, Squarespace etc.
So for our next conference we'll be going the route of setting up the website in Squarespace and then deciding on which system to use for the registration and management process later.
- Bernd.
Nordic Institute of Asian Studies.
-----Original Message-----
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alex Armstrong
Sent: 20. januar 2017 14:16
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Conference management tool for a small event
Ooh, Sheetsee looks nice :)
I’m waiting to hear back from the EasyChair folks — though it doesn’t seem open source: http://easychair.org/licenses.cgi
Alex
On 19 January 2017 at 20:31:34, [log in to unmask] ([log in to unmask]) wrote:
Similar to Chad's suggestion is Sheetsee.js <https://github.com/jlord/sheetsee.js> as it's a front end for managing a Google Doc on the backend:
*Sheetsee.js <https://github.com/jlord/sheetsee.js> is a client-side
> library for connecting Google Spreadsheets to a website and
> visualizing the information in tables, maps and charts.*
EasyChair definitely looks like the most comprehensive of the open source options that I've seen.
Cheers!
On Thu, Jan 19, 2017 at 7:43 AM, Alex Armstrong <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> Thank you all for the suggestions.
>
> I’ll reply collectively:
>
> - Everyone who’s suggested Open Conference System has prefaced their
> suggestion by telling me they haven’t used it :) It’s not quite dead,
> but it doesn’t look to be healthy, either.
> - Tabletop looks really interesting. I don’t think I’ll use it for
> this purpose, but it’s a good option for others duct-taped situations.
> - I wasn’t aware of EasyChair. It looks interesting and not too
> expensive for our size. (The free version doesn’t allow custom fields
> in the submission form, which automatically discounts it.)
> - I was just looking at ConfTool earlier today. I’ve used it as
> front-end user (registrant), and I can’t say I was impressed. The free
> version is also is missing custom fields. They don’t need make pricing
> available for the full-featured system which seems so old-fashioned.
>
> Alex
>
>
> On 19 January 2017 at 06:09:08, Kevin Hawkins (kevin.s.hawkins@
> ultraslavonic.info) wrote:
>
> Another affordable option is ConfTool ( http://www.conftool.net/ ).
> You can get a free license with basic features but without tech
> support for small events, or you can pay for a hosted version of
> ConfTool Pro. It can handle submissions, peer review, registration, and such.
>
> On 1/18/17 2:22 PM, Peter McKinney wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > we've used EasyChair [http://easychair.org/]. You can set up review
> forms and it collates the scores for them. It has some weaknesses like
> all things, but there is a free version.
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Pete
> >
> > Peter McKinney | Digital Preservation Policy Analyst | Information
> > and
> Knowledge Services
> > National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa Direct
> > Dial: +64 4 462 3931 | Extn: 3931 Cnr Molesworth and Aitken Streets
> > | PO Box 1467, Wellington 6140 |
> > http://digitalpreservation.natlib.govt.nz/
> >
> > The National Library is part of the Department of Internal Affairs
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
> > Of
> Bigwood, David
> > Sent: Thursday, 19 January 2017 5:03 a.m.
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Conference management tool for a small event
> >
> > The Public Knowledge Project has an Open Conference Systems that
> > might
> work. I've never used it, but it might be worth a look.
> >
> > https://pkp.sfu.ca/ocs/
> >
> > David Bigwood
> > [log in to unmask]
> > Lunar and Planetary Institute
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Alex Armstrong
> > Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2017 9:48 AM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: [CODE4LIB] Conference management tool for a small event
> >
> > Hello,
> >
> > (Cross-posted on the ICOCL list as well.)
> >
> > I'm looking for a tool that can help my academic library consortium
> manage a small (just over 100 attendees, typically) onsite conference.
> >
> > We have customised our website's CMS to accommodate most user facing
> aspects, such as presenting program information.
> >
> > But our behind-the-scenes workflows are ductaped out of JotForm (our
> forms/surveys tool), Google Sheets, MailChimp, and CSV files. Those who
> propose sessions do so by filling in a form in JotForm. A team of eight
> reviews the submissions in a Google Sheet. We send out email notifications
> to proposers using MailChimp. Finally, we export the accepted proposals in
> CSV format and import them into the CMS to create the online schedule.
> >
> > Of all these pieces, the reviewing proposals component is the weakest
> piece. It's not a lot of fun reviewing 50-odd proposals in a spreadsheet,
> especially for some of the less techie members of the team. This is what
> we’re looking to optimize.
> >
> > So, I’m looking for something to help us. Web applications, workflows,
> whatever you've got.
> >
> > Alex
> >
> > --
> > Alex Armstrong
> > Web Developer & Digital Strategist, AMICAL Consortium
> [log in to unmask]
> >
>
--
Tod Robbins
Digital Asset Manager, MLIS
todrobbins.com | @todrobbins <http://www.twitter.com/#!/todrobbins>
|
