We've been keeping the folks who've registered for Inkshed 25 updated, but wanted to wait till we were clearer about our options to post information more generally. Thanks for asking, Doug.
> I have heard a rumour that Inkshed 25 was to be canceled owing to
> low turnout, but I haven't been able to locate any official word on
> the subject. Russ, can you enlighten me?
Inkshed 25 was _almost_ canceled.
Whether it was because of the fact that the conference was scheduled for the long weekend, or its location, or the theme, or a failure to publicize it as aggressively or widely as we might, or the fact that people simply don't feel the need for face-to-face conferences as deeply as they once did, response to this conference was unprecedentedly low.
After our plea for confirmations on April 19, we had to face the fact that although we'd been hoping for 45-50 registrations, and had considered 30-35 a bottom limit, on our Decision day, the 23rd, we had just over 20, most of whom were on the program or were organizers, and the sort of conference we were working on was suddenly unworkable.
We seriously considered canceling, but after consultations, with the CASLL Board and among ourselves, we decided to downsize; we're currently dealing with the logistic consequences of that. We're now expecting a small, comfortable mini-conference, with substantially lower registration charges, which will include almost everyone who originally registered.
What this will mean for the future of the conference and the organization is obviously something we'll need to consider, both at the conference and, of course, more widely (on CASLL, I would expect). It's our impression that Inkshed conference registrations have been trending down for some time. We'd hoped to be able to reverse that, and didn't succeed.
-- Russ (for Anne and Roberta)
Inkshed 25
St. Thomas University
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