Survey Results from the 2014 AAOM Conference

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The survey statistics for the  2014 Conference feedback survey are available here

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1. Please rate your  overall satisfaction with the conference facility (Hilton Airport) and hospitality (meals and breaks)?

The overall response was very positive. The kitchen’s proximity to the banquet room did create some interruptions however the food along with the service received very good comments.

 

The conference being held in the City received favorable responses from those living in the rural areas. A common comment was, along with the educational opportunity it afforded us time to visit with family and friends and shop. The location worked well for members and the out of town guest.

 

 

2. Please rate your overall satisfaction with the conference value and price?

The over whelming response was good to very good.

 

3.  Overall, did the schedule allow appropriate time for presentation, questions and breaks?

Scheduling Presentations and Overall Flow

The first morning of the conference had more down time than anticipated as a result of the short AGM meeting. It was anticipated the AGM would be approximately an hour. The quick meeting afforded the members the opportunity to network and mingle with others. In the past, the association has not allotted enough time for issues to be discussed with adequate time for questioning. The executive is attempting to create a balance.

The speakers are all a time frame for their presentations. The speakers are asked to prepare their material and provide time for a question & answer period.

The Mock Board hearing was very well received and enjoyed by most of the membership.

 

 

 4. Overall, were the educational objectives made clear and were they achieved?

The over whelming response was good to very good. Members stated they appreciated the variety of speaker topics. The motive of the executive is to create a balance of topics that enhance the learning experience for both the urban and rural assessors.

 

 

5.  Overall, were the presenters organized, knowledgeable and did they encourage questions or interactions?

The overall response was very good however some cited lack of content and too complex. There were also comments that the time frame for a presentation was too short. The speakers provide an overview of their content beforehand. The executive will in the future endure to review presenter’s material closer as time permits.

For those interested the option is available to all to attain more information by speaking directly to the presenter as time permits or arranging an exchange of emails for further information.

 

 

6.  Overall, were the presentations balanced and relevant to assessment?

While the comments were positive the challenge for the executive is to secure speakers and topics that are relevant to our profession on a cost effective basis. There are times when topics are not directly related to our profession but do provide knowledge and educational value to the membership.

Comments surfaced regarding future topics. There was a suggestion to have a speaker do valuations on seasonal properties such as cabins. We will explore that idea. Previous years speakers have focused on agriculture related issues, costing methods including Marshall and Swift as well as financial topics.

 

 

7.  Rate how the individual symposium presentations met your expectations?

There was a greater than 50% response that the symposiums were better than average whereas less than 5% reported a less than average response to what they expected.

The AGM went surprising fast, much quicker than the executive anticipated. In previous years, the time scheduled for the AGM meeting was not enough leaving members frustrated. For any specific questions, concerns or clarification that members may have, this is the open forum time to address them at the conference. The executive is also available to address concerns throughout the year and as well as privately when requested or required.

The speakers received favorable responses for the most part. The Mock Tribunal received the most favorable overall comments for its content and humor. Of the other speakers at the conference, some responses were highly favorable where as others were reported to be marginal.

 

 

8. Supplementary material (handouts, UBC student manual) was provided as a learning resource. Overall, were these materials useful and informative?

Most members were in favor of the handout material and will them as reference material.

 

9. This year, the evening banquet was not scheduled (due to poor attendance in the past) Do you have any thoughts for the future?

The attendance for the evening banquet has continued to decrease over the past few years. The cost of holding this evening has increased based on the lower number of attendees thus leaving the association in the red for this evening.

There were mixed reviews submitted about the elimination of the banquet evening this year. There were people happy about it not being held, others found the hospitality room a good way to socialize and network, while others really wanted that evening.

There were also suggestions to book a room in a restaurant and open it up for anyone to attend.

The executive will be discussing options to incorporate the suggestions received for the 2015 Annual Assessing Association Conference.

 

10. A golf tournament was not scheduled this year, due to poor past attendance. Would you like to attend golf event this year?

In 2013, the association held a golf event at the end of June with a 12 participating. The survey indicated that 6 members would be interested in summer golf, 9 fall golf and 27 either did not respond or were not at all interested.

A tournament was not scheduled this year because people did not want to golf this cool spring.

As a result of workloads, the best time to schedule the conference is late April or early May. When scheduling a conference date, all operational concerns of both the City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba along with sister association planned conference times must be considered. Thus, it has been determined that late April early May work well for conference scheduling.

The association would still like to have a golfing event and/or will consider events that would provide networking opportunities in the future.

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