PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK
Saturday, April 1, 2023 | Music City Center, Nashville, Tennessee
Participant
Feedback
What, if anything, could we do to improve your conference experience?
Increase breakout sessions blocks during day so an individual can attend more of them. There were 2 or 3 I would have liked to attend, but they were during the same time as others.
Great Fellowship
streamline breakout sessions
The 3 minutes for mayoral candidates for each answer was perhaps a bit long.
Be more inclusive with topics- ensuring everyone understands the material being presented and that it is relevant to what is currently going on.
Not sure right now.
There are so many mayoral candidates. It would have been nice if they answered in 1 minute or less so the debate moved a long a little faster.
Keep having topics neighbors care about.
Let us hear from more citizens, and not just leaders
This was my first seminar and I don't have any experience. On any thing to compare.
Offer a "speed dating" type of event where participants can talk to others at the conference. Can be with other participants, presenters, N2N representatives.
Is there an opportunity to view other session recordings? I'd have loved to attend all the sessions. :-)
Make sure there are subject matter experts that can speak on the subject
I would like to have had more different sessions.
The election year brought added opportunity. Mayoral forum way too long
Add new community/neighborhood interests topic(s).
For me, I requested gluten free-dairy free lunch, and I got lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. I was starving a couple of hours later.
excellent experience!!! I think everything was perfect!!!
Digital copies of presentations
minor things like make better nametags that can be seen. If you must (for financial reasons or other reasons) use the hanging type, please put the same card so it will be shown on the back side when the nametag gets turned around which is inevitable. I did talk with some who I wanted to know their name but the nametag was in their lap if sitting down and were turned backward if I could actually see them. It would be nice to have the magnetized nametags with only the name without a "busy" background. Some people know me whom I do not know and I had to admit to them I didn't remember their name. That is a little embarrassing.
It was a great conference. This was my first conference.
More time for Q and A in sessions.
Sweet tea at lunch.
Have more participant involvement (input) during the classes.
It was one of the best I've attended
I would like to see a different set of session topics, i.e. neighborhood health, civic engagement, environmental injustice
It was perfect and I look forward to future events.
It was hard to select which sessions to attend. They were all interesting.
It is frustrating having great topics happening at the same time. Would it be possible to video them all and make the videos available to participants?
more vendors and opportunities for patrons to still receive more value even if they do not attend breakout sessions.
I was impressed with the variety of the break-out subjects.
I thought it was great.
Don’t start so early
The mayoral forum should be earlier so more of us can attend.
Also, it would be nice to have more opportunities to talk to and meet other attendees.
The primary (really only) change I suggest making is to the mayoral forum. The forum itself was a great idea and executed well - aside from the length. With so many candidates, the length of time given to answer questions was too extensive. It should have been 1 - 2 minutes per question per candidate, max.
N/A Enjoyed the experiences
No improvement opportunity noted.
It was fantastic from top to bottom. No changes needed.
I would like to be consulted on all political aspects of the event.
Can’t think of anything
I thought the two sessions I attended were light on education and content. Would have liked to hear more details about how to 'green' neighborhoods. Instead heard from Waste Management, which was good, and a neighborhood activist, which was interesting, but hard to glean real take aways that I could apply to my neighborhood. I couldn't tell if the session was about gardening, or helping to increase the 'greenness' of the neighborhood. Everyone seemed knowledgeable, but the content was really light.
better vegetarian option for lunch ;)
I wish I could have attended more sessions
More from Dr. Bucy!
A venue which isn't as large and labyrinthine as the Music City Center.
More time for feedback from attendees during the breakout sessions - ran out of time to submit my feedback in the Affordable Housing session
Mayoral Forum should have been at the beginning or during lunch. Audience questions during sessions should have been timed.
There was significant confusion regarding the location of the breakout sessions. It might be helpful if you could print the room numbers, for the sessions you chose, on the back of the credentials.
Make it easier to get to more than two sessions. Maybe an all day format with at least three sessions instead of two. Maybe even four, since you have lunch anyway. People could chose to do half day or all day.
Have small water 💦 bottles to carry around with you
The sessions could be more interactive. The infrastructure session didn't have time in the middle for questions so I just kind of tuned out. The question time was dominated by one lady who went on an incoherent rant. I understand it's tough to cut ppl off but it took away from the experience and less ppl got to ask questions bc she spoke for so long.
Shorter sessions, so participants can cover more topics
Have Time for one more breakout session!
I think more time for questions from the audience in the panel sessions would be helpful so we could learn who are neighbors are and how they deal with different issues.
Part 1 and Part 2. Some subjects for beginners Part 1 and same some subjects for experienced participants.
NO response
What, if any, other comments or suggestions would you like to share?
Too little time for questions and answers at breakout sessions
Less sessions at one time and focus on making them great
Expand the Awards Luncheon to include more categories- honor and recognize Neighborhood Groups for outstanding achievements.
None.
I totally enjoyed the conference.
There was no differentiation between urgency - transit was spoken with in the same breath as flooding - which is life-threatening. Same old tired talking points, promises with zero accountability.
Provide more time for attendees to share ideas/problem solve in small groups. There was definitely great information shared by panelist and facilitators but we didn't have much time to interact and learn from each other
Access to Metro leaders.
Would developers agree to come and be part of a panel?
I greatly enjoyed this event and how within range everyone was to someone of importance in the city. We could ask leaders direct questions and receive feedback on our responses.
Submit questions in advance to panel.
The salads for lunch were good
We need more opportunity for neighborhood leaders from different areas to be able to talk with each other. An example would be a moderator for a discussion on how the Planning Commission should be better serving the needs of the county and what the other leaders are doing to make that happen in their area. (Speakers from the Planning Dept. need to be there ONLY to answer questions from leaders.)
Attendance was really high because the scheduling made it possible to participate 100% and still have part of Saturday for errands, garden, housework etc. Don't make this conference longer. You showed how to have a full, interesting, and fun agenda in less than a day. (I couldn't have done more more content). Neighborhood leaders are BUSY! I went only because I knew I could leave without guilt in the early afternoon.
As is true at every conference, connecting with others in good conversation is always the best part and figuring out ways to build that in further would be great.
It was an excellent conference.
Great job to Jim, Hwesi, and all!
One of my breakout groups was quite weak and off topic. I'd like to see more vetting or guidance for the panelists . Same happened last year.
The food was excellent
Give at least two options on Question 8. Sharon Hurt 2. Matt Wiltshire
None at present
None
Shorter break outs with in-depth content, handouts or PP available via QR code after session ended.
Any political forum will need shortening but enough time for a deep discussion.
Having a contact list for the speakers for follow-up
Consider a piece on how Metro Council works. Basics such as a resolution vs. a bill, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Readings, Public Hearings, Public Comment, role of the vice mayor, etc.
While I think that everyone at the conference wanted it to be as inclusive as possible, some language used to talk about renters was not inclusive at all. "Renters don't want to be involved." "Renters don't care." "Young people don't care." etc. Young people and renters alike have a lot to offer the community, if people welcome them and their feedback.
Do sessions 45 minutes so you can go to several
For me this event is all about networking with the ppl who show up. And much less about what I learn. More time for questions, less time for presentations just talking AT US. Most ppl who attend are experts already, we don't need to be patronized. More time for high level discussions with moderators keeping things on the rails.
I appreciated that the conference center meal and drink service was offered with reusable cups and plates. The additional single use items could be available for a fee or not at all in light of the goal of waste reduction
I thought everything was very well organized and the luncheon was informative and delicious. I know how hard it is to organize the big conferences so for the money, it was very well done and accessible.
I checked a candidate for mayor, but I am still unsure who I would vote for.
None
What topics and/or speakers would you like us to include in future events?
The mayor and state leaders
Planning and zoning, speakers of NOGs about environmental issues facing the city
Zoning/speeding/codes
Navigating neighborhood scale social media like NextDoor, Facebook, etc
Community and Economic Development What does a healthy community look like and what should we be advocating for?
Rebuilding Nashville’s Civic Infrastructure
The Important Role Schools and Universities play in our Communities
Roundtable for Neighborhood Leaders of adjacent neighborhoods
How to Raise Money for your Neighborhood Association
Community Asset-Based Strategic Planning for Neighborhoods
A nationally recognized Opening Session or Luncheon speaker
Metro’s new Mayor and new Director of Neighborhoods
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Erin Williams, Director, hubNashville
OEM Director
Health Updates & Safety/Police Updates
People representing marginalized communities
How to reach out to government leadership
I think candidates running should attend but not to speak, actively listen to attendees.
Environmental concerns in Nashville as a whole, and no waste Nashville.
More of the same. Emphasis on development, affordable housing and neighborhood leaders
Definitely transit, affordable housing and sustainable again. New ones can be leading roles one can serve in their community and funding projects available to leaders
Caring for love ones (seniors) in a modern environment and the struggles of post covid ( such as access limitations and medical challenges). Is it possible to remain at "home" or age in place? What organic entity can assist?
You all did a great job finding knowledgeable speakers and panelists.
Bringing new diversity
Maybe more on placemaking
environmental considerations in building new developments in neighborhoods.
desperate need for transit by re-scheduling bus routes to go where people need to go
Need for senior housing
Need additional information on how to get neighbors involved.
More emphasis on multi-modal transportation, bus, bike and walking.
Maybe more about parks and public spaces.
Info on capital budgeting process for Metro.
Walk Audits
Volunteer Transportation programs
Citizens or activists who are finding ways to address climate change at the neighborhood level, that are not in the business of waste disposal.
neighborhood health
civic engagement
environmental injustice
Continue to invite candidates for elected positions.
Education
the issues covered will be relevant for a years to come
Healthcare
I would like to see more diversity among presenters. There are grassroots groups whose point of view could really inspire new ideas. Similarly, more intentional youth engagement, including presentations by youth, would create an environment to strengthen pipelines for some of the neighborhood associations.
RENEE BOBB
Could there be more information presented by local journalists and also local data scientists/coders/programmers that help people understand our community?
Public Safety: Chief Drake on the Citizen Police Academy
No topics/speaker recommendations at present.
More information about Nashville's budget and how much is being spent annually to service our city's debt.
Solutions to affordable housing crisis.
Can’t think of anything
advocacy!
also better understanding of how the state impacts neighborhoods. I feel like the content this year covered a lot of great topics on the local level, but so many of those issues also run into challenges on the state level.
also, accessibility - it came up a little bit in the sidewalks discussion, but the challenges and opportunities of our Nashville's disability community would be really valuable to hear about.
also if there are topics in the future about specific communities (i.e. people experiencing homelessness) it would be great to have folks with lived experience on the panel/in the conversation.
Environmental Justice
I'd be interested in " over-policing of racial minorities."
Use of information systems and data sources
More non-profit partners
Metro partners
It would be nice to have some opportunities for more advanced information and discussion. More than just topics 101.
More on State impact on Metro. Preemption, etc.
A council member from each neighborhood
National Speaker from Transportation, Econ Development, United Nations, etc
Speakers are top notch! Keep it up!
More council members on panels
More people from planning and utilities to understand their plans, visions and struggles with the infrastructure
Topics on Senior Issues and Legacy Planning.
How to set up a youth board
teach civic training 101 community targeted to that audience and give college credit for attending.
Who is responsible for what in Metro? How do they allocate the budget and where do citizens participate. Metro is very confusing and from this conference, seemingly doesn’t align its resources well for planning purposes. How can we better advocate? Also, how does Metro work with the state for planning/budgeting and the federal government?
More solutions to problems in real working sessions.
No response
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