24th February 2012, 07:29 PM
(This post was last modified: 24th February 2012, 07:32 PM by tom wilson.)
Potcho Wrote:...It does seems as though I have been a touch naive/ignorant as to who the IfA truly are, who they truly represent and what they actually do (if anything).
There is a significant minority of frequently-posting BAJRites who are totally entrenched in their negative views of the IfA. They do not speak for all by any means, either on this forum or in the industry as a whole (I reckon IfA have ~2500 paying members, compared to ~5-6000 professionals: not bad considering a lot of the non-payers will be sympathisers). That's a topic for another thread though.
I won't be going to the conference this year, I don't think. I can't really spare the time. If I needed to talk to lots of archaeologists (e.g. as prospective employers, collaborators, or people with skills I need to learn*) I probably would though. There will also be lots of interesting discussions about the direction the industry is headed, which might or might not be very similar to discussions last year or the year before that, but if you weren't there those years then that might be sufficient reason for going. Thirdly, the EGM presents an opportunity for anyone with a bee in their bonnet to release it in a target-rich environment, and that must definitely be sufficient reason for some people to go.
*ETA: in case it reads that way, I'm not implying I have nothing to learn from anyone at the conference...just more pressing things to do.