In reply to Andy Reeve:
> In-person only. We've decided against online because it's so hard to get right, and even when it works adequately it interferes with how the in person aspect runs. I appreciate that this will make it harder for some to attend but on balance I think it's the better option.
Despite having attended 2 Peak Area Meetings in the last 12 months by Zoom (when abroad), I think ‘in person only’ is the correct decision Andy.
The technology simply isn’t reliable enough and there seems to be zero support from the BMC Head Office, be it in the provision of suitable hardware and software, and/or the technical expertise to run it. Expecting the Chair to juggle fickle Zoom meeting technology at venues with flaky, unreliable wi-fi, whilst attempting to chair a live meeting just isn’t fair, in my opinion.
That you have attempted to satisfy these 2 audiences over recent meetings with your typical good humour, is admirable, but clearly not sustainable. You end up with a compromised experience for all, because trying to make dodgy remote meeting technology work during the course of a live, in person meeting, can be just as frustrating for those in the meeting as it is for those struggling to hear what’s being said from their remote locations.
If the BMC considers that providing a Zoom-based remote access alternative for attending in person Local Area Meetings is desirable, then it needs to fund the physical technology and provide the expertise (either by sending technicians, or providing training for local volunteers – not the Chair) to make it happen. And the chances of that happening with the current budgetary issues (or indeed in the recent climate where it has felt like the importance of Local Area Meetings has significantly compromised), is precisely zero.
On the meeting timing, I am another one for whom Friday meetings are problematic. And my OH has a long standing commitment on Friday evenings, so she is going to struggle to attend. I don’t know where the change to Fridays came from, or was discussed – perhaps it was during a part of the meeting where the wi-fi dropped out? – and I appreciate that you can’t please all of the people all of the time, but I wonder if it worth conducting a poll on this, just so you can be certain you are going with what the majority want?
Neil