Reflection on Academic Seminars and Conferences

I have had an ''event''ful year so far including being invited to speak in 5 academic seminars and two more coming up in the next 10 days. 

Some observations - 

1. Academics have become event managers in many institutions thanks to the corrupt rating system that gives them extra points 
2. Ridiculous rules on what constitutes ''international'' or ''national'' seminar or conference - if there is 1 person joining from another time zone, even if it is Sri Lanka, it becomes a ''international'' conference, if two people from neighbouring states join it becomes ''national''. Preference seems to be to do more international conferences / seminars.
3. Absurd titles as academics with no understanding of the subject add every popular term to the title of the seminar. Sometimes it seems like they just concatenate the perceived expertise of all the speakers to come up with a random key words title, often incoherent
4.  Students often are given the task of coordinating the logistics of the event rather than participate or interact with the invited speakers / resource persons. So, I have found more fancily dressed students in the reception / lobby region of the seminar hall than the students who actually listen or benefit from any of the sessions. 
5. Students are also asked to ''introduce'' the speakers - most of them are reading out whatever is sent as a speaker introduction by the speakers themselves. Last couple of years, I have started to send to colleges and universities a 1 - para note after a series of disastrous introductions, but even that does not prevent new challenges. Because the faculty do not read about the Speakers themselves, the students are reading the names and designations for the first time in the stage, sometime getting it wrong, embarrassing themselves, the institution and the speaker as well. I have had my company name mis-pronounced, my name mispronounced, ''overworking'' students picking random facts they find online about me and random photos and put them together and more recently, confidently reading the profile found online of another faculty with the same name as me. 
   
   The most impactful sessions for me have been over chai and coffee on the sidelines of the main event; interacting with students and even the organizing academics. It is unfortunate that the academics don't seem to learn and insist on podiums and auditoriums that really doesn't make sense any longer if one were to interact with the younger generation.

The pic is from the informal chai gathering in Gujarat Vidyapith canteen last week with the academics, young researchers and students. We had an insightful conversation during this dialogue that happened at the end of the two day seminar.