FAM 11: stepping into the breach
Recent funding cuts mean that the annual FAM event organised by JISC is no longer viable. It is a shame to see such a popular and informative event about UK Federated Access Management go by the wayside so we at Eduserv have volunteered to organise and fund it.
Clearly we are new to organising an event like this (although our annual Symposium has proved very popular) and we are aware that as the provider of OpenAthens we are viewed as a vendor rather than an independent. Eduserv has been an active contributor to the UK Federation and the UK Access Management space since its launch though and we hope to show that we can provide a balanced and useful event.
There will be a few changes I’m afraid – previously it was a 2-day event with travel and accommodation paid for. Being a self-funding not-for-profit, our budget can’t stretch that far. By making it a 1-day free-to-attend conference, delegates can continue to benefit from a wide range of FAM related content and will only have to cover the cost of their travel.
FAM09 and FAM10 were both held in Cardiff so we thought it was time for a change of venue. We plan to hold FAM11 in London (on 9th November) and will then look at alternative locations for future events (assuming we get enough interest to justify future events!).
I hope that the lack of overnight accommodation and the evening social opportunities that go with that doesn’t dampen the camaraderie too much – we’ll try to ensure plenty of networking time without compromising on the programme content.
On the subject of content, we currently have a call out for speakers. We’d also like to hear ideas on what you’d like to learn about at FAM11. Do get in touch (or leave a comment) to tell us the topics that would be of most interest and we’ll do our best to find engaging speakers in those areas.
Please do let us have any comments, suggestions or information that you think might be helpful in making the event a success. And do please come along to FAM11 and get involved. Watch this space for more info on the programme later in the Summer.
