JALT Conference Special Article:
Interview with Conference Chair, Alan Mackenzie

Dave Magnusson

JALT Director of Public Relations

Dave Magnusson (DM): What's new at this year's conference? Who are the plenary speakers?

Alan Mackenzie (AM): This year we have several new features. First there is a cut price symposium called JALT Public to attract non-JALT members in the local area to the conference. Famous interpreter Masumi Muramatsu and Kay Hammond of International Christian University among others will be taking part. I see this as a user-friendly introduction to the conference appealing to teachers at the high-school level and below. Participants will receive a 2000-yen off voucher for the conference and a block schedule, as well as promotional items from our Associate Members.

Secondly, we have two high-profile symposia on Current Developments in English Language Education in Japan, on Sunday morning and afternoon, featuring a number of well known Japanese speakers, including Kensaku Yoshida and the president of JACET, Yoji Tanabe. These join our two other notable symposia: The Ambassadors' Roundtable—sponsored by the Other Language Educators (OLE) SIG—and Current Developments in English Language Education Around the World, featuring our international guests and affiliate representatives.

As a vegetarian, I am very much looking forward to the International Food Fair which will run throughout the conference and will be open to the public. Generally, I think the food provision at JALT conferences (and specifically veggie food!) in the past has been wanting. We are confident that the Food Fair will ensure that everyone is well cared for. Finally, I look forward to the President's Reception on Friday night. By then most of the panicking will be over, signs will be in place and we will have time to kick back and enjoy the company of our numerous featured speakers, as well as the plenary speakers, Jack Richards, Dave Willis, and Simon Greenall, our international affiliate representatives, and anyone who registers on site in time to participate.

DM: What do you like about your job as Conference Chair?

AM: I like the feeling at 6pm on the day the conference finishes! Seriously, though, I see putting on the conference as something like organising a big dinner party. It is a chance to get old and new friends together and to engage in intelligent conversations with people of like minds on topics of mutual interest. No matter what the time, there is always something of interest happening.

There might be minor disagreements, but nothing beats the sense of community and the intellectual workout you get at the JALT National Conference. The excitement and fulfillment of making an event like this happen is hard to beat.

DM: How are conference preparations coming along?

AM: Everything is coming together nicely. The schedule is pretty much set and the major components of the conference are all confirmed. There are of course, things that only occur to us once the process is under way and things pop up or fall through at the last minute. However, considering this conference team was thrown in at the deep end last June, and we had not been through the initial stages of conference organisation before, I think we are doing pretty well. Naturally, we could always proofread more, but for that we need more volunteers!

DM: Do you have any "hot tips" on how members can enjoy the conference?

AM: Sure. Here are my top ten:

1. Since rooms are themed by SIG, find the SIGs that you are most interested in and focus on them. Prioritise them over the other rooms. Find a SIG you like and join it!
2. Get to know the people going to the same presentations as you. They are friends and possible future collaborators.
3. Don't try to see too much. Pace yourself. You don't need to see everything. In fact you can't! So relax and make sure you choose presentations you are really interested in.
4. Try not to go to presentations that are likely to tell you nothing new. This is a sure-fire way to get bored and frustrated. Stretch yourself instead.
5. Don't be afraid to get up and leave a presentation if it is not what you expected, However, don't jump about too much as you may miss the interesting parts of the presentation. (If you do leave a room, please do so quietly and do not disturb others in the room.)
6. Attend the plenary sessions. They are often the most interesting parts of the conference.
7. Make sure you visit the Educational Materials Expo. Even if you are not in need of new textbooks, there is so much more there, from free newspapers and financial advice to academic texts and free computers.
8. Sign up for a Featured Speaker Workshop. They cost more, but are widely reputed to be the most worthwhile sessions of the conference.
9. Talk to the presenters after the presentations. If you liked the presentation tell them. If you have questions, ask them. If they are busy at that time, make a point of talking to them later. Presenters love feedback and like to know what the audience was thinking, Make sure you tell them.
10. Collect contact information. You are likely to think of many more questions after the conference is over and it is so easy to ask presenters or co-participants questions after the event.

DM: Can you tell us about the workshops. Who are they for? What kind of topics?

AM: The Featured Speaker Workshops are longer than other workshops in the conference and happen during a quieter period of the program. They give participants a chance to meet big-name presenters in a smaller group setting than usual and devote time to one major topic for in-depth examination and discussion. They do cost a little bit more, but they are always popular. It is best to book early to avoid disappointment.

DM: Is there anything special you would like visitors to know about this year's conference?

AM: At the risk of boring everyone, I am going to keep repeating that the conference is run solely on volunteer efforts and we need all the volunteers we can get. Considering that nobody on the conference organising team gets paid, and very few claim expenses, they manage to put on a great event with a minimum of glitches while maintaining full work schedules and families. We do this because we think JALT is a valuable organisation that many people in the past have worked very hard to maintain. Without the conference, JALT as we know it cannot exist. Without JALT community efforts, the conference cannot exist. If you can spare the time, please contact volunteers@jalt.org and give us an hour or two here and there, or even better, a whole day!

DM: How many visitors are you expecting?

AM: Last year we had 1500. Since we are doing a lot of publicity this year especially outside of JALT, we are hoping to bring in closer to 2000. If we get more, we will be very happy.

DM: What kind of services are there at the conference?

AM: The Job Information Center (JIC) and the Handout Order Center (HOC) are both valuable services for conference goers. The JIC collects CV's for their Resume Bank and posts job openings at the conference. Some employers actually interview on site. The HOC can supply you with electronic or paper copies of any handouts they have received from presenters. This is great if you want to scan through the presentations after the conference to see what you missed that might have been interesting.

DM: Can people pay at the door?

AM: Yes, sure, but it is more expensive that way.

DM: How can one get an application?

AM: Look in the July Language Teacher for information and registration forms. Or visit the JALT2003 conference website at jalt.org/jalt2003.

DM: Thanks, Alan, for your time.

AM: See you at JALT2003!