Annual Membership Survey 2023

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What is your name?* This field is required.
First Name
Last Name
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What is your Email Address* This field is required.
example@example.com
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Which of the following would best describe you?* This field is required.
An Academic
A Practitioner
Both Academic & Practitioner
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Which of the following also describes you?* This field is required.
Student Member
Retired Member
None of the Above
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Which country are you based in?* This field is required.Please use your full-time permanent address
6
How many years have you been a member of BELMAS?* This field is required.If less than a year, please type 0
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How satisfied are you with the COST OF MEMBERSHIP against the benefits received?* This field is required.
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
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Please provide details why you selected your previous answerThis is helpful, but not compulsory. Remember to be critical but fair.
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How satisfied are you with the work of the BELMAS OFFICE TEAM?* This field is required.This is the permanent team of Ryan, Nicola and Kelly.
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
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Please provide details why you selected your previous answerThis is helpful, but not compulsory. Remember to be critical but fair.
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How satisfied are you with the work of the BELMAS BOARD OF TRUSTEES (COUNCIL)?* This field is required.This is the elected members of the Board including the Chair and Vice-Chairs.
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
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Please provide details why you selected your previous answerThis is helpful, but not compulsory. Remember to be critical but fair.
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How satisfied are you with the BELMAS JOURNALS?* This field is required.The BELMAS Journals are: EMAL and MiE.
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
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Please provide details why you selected your previous answerThis is helpful, but not compulsory. Remember to be critical but fair.
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How satisfied are you with the RESEARCH INTEREST GROUPS (RIGS)?* This field is required.BELMAS has 13 Research Interest Groups. Information can be found on our website.
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
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Please provide details why you selected your previous answerThis is helpful, but not compulsory. Remember to be critical but fair.
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How satisfied are you with the BELMAS CONFERENCE?* This field is required.
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
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Please provide details why you selected your previous answerThis is helpful, but not compulsory. Remember to be critical but fair.
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How satisfied are you with the BELMAS BLOG?* This field is required.
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
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Please provide details why you selected your previous answerThis is helpful, but not compulsory. Remember to be critical but fair.
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What is your FAVOURITE thing about BELMAS?* This field is required.
Blog
Bursaries and Grants
Community and Networking
Conference
Events
Journals
Research Interest Groups
Something Else
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Please provide details why you selected your previous answerThis is helpful, but not compulsory. If you clicked "something else", please use this space to tell us what and why...
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What is your LEAST FAVOURITE thing about BELMAS?* This field is required.
Blog
Bursaries and Grants
Community and Networking
Conference
Events
Journals
Research Interest Groups
Something Else
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Please provide details why you selected your previous answerThis is helpful, but not compulsory. If you clicked "something else", please use this space to tell us what and why...
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What can we do to make BELMAS a BETTER organisation for members?
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Would you recommend BELMAS to a colleague or friend?* This field is required.
YESNO
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OVERALL, how satisfied are you with BELMAS?* This field is required.Taking everything into consideration...
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
28
How satisfied are you with BELMAS ability to communicate with its members?* This field is required.
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
29
What are your preferred methods of communication?* This field is required.This is multi-choice. Please select as many as necessary
Email
Newsletter
Twitter
Website Updates
Other
30
Are there any communication methods that we don't use that would improve your experience as a member?
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Which of the following communication methods do you prefer?* This field is required.
Audio/Visual (Vlogs etc)
Written
Both Audio/Visual and Written
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How can BELMAS communicate BETTER with you in the future?
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How satisfied are you with the Trustee Elections process this year (2023)?* This field is required.This was the one conduced online through the platform "Mi-Voice"
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
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Please provide details why you selected your previous answerThis is helpful, but not compulsory.
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How satisfied are you with the Annual General Meeting this year (2023)?* This field is required.This was the AGM held online at the beginning of June 2023
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
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What can we do to help more members attend our Annual General Meeting (AGM)?
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Before we get started, it's important that we provide transparent and honest context to the changes that you may have seen for the 2023 Conference. Given that this conference just about broke even (reduced from a £104k deficit in 2022), we are confident that the decisions made were the right ones, but felt that we should use this space to explain them fully...

Accommodation NOT included in the Conference ticket

Accommodation was not included with the ticket for 2023 for three reasons.

The first reason was that BELMAS had become VAT registered, which means that BELMAS could claim back VAT (or not charge it at all) for the conference as an educational charity. However, if we included accommodation, we effectively become a travel agency, and therefore must pay VAT, and therefore passing on this expense to members in their ticket price.

The second is that the 2022 Conference lost £104k. The total expenditure of the Conference was £149,000. For the conference to be financially viable for 150 sales, tickets should have been priced at £1,000. By removing the accommodation and reducing the expenditure to £50,000, we have reduced the ticket price to £339 - a real terms cut of £661 on ticket prices (if we had budgeted in the correct way in 2022).

The final reason being that some attendees (particularly those whose places were not institutionally funded) were able to attend the conference because they could stay in hotels in the local area that were more affordable.

The Conference programme looked different in terms of delivery

As part of a need to reduce the £104k loss on 2022, BELMAS needed to reduce some of its overhead costs. By holding a networking and keynote for the first day only, we reduced the cost of all the breakout rooms, saving nearly £3,000 in one go.

We also acted on feedback from members relating to Liverpool 2022 who said that they wish they had some additional time to see the area, and we provided this by keeping Friday free.

There wasn't a list of attendees emails in the programme

Having printed emails in a printed programme is a signficant data protection risk. While attendees may "agree to share their email address with the conference attendees by clicking a tick box upon purchasing a ticket" as suggested, this does not stop someone leaving a programme on a train or in a public place. Simply put it is a GDPR risk to the organisation.

We didn't have an app this year

There are three reasons why BELMAS scrapped the app. Firstly, apps are like anything, the quality you get depends on the input and given the timing and organisaton of the Belfast Conference, we didn't feel that we were in a position to gvie the time and attention to create something that was functionable and usable.

Secondly, we recognised that there are many people who don't know how to use the app, while all delegates would be able to navgate through a printed programme.

Finally, the cost of the pritned programme was abut £300 in total. Conference platforms such as Guidebook are around £2,500+ per year (based on a two year contract).

Food wasn't provided on the Friday

As the first day of the Conference officially started at 7pm with a networking session followed by the keynote at 8pm, and given that the base of the Conference was centrally located in Belfast, we felt that people would be able to purchase their own food in the day while having time to explore Belfast.

If we provided food, we wold need to be charged hotel prices per head based on all number arriving ont he same day at the same time, which would have simply been added ont the ticket price.

Had the Conference started earlier in the day, with back-to-back sessions all day, of course lunch and refreshments would have been provided (like Saturday and Sunday).

While we pride ourselves in being different, we also recognise the other conferences around the world who provide no refreshments at all other than hot drinks and water.

We have, however, made a commitment to continue to review this aspect annually depending on conference start times, location of the venue and budgets.
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Looking at other Learned Societies and Academic Conferences, how satisfied are you that the Conference represents GOOD value for money?* This field is required.
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
39
What figure in £ would represent GOOD value for money in terms of ticket price for members?* This field is required.
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In your idea of GOOD value for money, what should this ticket price include?This is useful to know, but not compulsory
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If you attended a BELMAS Conference would you be:* This field is required.
Funded by a University/College
Funded by your workplace (non University/College)
Funded by Government or local Council
Self-funded
Other
42
Have you been to a BELMAS Conference in the last two years (2022 or 2023)* This field is required.
YESNO
43
Looking forward to 2025, what would be the best month to hold the BELMAS Conference?* This field is required.
Please Select
Please Select
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
44
Did you have a particular date in mind?This is useful to know, but not compulsory.
Date
Year
Month
Day
45
Why did you pick this month / specific date?This is useful to know, but not compulsory.
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Which of the following would be the best option for BELMAS Conference?* This field is required.
Full Day / Full Day (2 Days)
Half Day / Full Day (2 Days)
Full Day / Half Day (2 Days)
Full Day / Full Day / Full Day (3 Days)
Half Day / Full Day / Full Day (3 Days)
Half Day / Full Day / Half Day (3 Days)
Full Day / Full Day / Half Day (3 Days)
47
Would you prefer Conference to be held...* This field is required.
In the week (Monday-Friday)
Over the weekend (Friday-Sunday)
48
What does BELMAS do that's GREAT at Conference? What works?This is useful to know, but not compulsory.
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What can BELMAS do to IMPROVE its Conference?This is useful to know, but not compulsory.
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How can the BELMAS Conference be more inclusive to its wider membership?This is useful to know, but not compulsory.
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How satisfied were you with the ACADEMIC CONTENT of the Conference in 2023?* This field is required.
Very Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
I Didn't Attend
52
Are there any KEYNOTE SPEAKERS you would like BELMAS to take into consideration in the future?This is useful to know, but not compulsory.
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Where would you like to see BELMAS Conference held in the next three years (UK Cities and Towns Only)?This is useful to know, but not compulsory
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Do you think that BELMAS should call their groups...* This field is required.We are currently debating whether "Research" Interest Groups relates to ALL members of BELMAS
Research Interest Groups (RIGS)
Special Interest Groups (SIGS)
Shared Interest groups (SIGS)
Interest groups (IGS)
55
Are you part of any RIG?* This field is required.DID YOU KNOW? You can JOIN a RIG by simply logging onto your member area of the website, scroll down and tick which RIG you'd like to join. You will then be updated on any news or events relating to that RIG.
YESNO
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From the current RIGS available, is there at least ONE that meets your interests?* This field is required.
YESNO
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Do you think that Non-Members should be ale to join RIGs?* This field is required.
Yes - For Free
Yes - For a Small Fee
No - This is a Membership Benefit
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Have you attended a RIG event in the last year?* This field is required.
YESNO
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What would prevent you from attending a RIG?This is useful to know, but not compulsory.
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Is there anything we can do to improve your member experience with RIGS?This is useful to know, but not compulsory.
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Should the BELMAS Office/Board of Trustees have the ability to remove a RIG Convenor and begin the process of a new appointment?* This field is required.
Yes - If there has been no activity for THREE (3) months
Yes - If there has been no activity for SIX (6) months
Yes - If there has been no activity for NINE (9) months
Yes - If there has been no activity for TWELVE (12) months
No
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Are there any new RIGS that you would like to see?This is useful to know, but not compulsory.
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If BELMAS gave YOU the power to bring ONE event to the annual calendar, what would it be? Tell us what it would be, why is it important and where would you hold the event.This is useful to know, but not compulsory.
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If BELMAS could STOP doing one thing tomorrow, what would it be and why?This is useful to know, but not compulsory.
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If BELMAS could invest more resource into one thing, what would it be? This is useful to know, but not compulsory.
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