Mind if I pick y’all’s brains about something?
Next October, my professional society is hosting a major research conference on engineering for ultrasound in Raleigh. Previous versions of this annual event has brought in thousands of student and faculty researchers, as well as representation from major companies and startups in the field, so it’ll be a great opportunity to make a good first impression on thousands of technologists from around the world (including people who could choose to study, work, or launch a startup in the Triangle).
I don’t think I’m technically at liberty to actually say where in Raleigh this will be held - but like, I’m posting in this thread for a reason, lol. These events are usually held in walking distance to a ton of hotels, and the event site needs to have both massive exhibit spaces and lots of big conference rooms for oral presentations - see the venues for this year’s event in the Netherlands, as well as the previous ones in Taipei, Montreal, and Venice. Y’all are smart; I’m sure you can think of the one place in Raleigh that fits this mold.
Here’s the problem: What are attendees supposed to do outside of conference events?
If you're thinking 'it's America, they should just drive to go places!',...
…then you should know that visitors from outside of the US and Canada have to balance seemingly-contradictory policies from the state of North Carolina and rental car companies to know what paperwork they need. Driver’s licenses can be rarer and/or much harder to get in some countries, too, so it can be unreasonable to expect attendees to get them if they don’t even know if they’re going until like two months before the conference.
Plus, it’s unreasonable to expect them to Uber everywhere when one relatively cheap ride is anywhere from 5 to 30 times more expensive than similarly convenient train or bus rides in their home countries.
Venice is Venice, Montreal’s site was in walking distance to a popular boardwalk district, Taipei had metro access to its many famous night markets, and… …Raleigh? Since the conference ends too early to suggest people to go to the State Fair, what are research groups from Paris, Tokyo, and Copenhagen supposed to do so that they don’t think we’re a bunch of lame Southerners who have no personalities outside of work (especially one that’s car-addicted, which plays into a ton of negative stereotypes about the “dumb, fat American”)?
Ever since its announcement two years ago, I’ve heard a ton of people from all around the world trash-talk Raleigh with words that we wouldn’t even toss at Charlotte. I want to prove them all wrong - and I may have an opportunity to propose some ideas to the powers that be, but I’m not sure what that would entail. Suggestions?