Recipients & Reports 29 Nov 2011 11:12 am
Recipient Report: NiUG Asia Pacific Discovery Conference
A Hurst
Office Manager
Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society (AARES)
attended the NiUG (iMIS User Group) Asia Pacific Discovery Conference, October 2011, Launceston
The Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society (AARES), an independent, not-for-profit association of persons and organisations interested in agricultural, resource and environmental economics, purchased the iMIS software around 12 months ago.
As the Society’s Central Office Manager, and with the assistance of some vital out-sourced expertise, I was given the task of getting the system up and running. ASI hosts our new website through which membership subscriptions are made, and we are currently accepting online registrations for our annual conference in February next year. To further improve the service we can offer our members, we are also currently developing a Community Forum.
In order to further develop our knowledge and understanding of the iMIS software program, the AARES Executive agreed to support my attendance at the NiUG Discovery Conference in Launceston in October 2011, which was subsequently funded by this scholarship.
The conference provided an opportunity to meet with other iMIS users, to hear their stories, to learn about the latest developments in the software, and to discover iMIS-friendly add-ons to make the iMIS experience a more fullfilling, experience for the operators, such as myself, and the clients, such as our members. Also, importantly, it gave me a much clearer idea of what I don’t know and therefore where to concentrate focus and resources over the next 12 months. It also provided me with a greater understanding of where to go for help, and resources available within the iMIS community.
With the skills I have learned over the past year in general, and through the Discovery Conference in particular, I feel better placed to be able to train other members of the AARES team in the operation of this software.
I am very grateful to the ASI SMART Company Scholarship Fund for the generous support I received which enabled me to attend the Discovery Conference - and I am already looking forward to the next one.