SURVEY
A survey was handed out with the registration materials. Ninety two
completed surveys were returned as of January 25, 1995. The Information Congress received high overall marks: 36% rated it excellent; 52% rated with an above average score of "4"; and 9% rated it average with a score of "3". One hundred percent of respondents felt the information was relevant to their profession or business; and 61% said the information presented would have some effect on the way they conduct business. The break out sessions were rated "very effective" by 74% of the respondents. The other components of the Congress received fairly divided ratings between "adequate" and "very effective". Finally, 99% of respondents said they would be interested in participating in future sessions on shaping Hawaii's telecommunications infrastructure.
Appendix B to this report contains an extensive summary of the survey
results.
VIDEO
The Steering Committee plans to produce a videotape of the Congress, which
will be edited down from its full format, and which will be available to
community groups for use in forums and meetings. It also plans to make this
videotape available to AIIM Headquarters in Silver Spring, for possible use on
the national level.
CONCLUSION
The Hawaii Information Congress 95 served as a unique example of community
cooperation throughout the State of Hawaii. Sponsors willingly assisted in
funding this first ever event, and many volunteers assisted in pulling it
together. The level of interest and the caliber of the participants
demonstrated to the steering committee that the Congress was not only needed,but also served as a catalyst for futuristic thinking about the uses of
information technology in Hawaii. Not limiting itself to the concept of an
information superhighway, but going much beyond that into the area of virtual
corporations, distance learning and other very advanced concepts, the
participants were able to produce results that will bear study over the next
year. Ninety-nine per cent of those returning their surveys indicated their
interest in future sessions. Eighty-eight per cent gave an overall rating of
above average to excellent. This appears to be a resounding vote of approval to
this unique approach to gathering input on the future of information
applications in the State of Hawaii. The Steering Committee believes that the
Congress met all design objectives. It provided a stimulating forum for users
of information technology to "dream" and say what applications they would like funded with both private and public dollars in the year 2000. From all
measures taken, including comments from the attendees, the Congress was an
unparalleled success. The people who attended the Congress gained insight into the future. The Steering Committee hopes that the work done in this Congress can be continued in the future. All those who found the time to attend this gathering should feel a part of history.
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