What you told us about WikiCon Canberra 2026
Back in April we shared a wrap-up of WikiCon Canberra (Kanbarra) 2026 celebrating the sessions, the courtyard conversations, and of course the Wikipedia25 cake! Since then, we have been reviewing our Community's feedback on what went well and what we can improve on for hosting the next WikiCon Australia.
At the time, two forms went out: one on the event overall, post conference and we also circulated a form that covered individual sessions that participants were encouraged to fill in after a session. Here is what they said.
The numbers
Overall satisfaction averaged 4.7 out of 5. Session relevance — how useful people found the content to their own work — averaged 4.4. The session-by-session form gathered 48 ratings averaging 4.5, with 30 of those 48 giving a session the top score.
Whilst only a small number of people completed the overall event form, encouragingly, it told much the same story of satisfaction as the individual sessions.
What worked
The venue. The National Film and Sound Archive scored 4.5, with the most compelling reason given in the comments: hosting at a GLAM institution with both indoor and outdoor space gave people somewhere to take a conversation when a session ended.
The ICIP and IDSov thread. Running from the AIATSIS pre-conference panel on Friday night, through Terri Janke's keynote to the Sunday workshop, the topic was able to be discussed over the whole weekend rather than sitting in a single slot. Terri and her team were praised repeatedly. Structuring a subject as a thread is something we will do again.
The shape of the program. Two streams, with a variety of session formats. The speed round were named as particularly effective.
The community feel. Having international Wikimedians in the room was exciting! There was a feeling of inclusiveness and shared learning experiences with our international visitors. In addition to this, people seemed to simply like having enough unprogrammed time to talk!
Other logistics. Accommodation scored 5.0, accessibility 4.8, communication 4.7, activities 4.7 and registration 4.6. As staff, we were extremely impressed by the care and level of service provided to us from the Novotel Canberra in assistance with booking rooms and helping to host our Strategic Planning Day for the Board on the day after WikiCon.
What we're taking onboard
Hybrid delivery. At 3.9, this was the lowest score. Zoom access was unclear for remote attendees, microphones frequently were not the Zoom audio source, and presentations were not consistently shared to people online. Whilst we tested the technology, and had IT support in each room (and paid IT support in some instances) things still went awry and we couldn't deliver on what we'd promised. Remote participation is something that needs to be considered more thoroughly for future WikiCons.
Food. 4.2 - more savoury options alongside the sweets at breaks!
Communications for associated events. The tours, the AIATSIS pre-conference and the social events all needed earlier notice, registration confirmations and reminders closer to the day. One suggestion we like: name tags at the AIATSIS event, which drew a more broad and mixed audience than the main conference sessions.
Getting around Canberra. Roadworks caused problems nobody could have anticipated. Pre-event guidance on buses, walking routes and taxi options between the hotel, the National Library and AIATSIS would have saved a bit of confusion. This is something that we need to get better at by the next event.
Making WikiCon something for everyone
Several long-term Wikimedians raised an important question that we'll take on board for the next planning process: how did the weekend feel for someone attending their first WikiCon? and how can we better reach the Australian Wikimedians who have never engaged with WMAU at all?
Thank you
To everyone who filled in the feedback forms, especially those who wrote more than the boxes asked for!
If you have thoughts that didn't make it onto a form, we would still like to hear them. Come along to one of our monthly community calls, or get in touch with the team any time.