Ralph Johnson and Richard Gabriel are the conference and program chairs for OOPSLA 2005, which will be held in San Diego, California. In the last few years, we've noticed that conference attendance is down. The exhibits are gone, many of the vibrant attendees rarely attend, and the papers are more and more narrow. The decline in attendance is dramatic: down by about a factor of 2 since 2000.
We are looking for ways to revitalize the conference, if possible. Given the tradition of OOPSLA as an academic publication outlet, the kinds of changes we can make might be limited.
Ideas for change or improvement can be in these areas, but don't let this list limit you:
The following is an index of starting places for discussion. Please add to it.