Catalyst Conferences: How To Plan And Produce Next-Generation Conferences & Events

Here is the slidedeck from my presentation to EventSolutions 2010 on Catalyst Conferences: How To Plan and Produce Next-Generation Conferences And Events.

People today are learning in new ways that are both collective and egalitarian. They contribute to Wikipedia, comment on blogs, teach themselves programming and figure out work-arounds to online video games. They follow links embedded in articles to build a deeper understanding. They discuss issues in online chats in an interactive and immediate exchange of ideas. All of these acts are collaborative and democratic, and all occur amid a worldwide community of voices.

So how does this affect the traditional conference or event? What about the typical one to many presentations with a sage on the stage and a passive listening audience?

Conference organizers should capture and apply these new social and informal ways of learning or risk seeing their conference education become obsolete. Today’s learning is interactive without walls. Conference organizers can view themselves as conduits for their attendees’ education endeavors and help facilitate participatory, interactive and connected learning environments.

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5 comments
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  2. Emma King says:

    Jeff. Bravo !

    As a Learning Strategist, your presentation speaks clearly to the ethos I preach in relation to learning, and predominately the reason why I attend virtual conferences in favor of physical ones.

    I advocate a very active learning model when working with my clients as I consult on better ways to deliver learning and gain a greater retention rate. I recently joined InXpo, a virtual event platform and believe that this type of platform facilitates the delivery of learning beyond what one can do with webcasting per se.

    For example, I can use the virtual event platform for 1:1, 4:4, 6:6 virtual video/audio or text based breakout rooms to facilitate Group Exercises as one would experience within a formal environment. Take 20, 100, 200, 3000 attendees and all participants can be encouraged due to the technology to actively participate, communicate and collaborate while attending an immersive learning experience.

    I have witnessed students discussing and applying subject content to job related tasks in teams as part of a group exercise within the webcast event, enabling the Subject Matter expert to be on hand to assist if necessary, and redirect students back to the ‘classroom’ upon completion of task.

    Gone are the days of the stoic professor in a classroom, or the subject matter expert standing up in front of a class providing Death by Powerpoint. Learning informally, collaboratively, vertically while simultaneously gaining expert guidance, yet reducing the gap between expert and student can be facilitated very effectively.

    We must move to a learning paradigm that supports learning that is pulled from systems rather than dictatorially pushing contenting towards our learners.

    Again Jeff, excellent content.

  3. Thank you for posting your slides Jeff. This was excellent and very helpful as I have to teach a workshop next week! I will definitely incorporate some of your ideas.

    1. Jeff Hurt says:

      ‘@Mary Ellen
      Hope the slides help. Let me know how your presentation goes.

  4. […] only reading, we retain 10%, and when only listening, we retain 20%. These statistics come from Jeff Hurt who says, “Active engagement improves learning.” But how many opportunities do members have to […]

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