Conferences Can Cultivate Curiosity Or The Cult Of Expertise Groupies November 18, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Everyone seems to be looking for the next sure thing. We like answers. We seek quick remedies. We attend conferences looking for shortcut solutions with big payouts. We expend a lot of energy to find tips to the trade, keys to success, or hacks that provide instant results. The less we have to work at … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , attendee engagement, conferences, curiosity, engagement, meeting planner, presentation best practices, presentation strategies
Nonprofits Contradictions And Real World Disruptors November 6, 2014 by Jeff Hurt I don’t claim to know a lot. But I am pretty confident of these two things: Change is the constant today and continues to accelerate. Our nonprofit associations are dynamic, complex systems embedded within an even more dynamic, complex übersystem: human society. Six Changing Association Contexts Technology has radically altered human society, in at least … [Read more…] Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: , association trends, conferences, disruptive innovation, disruptive technologies, meeting industry trends, nonprofit predictions, nonprofit trends
6 Real World Conference Disruptors November 4, 2014 by Jeff Hurt All disruptions are innovations. But not all innovations are disruptors. At least that’s what Forbes writer Caroline Howard says. Think of innovation and disruption as both makers and builders. However disruption dislodges and changes how we think, act, do business, learn and go about our day-to-day tasks. Defining Disruptors Harvard Business School professor and disruption … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , association trends, conferences, disruptive innovation, disruptive technologies, meeting industry trends, nonprofit predictions, nonprofit trends
Five Super Effervescent Sparkling Fresh Conference Education Ideas October 24, 2014 by Jeff Hurt As a conference organizer, do you replicate last year’s conference schedule and experience and just change the filling? Or do you mix it up? Constantly looking for new ways to freshen up the attendee’s conference experience. The best conference organizers proactively seek fresh, new ideas to implement at their next annual meeting. They work hard … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Event Planning Tagged With: , adult learning strategies, brain science education, brain-friendly conferences, conference best practices, conference education, conferences, participatory class, participatory culture, participatory learning
Conference Education Sessions Must Override Attendees’ Need For Predictability October 14, 2014 by Jeff Hurt We are hard-wired to be like the Fraggles. But we are better off being like the the Doozers. Be A Doozer Not A Fraggle If you’ve ever watched the 80s tv show Fraggle Rock, you know the Fraggles and Doozers. The colorful, fur tuft tipped tail Fraggles only have a 30-minute work week. They dedicated … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Experience Design Tagged With: , association best practices, brain-friendly conferences, change, change management, conference best practices, conferences, meeting, meeting planner, strategic planning
Four Objections To Changing Conference Education And Experiences October 9, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Change freaks many of us out! We fear it. We ignore it. We refuse to accept it. It’s really not change that freaks us out. It’s the unknown of the outcome. It’s so much easier to keep things the same because we know the results. Defining Change According to psychologist and therapist Roger S. Gil, … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , association best practices, change, change management, conference best practices, conferences, meeting, meeting planner, strategic planning
Why Technology Alone Will Not Move The Needle For Conferences September 16, 2014 by Jeff Hurt I’m a fan of technology. I’m usually an early adopter of the next shiny tech tool for individuals. And I typically try to understand if and how that tech tool may help organizations, learning and conferences. But, and it’s a big, big but: technology alone will not truly move your conference needle. Technology Isn’t Your … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Technology, Experience Design Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference experience, conference technology, conferences
Your Brain Wants To Avoid Thinking In Conference Settings August 14, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Your brain is built to survive! It’s in the biology and chemistry of your brain to survive at all costs. Survival and protection are at the top of the list when it comes to brain activity. It even outranks thinking in priority. Survival Trumps Thinking Your brain will avoid thinking in order to conserve energy … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , brain science education, brain-friendly conferences, brain-friendly meetings, conference best practices, conferences, education best practices, thinking
Five Fears That Keep You From Accomplishing Amazingly Awesome Stuff August 8, 2014 by Jeff Hurt If you’re an association executive or conference organizer, you know where you stand within your organization. Deep down, you desire to be and do more. No, your drive is not greed in disguise. Nor is your drive selfish in nature. It’s actually a noble drive as you want to make a difference. Your drive is … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , association, association best practices, conference best practices, conferences, fear
Avoiding Personal Agendas and Pay-to-Play In The Speaker Review Process July 31, 2014 by Jeff Hurt We’ve seen it happen in almost every organization where we assessed their speaker review process. Someone on the conference committee blackballs a great presentation or speaker. Or someone approves a presentation proposal and speaker that has had poor scores in the past. Why does this happen? Conference committee members put personal agendas and friendships above … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conferences, content, Pay-To-Play, speaker review process, volunteer strategies
