These Conference Presentation Myths Cramp The Attendee Experience November 19, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Most conference organizers see attendees as consumers of the conference’s information. Little thought is given to seeing attendees as active participants in their own learning and experience. 8 Myths That Restrict The Attendee Experience Here are eight conference presentation myths that you should avoid. Myth 1: The lecture or panel best serves all conference attendees. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , active learning, active participation, association, conferences, Education & Adult Learning, engagement, learning myths, meeting planner, presentation myths, Speaker Emerging Practices
Q&A Will Not Satisfy Conference Audience Cravings For Participation September 9, 2013 by Donna Kastner Mary: Impressive presentation, John, but I’m a little concerned that there’s no audience participation. John: No problem, we’ll open the floor to Q&A at the end. Mary: Okay, but there’s still 45 minutes of one-way lecturing going on. John: Good point. Let’s add another Q&A segment midway through the presentation. We interrupt this blog post with an important … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Experience Design Tagged With: , active learning, adult learning, brain-friendly conferences, conference best practices, Education & Adult Learning
Presenter Tips For Audience Discussions July 19, 2013 by Jeff Hurt “Nobody can’t teach nobody nothing,” says O. P. Kolstoe, author of College Professoring. We need better presenters, as our conference attendees often suggest. Or we need better attendees as our speakers often state. I think Kolstoe hit the bull’s-eye. As a presenter, so also a learner–the conference attendee. (paraphrased Joseph Lowman, 1995). If there is … [Read more…] Filed Under: Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , active learning, conference best practices, conferences, Education & Adult Learning, master presenters, presentation best practices, presentation strategies, presenter, speaker tips
How Tablet Friendly Is Your Conference? July 17, 2013 by Donna Kastner Pew Research released an interesting report: Tablet Ownership 2013. Findings are based on phone interviews conducted with 2,252 adults ages 18 and older in April and May 2013. Attendees are toting tablets at conferences and trade shows in record numbers. They’re downloading slide decks, taking notes, verifying facts, swapping content info, snapping photos, tweeting, posting and scanning attendee … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Technology, Experience Design Tagged With: , conference best practices, Education & Adult Learning, iPad, networking, smart device, tablet, trade show
Designing Education Theaters On The Trade Show Floor July 12, 2013 by Dave Lutz Attracting and keeping quality attendees on your show floor isn’t getting any easier. The way we, as consumers and businesses, research and buy products and services has evolved — and so must the trade-show experience. The trade show of the future will focus on helping over selling, which is best accomplished by delivering valuable education … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design, Sponsorship & Exhibits Tagged With: , Education & Adult Learning, engagement, exhibit floor, expo, trade show
Conference Organizers Should Transition From Familiar Terrain May 20, 2013 by Jeff Hurt In order for conferences to compete in this new digital age, conference organizers must view conference education not as the place where content is delivered, but as a place where the content is discussed, analyzed and evaluated by the attendee. We have to move from our old school, out dated thinking that the conference education … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference education, Education & Adult Learning, education best practices, meeting planning best practices
Conferences Need To Focus More On Learning Design And Less On Information Transfer May 16, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Recent research shows that conference organizers should focus their conference education efforts more on learning design and less on delivery of information. Too often, conference organizers and meeting professionals secure speakers to present specific topics and then think their job is done. Their focus is completely on the content and the delivery of the information. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Experience Design Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference education, Education & Adult Learning, education best practices, meeting planning best practices
Research: People Want Learning Opportunities At Tradeshows! April 5, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Many (exhibition) attendees have dual needs for attending: shopping (69%) and learning (66%). ~ CEIR, What Attendees Want From Exhibitions, February 4, 2013 They come to your tradeshow with very real learning needs related to their own personal and professional development. If you are not integrating more education experiences within and at your tradeshow, you … [Read more…] Filed Under: Sponsorship & Exhibits Tagged With: , conference best practices, conferences, Education & Adult Learning, learning, tradeshow best practices, tradeshows
Content Is Not Education March 29, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Let’s get one thing straight: Content is not education! If content was education, then all of us would be very knowledgeable because we have information at our fingertips through the internet. But content is not education. Just as information and data is not education. Offering Content Is Not Enough People attend conferences for two primary … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , adult learning, conference best practices, conferences, Education & Adult Learning, learning, meeting planning best practices
Zombie Conferences Create Dead Leaders Walking March 12, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Is your annual meeting nothing more than a zombie conference? Zombie conferences provide schedules packed full of informative presentations and sessions that try to consume your brain. Presenters rapidly shovel content at attendees. Their goal is to cram as much information as possible into a person’s mind. They stuff more information into their presentation aiming … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conferences, content, delivery, Education & Adult Learning, Information Indigestion, short term memory, working memory
