Fostering a Winning Conference Culture June 17, 2019 by Lisa Block I have been struck by the disparity in how an association’s organizational culture translates (or doesn’t translate) to the on-site implementation or planning of its live events. There are many associations that tout their open and supportive cultures. But when it gets to “go time,” does that culture manifest at your conferences and meetings? Online … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , big tent, conference planning, event planning, meeting planning, on-site culture, radical hospitality.
Why You Need to Adopt a Sharing Economy to Keep your Conference Relevant August 18, 2014 by Dave Lutz It’s smart. It’s social. It’s green. It’s a movement towards a sharing economy. And the direction your next-gen attendee is headed. Collaborative consumption is about shared access to products and services. Sharing goods and services is considered smart, social, green, and aligns with the values of your next-generation conference participants. Time magazine has identified it … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , Collaborative Consumption, conference best practices, conference planning, meeting planning, Sharing
Your Conference Is Not As Unique As You Think December 11, 2013 by Jeff Hurt I’ve got news for conference organizers and hosts. Your conference is not as unique as you think. For the past three years, the team at Velvet Chainsaw Consulting has been reviewing, evaluating and analyzing annual meetings and conferences. Almost every one of our 30+ clients has started our review process with the following statement, “Our … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference's common benefits, conference's unique benefits, meeting planning, meeting professional, status quo, unforgettable events
Stop Sabotaging Your Conference Innovation Planning Process November 25, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Are we failing to cultivate innovation in our conference planning process? Do we focus so much on the details and logistics that we unknowingly sabotage our brains’ potential to cultivate innovation and creativity? Keeping our minds engaged and inspired in the creative process is critical to conference innovation. Yet too often, we default to following … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference best practices, conferences, meeting planning, meeting planning best practices
Strategies For Attracting And Growing The Right Conference Audience June 11, 2012 by Jeff Hurt You seldom awake in the morning with people waving money in your face to register for your event. There comes a time in every conference’s history when there is a need to identify and pursue the right markets for conference growth and sustainability. Instead of trying to be all things to all people and offer … [Read more…] Filed Under: Attendance Marketing Tagged With: , conference education, conferences, meeting planner, meeting planning, meeting professionals
Co-Locating Your Conference Can Be Risky And Rewarding September 13, 2011 by Dave Lutz Co-locating your conference can be a high-risk, high-reward proposition. Before you decide to co-locate your conference with another conference, you need to view the decision through a strategic long-term lens. Defining Co-Location At the basic level, co-locating a conference is placing two or more conferences at the same location, at the same time. Some organizers … [Read more…] Filed Under: Business Model Tagged With: , co-location, conference best practices, conferences, meeting planning, meeting planning best practices, tradeshow, tradeshow best practices
Do You Plan Meetings With 500+ People? September 7, 2011 by Jeff Hurt Do you plan meetings with 500 or more people? Do you secure both professional and industry speakers for your events? If yes to both questions, would you give us about 10 minutes of your time to complete this survey? Velvet Chainsaw has partnered with Tagoras, a leading market research and learning consulting company to capture … [Read more…] Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: , associations, conferences, Education & Adult Learning, meeting planner, meeting planning, meeting professionals, research
Three Infographics On Conference Content And Delivery August 31, 2011 by Jeff Hurt Dare to color outside the lines. Have the courage to take risks. Let go of outdated, dead sacred cows. These were just a few of the overarching themes from Experient’s e4 2011 Conference “Outside the Lines.” Bye, Bye Breakouts! Hello Innovation Labs! The Experient team always delivers a stellar conference that’s engaging. They are willing to … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , committee best practices, conference best practices, conference tips, conferences, content, content strategist, content-strategist-curator, meeting best practices, meeting planning, meeting planning best practices, Speaker Emerging Practices
Creating An Unforgettable Event: Unlocking Memory By Unleashing The Power Of Thinking July 19, 2011 by Jeff Hurt You are what you eat. What you see is what you get. These idioms are familiar to most of us. Here’s a simple truth: What you think about is what you remember! The implication for your conferences, events and meetings are substantial. Our Memory Is Like A Video Recorder? Not! Many meeting professionals and conference … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference design, conferences, learning, meeting planning, meeting planning best practices, meeting professionals
Create An Event Pre-Mortem Instead Of An Event Autopsy June 8, 2011 by Jeff Hurt The knife plunged into the skin creating a diagonal slash starting at the shoulder. The gloved hands plunged the knife into the body again creating a second diagonal cut in the opposite shoulder. The two incisions met at a point and then continued in a vertical downward slice. The letter Y was scarred permanently into … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , meeting planning, meeting planning basics, meeting planning best practices
