The Future Conference Is About Increasing Attendees’ ROI September 3, 2015 by Jeff Hurt The future conference is not about the environment, the furniture, the venue, the audio visual or the technology. The future conference is about increasing the paying attendee’s ROI. The future conference is about helping the attendee transfer and apply their conference learning to their job. Actually, the fundamental job of future conferences is threefold: To … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , adult learning, adult learning strategies, conferences, connexity, interactive, meeting planning best practices, networking, passive listening, presentation strategies, speaker
Seven Conference Early Shatterpoints To Measure Immediately August 31, 2015 by Jeff Hurt How financially sustainable is your conference? Too often the metrics we use for our conferences are lagging indicators—inputs and outputs. We measure our P&L, attendance, sponsorship, exhibitors and attendee satisfaction. But that is not enough! We need to measure leading indicators. The VCC team gets asked repeatedly how to know if a conference is successful … [Read more…] Filed Under: Business Model Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference indicators, conference performance indicators, conference shatterpoints, KPI, KPIs, shatterpoints
Devastatingly Deranged Unhealthy Structures To Your Mission August 27, 2015 by Jeff Hurt Is your current structure stifling your mission? Do you have metaphorical tollbooths for your staff and volunteer leaders? Those tollbooths serve as permission-withholding stops and starts where every staff member and leader must get authorization and agreement to move an idea forward. Tollbooths are usually embedded in your organization’s governance structure—the bylaws, constitution, committees and … [Read more…] Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: , #assnchat, association governance, governance model, nonprofit governance, organization structure
Cultivating Conference Kindness Not Cynicism August 24, 2015 by Jeff Hurt I would enjoy my job more if it weren’t for people, said the meeting professional. Unfortunately, he wasn’t joking. He didn’t like dealing with people, especially disgruntled conference stakeholders. As conference organizers, we can easily fall into today’s culture of cynicism. It’s difficult to be sincere when we are constantly bombarded with an outrage culture. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference culture, conference design empathy, conference practices, kindness
Developing 21st Century Brain Savvy Leadership Webinar August 18 August 17, 2015 by Jeff Hurt It has come like a thunderbolt. A large boom followed by a blinding light. It’s as if we woke up from a long, long sleep. Some of our most esteemed and successful associations woke up and discovered that the world around them has drastically changed. And the change keeps on coming. Register now for this … [Read more…] Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: , brain friendly leaders, brain savvy leadership, empathy, leadership, neuroleadership, neuroscience
Exposing Your Mental Model For Conference Education August 14, 2015 by Jeff Hurt Most conference organizers are not even aware of the mental models that drive their decisions—especially when it comes to conference education. Rarely do we openly examine or actively process our mental models. We just act. So those beliefs continue to govern our thoughts and decisions, without our awareness or knowledge. As a conference organizer, your … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , adult learning, cognitive bias, conference best practices, conference education, conference learning model, education best practices, facilitator, mental model, speaker tips, thinking
Your Mental Model Influences Your Conference Success August 12, 2015 by Jeff Hurt Imagine walking down the hall of a conference venue. You stop and enter one of the rooms. A speaker is telling the audience the three steps that they must follow to be successful. The audience sits quietly. Some write or type notes. Now imagine walking into another room at the same venue. The audience is … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , cognitive bias, conference best practices, mental model, thinking
Welcoming All With Conference Radical Hospitality August 10, 2015 by Jeff Hurt I stood at the door and welcomed people into the room. It was a simple act. One of profound importance. “Welcome and thanks for being here. I appreciate your time.” Many smiled and shook my hand. Some were shocked. Some exclaimed I was the only presenter that had done that. Setting The Space With Welcoming … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Networking Tagged With: , conference best practices, radical hospitality., welcoming attitude
Creating Sticky Learning To Combat Our Illusion Of Knowing July 30, 2015 by Jeff Hurt Much of what we take for gospel about how to learn is wasted effort. Learning is grossly misunderstood. The most effective learning strategies are counterintuitive. We believe that attending education and listening to a presenter leads to learning. Just give me the crib sheets, the list of tips, the high level takeaways and I have … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , brain-friendly conferences, conference best practices, conversations, discussions, Education & Adult Learning, lecture, peer-to-peer, sticky learning
Encourage Conference Experiences That Lead To Practice-Rich Lives Not Knowledge-Rich Brains July 29, 2015 by Jeff Hurt Your conference doesn’t have to be the place that only offers expert lectures. It doesn’t have to only offer authorized, approved speeches. Or one-way monologues and panel dialogues. You have the opportunity to pave the way for rich, two-way, peer to peer dialogue. You can create education offerings that provide time for audience elaboration, discussion, … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , brain-friendly conferences, conference best practices, conversations, discussions, Education & Adult Learning, fearless conversations, lecture, peer-to-peer
