Kneebucklingly Sweet Idea Generation Tool: Brainwriting April 2, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Brainstorming is out! Brainwriting is in! Brainstorming Challenges Brainstorming is something most of us know and have used at some point in our lives. It’s a tool often used to create a list of spontaneous ideas contributed by a group. Alex Faickney Osborn popularized the tool in 1953. Osborn claimed that brainstorming was more effective … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Experience Design Tagged With: , adult education, brain-friendly meetings, education best practices, introverts
From Strangers To Friends: Bridging Attendee Loneliness With Conference Community April 1, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Everybody needs to know Somebody who cares. Just a friendly face You can trust to be there. Are you afraid to be known And not be a stranger? Everyone’s connected but no one is connecting The human element has long been missing Tell me, have you seen it? Have you seen it? Alone by Armin … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Networking, Experience Design Tagged With: , conference best practices, conferences, connections, connexity, emotional connection
Flipping Conference Education For Successful Learning March 28, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Sure, the “flipped classroom” is a buzzword and the trend right now. However, the concept of being learner-centric and providing active learning during the education session is not a trend! It’s here to stay because it works! Defining Flipped Education So what is the flipped conference education session? In short, the term is used to … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Experience Design Tagged With: , adult education, adult learning, conference best practices, conference education, conferences, flipped learning, The fl
Strategies To Create Conferences That Angry Millennials Love To Attend March 27, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Millennials are angry, vocal and hungry for social change says Nancy Lublin, CEO of dosomething.org and Umair Haque, director of Havas Media Labs in a September 2013 Fast Company article You need to adapt your conference or die! (Paraphrasing these two thought leaders). “You have to [change] if you want to stay in business. You’re … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , attracting millennials, conference best practices, conferences, generations, Millennial, next-generation conferences
Seriously, Your Conference Marketing Is Not About You! March 26, 2014 by Jeff Hurt It’s not about you! Seriously, I really mean it; it’s not about you! There is not a more accurate line about marketing your conference than that! No One Cares About You It’s not about you. It’s not about your organization. It’s not about your speakers and your sponsors. It’s not about what unique partnerships you’ve … [Read more…] Filed Under: Attendance Marketing Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference marketing, conferences, target market
Too Many Meeting Professionals Are Bored With Work March 25, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Are you part of the 87% of workers that are bored at work? According to Gallup, the bulk of employees, 63% are not engaged at work. They lack motivation and are less likely to invest initiative in organizational goals or outcomes. 24% are actively disengaged. They are unhappy and unproductive at work. And their negative … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , brain-friendly conferences, brain-friendly meetings, conference best practices, meeting planning best practices, meeting professionals, neuroscience
When Speakers Truly Care: From Spouting Witty Repartee To Transforming Lives March 20, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Our conferences and association education programming depend upon speakers as experts sharing their knowledge with the crowd. Yet, the education research is loud and clear that people talking at an audience does not necessarily lead to attendees’ learning. Actually, there’s more likelihood that you’ll win a multi-million dollar Powerball lottery than telling leads to learning. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , adult education, conference best practices, conferences, education best practices, presentation strategies, professional speakers
Five Colossal Rotten Ways To Torpedo Your Conference Growth March 19, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Very few of us want to see our conferences grow and expand. Right? Similarly, very few of us are willing to make changes to the conference agenda, planning process and attendee experience all in the name of growth. Right again! We do everything we can to avoid change. So if change is associated with conference … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , attendee growth, connections, connexity, growing attendance
Why Your Conference Should Adopt The Healthy Family Metaphor March 17, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Did your parents expect you to eventually get a job and your own place to live? Mine did. Did they spend their entire lives loving you, teaching you and training you to eventually make your own decisions? Mine did. Sure, my parents didn’t want me to move across the globe and never see them again. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , attendee growth, connect, connexity, growing attendance, networking
Five Steps To Take Your Education Programming From Blah To Wickedly Smart March 14, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Curation: it’s more important than you think. And it’s extremely critical to the success of your education programming. When it comes to choosing education programming, curation involves deep excavation of the right content for the right audience at the right time for the right issue. Authentic Curation For Education Programming Curation is more than just … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , conferences, content-strategist-curator, curate, curation, curator, education best practices
