How The Most Brain Friendly Conference Makes Attendee Networking A Priority November 14, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Quick, name the top two reasons people pay to attend conferences? No, it’s not the attractiveness of the destination, although it does help. Nor is it the opening, marquee speaker. (Two-thirds of recent responders to the 2013 Speaker Report: The Use Of Professional And Industry Speakers In The Meetings Market say that a big name … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Networking, Experience Design Tagged With: , conference best practices, conferences, connections, connexity, networking
Sponsorships Change Dramatically In Radical Ground-Breaking Revolutionary Conferences November 12, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Think about your conference attendees for a minute. And think about the lives they lead on a daily basis. Now think about the roles corporate brands want to play in their lives as conference sponsors. That’s a hard thing for a brand to accomplish at a conference or even in the real world. Consider Your … [Read more…] Filed Under: Sponsorship & Exhibits Tagged With: , conference revenues, conference sponsorship, expo revenues, expo sales, sponsor acquisition, sponsorship activation, sponsorship sales
Conference Audiences To Speakers: It Is All About Me, Not You! November 11, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Me, me, me, me, me! No, it’s not the latest Sesame Street song sung by Beaker. Nor am I talking about the “Me Generation.” I’m talking about today’s conference audiences focused on their own ROI and not the speaker as entertainer. Me, Me, Me! Today’s audience’s see conference keynotes and education sessions differently than in … [Read more…] Filed Under: Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , adult learning, conference best practices, conferences, facilitator, industry speaker, presentation strategies, professional speakers, speaker tips
The Job Of A Speaker Must Drastically Change For Successful Conferences Today November 5, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Today’s audiences expect more from a speaker than the traditional lecture. They want to be inspired, motivated, entertained and learn relevant take aways that they can apply immediately. They are not satisfied with sitting passively listening to monologues and panel platitudes. They want to actively participate in an education session. The End Of A Speaker-Expert … [Read more…] Filed Under: Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , adult learning, conference best practices, conferences, facilitator, industry speaker, presentation strategies, professional speakers, speaker tips
Creating Jostled Serendipitous Encounters For Your Conference Networking November 4, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Walking into the pre-convene area of a convention center for a conference, it shouldn’t take long to meet up with another person strolling through the same hallways. Right? Now imagine crossing that same pre-convene area filled with throngs of people. How long will it take for one to reach another person from the same conference? … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Networking, Experience Design Tagged With: , conference best practices, conferences, connections, networking
Your Conference Success Depends Upon An Adaptable Mindflex Not A Fixed Mindset November 1, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Is your organization’s culture and leadership holding back your conference’s growth? Let me ask that a different way. Does your organization’s leadership avoid conference change because in their opinion it’s working so they don’t need to change anything? Maybe their beliefs are stuck in the mentality, “If it ain’t broke, don’t change it.” Or perhaps … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning
Your Conference Attendees Avoid And Crave Change Simultaneously October 30, 2013 by Jeff Hurt It’s quite ironic actually. Our brains do everything they can to avoid change. Yet at the same time, our brains increase their engagement and focus when change is involved. Our brains crave change to keep us connected to the situation at hand. Wired To Be Risk-Averse Our brains are naturally wired to avoid any type … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , brain-friendly conferences, brain-friendly meetings, change, conference best practices, conferences
21st Century Revolutionary Conferences Have Transformed The Traditional Education Session October 21, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Conferences that focus primarily on lecture-based methods are becoming increasingly difficult to defend! There is ample evidence that the lecture creates phony learning, along with the inability to retain and apply what has been heard. Packed conference sessions and smile-sheet summary evaluations only indicate that attendees can successfully sit through dreary lectures. It does not … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , active learning, conference best practices, conference education, conferences, meeting planner, meeting professionals, trends
The Function Of Content Changes In Revolutionary Conferences October 18, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Conference organizers strong commitment to content actually blocks the path to more attendee-focused and learner-centric conference experiences. This focus on content as the core of the conference creates a barrier that obstructs presenters. Most speakers freely acknowledge that the need to cover content strongly influences, and often dictates, their presentation decisions. Our allegiance to content … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Sponsorship & Exhibits Tagged With: , conferences, content, meeting industry trends, sponsorship, trends
Disruptive Revolutionary Conferences Are Coming: The Need To Refocus On Our Customer October 17, 2013 by Jeff Hurt “If anyone is going to disrupt this industry, it is going to be us!” I love this quote from Smart Customers, Stupid Companies. I think more conference organizers should adopt it! Here’s my question for meeting professionals and conference organizers: Are you going to have “Smart Attendees, Stupid Conferences or Smart Attendees, Smart Conferences?” To … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conferences, meeting industry trends, revolutionary conference, sponsorship, trends
