Designing 21st Century Conference Learning Experiences And Spaces July 25, 2017 by Jeff Hurt Our conference learning spaces affect our audience. We must learn to think like designers. Then we can focus on changing our conference participants’ learning spaces with the right goal in mind—nurturing their learning. Be forewarned! We are not decorating learning spaces. We are designing them to foster, nurture and amplify our participants’ learning. (Hat tips … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , conference education, conference learning experiences, conference learning spaces, designing learning experiences, designing learning spaces, learning design, learning experiences, learning spaces
Are We Creating The Wrong Type Of Conference Experiences? June 28, 2017 by Jeff Hurt Everyone’s talking about the need to create customer experiences. (Yes, including us, the Velvet Chainsaw team.) It’s as if Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore’s Experience Economy is just now hitting its stride—for conferences at least. The word is out: we’ve got to create conference experiences, not just conferences that feel like a patchwork quilt of … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , 4Ds conference experience, conference experience, conference experience design, deep connections, deep learning, deep play, deep reflection, dopamine drip, limbic system, prefrontal cortex
My Presentation Is Fine—It’s The Audience That Doesn’t Get It! June 6, 2017 by Jeff Hurt “My presentation is fine. It’s the audience’s fault if they don’t get it?” “Why do I need to change the way I present? My lecture has worked for years. I get great scores and reviews.” I’m sure you’ve heard statements like this. Maybe you’ve even said something similar yourself. So, why should speakers change how … [Read more…] Filed Under: Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , andragogy, conference lecture, lecture, passive listening, pedagogy, presentation best practices
These Conference Big Ideas Are Not For The Trendy Meeting Professional May 4, 2017 by Jeff Hurt Do you remember this Sesame Street song? One of these things is not like the other. Which of these things just doesn’t belong? This list of conference big ideas just doesn’t belong to the traditional, average conference planning process. These ideas are not for the faint-hearted. Nor are they for the meeting professional looking for … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , Big Ideas, conference trends, emerging practices, meeting industry trends
The Conference Big Idea Road Less Traveled That Harvests Success May 3, 2017 by Jeff Hurt Most conferences are stuck in a rut! The experience has not changed in three, five and even ten years. They are predictable and often commoditized. So how do you create a conference experience that is not like all the others? Start by considering one or more of these conference big ideas. They are the conference … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , Big Ideas, conference trends, emerging practices, meeting industry trends
The 21st Century Meeting Professional: Act Strategically, Think Both Functionally And Strategically April 6, 2017 by Jeff Hurt What’s the role of the 21st Century meeting and conference professional? In the past, the answer was easy. Perform very straight forward, transactional, functional tasks related to the logistics of conferences, meetings and events. S/He fulfilled the same types of tasks on a daily basis. When asked to make improvements, s/he focused on efficiency and … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , ambidextrous organization, conference organizer, conference strategy, meeting professional, strategic planning, strategic thinking, strategic value
Super Control Freak Tendencies Stunt Your Conference Growth March 28, 2017 by Jeff Hurt Ok, admit it! You’re good at the details. You have an eye for minutia. You live and breathe by the motto, “A place for everything and everything in its place.” You wear as a badge of honor that the devil is in the details. You take great pride in creating a sense of order out … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , control freak, control issues, mental model, top down control
Attract With Content; Keep Them With The Experience March 23, 2017 by Jeff Hurt The internet has made world-class content front, center, mobile and affordable—often free. Anyone can hear the best experts for free (or nearly free) on almost any device they own. Anyone can get thought leadership at their fingertips. And your conference audience does. They have access to the same information you do. They can hear, watch … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , attracting attendees, conference experience, conference experience design, content, content marketing
Specific Strategies To Take Your Conference Full Frontal! March 22, 2017 by Jeff Hurt You can make your conference the purple cow of all conference experiences. That is if you want to be seen as unique and different. So how do you do that? By creating conference experiences that help your participants think smarter! This means designing conference experiences that go full frontal! Going full frontal means engaging the … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , brain friendly strategies, brain health, brain-friendly conferences, brain-friendly meetings, cognitively stimulating, conference best practices, executive functions of the brain, full frontal, higher order thinking skills, lower order thinking skills, neuroscience
Take Your Conference Full Frontal March 20, 2017 by Jeff Hurt It’s time to take your conference full frontal! No, not a full frontal lobotomy. Nor a behind the scenes look at the private parts. It’s time to challenge and encourage your conference stakeholders to focus on engaging their brains at a higher level. It’s time to develop conference experiences that help your stakeholders think smarter. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , brain friendly strategies, brain health, brain-friendly conferences, brain-friendly meetings, cognitively stimulating, conference best practices, executive functions of the brain, full frontal, higher order thinking skills, lower order thinking skills, neuroscience
