Mediocrity Is Your Biggest Conference Competitor March 6, 2017 by Jeff Hurt Your real conference competition is not that event held six months after yours. Nor is your competitor time, money and resources. Your real competitor is mediocrity to paraphrase authors Karin Hurt and David Dye. You’re In A Difficult Position: Look Backwards Or Forwards For Programming? Today’s technology driven, hyper-connected, instant gratification, real-time world puts you … [Read more…] Filed Under: Business Model, Event Planning Tagged With: , audience expectations, average, conference best practices, conference experience, mediocrity, originality
Why Your Conference Needs An Intrapreneur February 2, 2017 by Jeff Hurt Are you making some changes to your annual conference? Trying to upgrade your participant experience? Or introduce some new innovations? If you are, you need a conference intrapreneur! More than just one intrapreneur, you need a conference planning culture of intrapreneurship. Ultimately, you’ll want to develop a conference team of intrapreneurs. Perplexed About Intrapreneurs? Ask … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference intrapreneurship, conferenceplanning culture of intrapreneurship, implementing conference change, Innovation, intrapreneurs, intrapreneurship
Six Issues Associations Are Having Difficulty Responding To January 31, 2017 by Jeff Hurt Many associations are slow to change. Often association leadership views change as something that disrupts the peace. They want to maintain the status quo. When beliefs that we lean on and build programming around change, we flinch. We deny. We fight and scream to maintain the past. Yet, sometimes, these changes proceed forward like waves … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , association future, association trends, certification, connectivity, disruptive forces, disruptors, learning, mobile
What Participants Expect From 21st Century Conference Experiences January 30, 2017 by Jeff Hurt Everything we take for granted about conferences, and planning them, faces disruption. Participants from all generations and cultures increasingly expect conferences to mirror their work and personal lives. They expect conferences that are authentic, connected, contextual, mobile, participatory, work-related and transparent. Savvy conference organizers meet these disruptions head-on. They know how to segment their target … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning, Experience Design Tagged With: , 21st century conferences, cognitively stimulating, collaboration, conference experience, conference experience design, engagement, learning spaces, mental engagement, participants, purpose-driven
Even More Buckaroo Breakaway Cadillac Conference Programming Trends – Part 2 January 19, 2017 by Jeff Hurt Expect the unexpected…just as Buckaroo Banzai did in the 1980s movie of the same name. Buckaroo and his merry band of cavaliers were ready to save the world from whatever came their way. They would embrace the context of each dimension much like you need to embrace these current conference programming trends. While these trends … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning, Experience Design Tagged With: , attendee experience, collaboration, conference organizer, disruption, future-focused conference programming, leadership, meeting planner, strategic thinking, systems thinking, trends
Buckaroo Breakaway Cadillac Conference Programming Trends Looming Your Way In 2017 – Part 1 January 18, 2017 by Jeff Hurt It’s the adventures of your next conference experience across the eighth dimension. Oh, wait. That’s the intro to Buckaroo Banzai about the adventures of the science fiction rock musician and his band of cavaliers. Well, similar to Buckaroo’s adventures, you have the opportunity to take your band of conference participants into the 21st Century conference … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning, Experience Design Tagged With: , attendee experience, choice architects, conference organizer, conversational intelligence, curators, future-focused conference programming, learning design, meeting planner, trends, We-Centric
Our Increased Distrust Of Institutions And What It Means To Your Association, Conference November 8, 2016 by Jeff Hurt “I’m done with __________________!” Go ahead and fill in that blank with any type of institution. Big business, conferences, education, government, medicine, membership associations, nonprofits, professional societies, religious organizations, trade organizations, etc. We are witnessing the rise of the Dones, as Dr. Josh Packard calls them. Groups of people that are done with traditional, outdated … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , association trends, co-creation, collaboration, conference best practices, conference planning, conversations, institutions, Josh Packard, participation, The Dones
What If Attendees Remember Nothing From Your Event? October 24, 2016 by Jeff Hurt Yes, what if they remember nothing from your event? “Meetings are often so overloaded with material that learning may be hurt more than it’s enhanced,” says Andrea Driessen, Chief Boredom Buster, No More Boring Meetings. (Read her article for seven ways to boost learning.) What’s worse than remembering nothing from the event? If attendees learned … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , adult learning, adult learning principles, adult learning strategies, conference education
Blow-The-Bugle-Awesome 21st Century Conferences Emulate These Core Beliefs October 19, 2016 by Jeff Hurt Your conference-slip is showing! I once worked for a Texas elected official. I quickly learned to tell her if her slip was showing, she had a run in her pantyhose or she had lipstick on her teeth—especially before she went on stage or met with the public. Well conference professionals, your conference-slip is showing. Your … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , anthropology, conference beliefs, conference core beliefs, ethnography, social science, sociology
Creating The Highly Energized And Engaged Conference Participant September 16, 2016 by Jeff Hurt Are 50%-80% of your conference attendees in your programming at any given time? Or are they filling the hallways, hotel spa and lounge, local restaurants, coffee shops and bars conversing with others? Or are they visiting the local tourist attractions? One thing is certain, if your conference attendees are not fully engaged in the experience … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , attendee engagement, conference best practices, engagement, participant, participant-centric
