5 Practices for Improving Concurrent Sessions February 22, 2024 by Sarah Michel Conference organizers know that the “main course” of their education offering and value proposition is in the concurrent education sessions. These learning experiences are primarily guided and selected by committee members who have little to no training or experience in adult learning principles. This model can be very risky. What happens in those rooms will … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education
Creating Memorable Events with the Customer Journey Canvas: A Facilitator’s Guide October 2, 2023 by Sarah Michel This is a guest post by Diana Kander. Diane is a keynote speaker on curiosity and innovation and a New York Times Bestselling author. Her latest book, Go Big or Go Home, outlines five ways to create a memorable customer experience. The event planning industry is one of immense creativity, innovation, and personal touches. In … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning
Better Because We Will Be There September 12, 2023 by Sarah Michel Many of our clients have had to navigate unchartered waters as venue contracts (that were secured years ago) are now being questioned and challenged by members in states that have adopted discriminatory and women’s health laws that go against the mission and values of the association. In response, we posted this article back in April … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning
Five Smart Strategies for Post Pandemic Success July 24, 2023 by Sarah Michel Last week I attended the National Speakers Association’s (NSA) Annual Meeting, Influence 2023. As a 25+ year member of NSA, I was eager to see how they would weave in their 50-year anniversary and deliver on a promise to elevate the education and main room experiences. They did not disappoint. Below I’ve highlighted five strategies … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design
Elevate Your Conference Education November 11, 2021 by Sarah Michel There’s never been a better time than right now to reimagine your education programming for your first in-person conference in some time, for many—in over two years. All those changes you’ve dreamed of trying can now become a reality. Conference education sessions have long been considered the main course of the event, yet typically they … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Speaker Coaching
I Think We Cracked the Code on Digital Networking! June 1, 2021 by Sarah Michel If you missed our recent webinar on Cracking the Code on Digital Networking, you can watch it on-demand. It is well worth your time to learn from two masters: Amanda Kaiser (pictured, top right) and Arianna Rehak (pictured, bottom), co-founders of the 2021 Virtual Networking Incubator. We had a lot of ground to cover and … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Networking, Hybrid & Virtual, Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , conference networking, connections, digital networking, hybrid conferences, hybrid networking, innovations in networking, virtual networking
My Turbulent Love Affair With Digital-Event Networking May 3, 2021 by Sarah Michel I have been a loyal and passionate disciple of networking for all of my adult life. I have spent decades learning, speaking and writing about it. Yet when our world was turned upside down last March, and all meaningful connection with everyone was forced into a digital world, I suddenly felt like I lost my … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Networking, Hybrid & Virtual Tagged With: , digital conferences, hybrid conferences, networking, networking online, virtual conferences, virtual networking
Does Your Conference Need an Emcee? March 30, 2021 by Sarah Michel Having an emcee at your event was a nice-to-have prior to 2020. Now it’s a must-have. Talk to any meeting owner who has managed a large virtual event this past year using a skilled emcee and he or she will tell you it made all the difference. An emcee ensures that an event flows seamlessly … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design, Hybrid & Virtual Tagged With: , content weaver, emcee, hybrid meetings, online meetings, professional emcee, speaker, virtual meetings
[Video] 5 Tips to Guarantee Engagement at Your Virtual Event April 20, 2020 by Sarah Michel To design a virtual event with the participants in mind, you need to create an engaging, interactive experience that provides relevant content and promotes knowledge sharing and networking value—often the missing link in our new virtual reality. In this short video, we give you five tips to ensure that you’ll achieve amazing and impactful engagement … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design, Hybrid & Virtual Tagged With: , COVID-19, digital engagement, digital events, engagement, hybrid meetings, virtual events, webinars
Invest in Your Speakers to Grow Your Value Proposition January 16, 2020 by Sarah Michel The bread and butter of conferences is concurrent education sessions. Keynote speakers and main-room experiences are pivotal for bringing the community together and sharing key messaging, but attendees expect—and deserve—transformational learning (change in ideas, attitudes and behaviors) from curated, relevant and problem-centric educational sessions. Why do we often leave this most critical and valuable aspect … [Read more…] Filed Under: Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , facilitator of learning, presenter continuous impromvent, speaker coaching, speaker continuous improvement, speaker prep, subject matter experts
