Conference Education


More Dangerous Assumptions About Your Conference Education Part 2

The research* shows that much of what we do in our conference education is actually counterproductive. (*See partial list of research and books at the end of Dangerous Assumptions Part 1 post.) We spend too much of our conference time on delivery of information. The web is a better information delivery model than our events. … [Read more…]

Dangerous Assumptions About Your Conference Education Part I

It’s a very dangerous assumption. We assume that if our speakers are talking, our attendees must be learning. We equate telling from the stage with audience education. Telling does not equal learning. We’ve placed a value on experts talking instead of a value on attendees’ learning. It’s backwards thinking and it’s one of our conference’s … [Read more…]

Do Your Suppliers Habitually Skip Out On Your Conference Education?

Do you know where your suppliers are? Seriously, do you? Are they attending your conference education? Or just hanging around for the networking and social events? Side-by-Side Learning Should Be a Must for Suppliers The home page of the Meetings Mean Business website sums up the coalition’s main message: “Great things happen when people come … [Read more…]

Develop An Organization That Succeeds Through A Culture Of Learning Infographic

Modern organizations need to develop a learning culture… …If they want to survive in the rapidly changing world in which we now live. A learning culture is a work environment that supports all employees constantly learning, unlearning and relearning.  Our knowledge and skills can become outdated quickly. Successful organizations hire those that embrace life-long learning. … [Read more…]

The Next Frontier Of Conference Improvement: Conference Education

Traditional conference education models have lost their relevance. The process of distributing a call for session and speaker submissions, selecting experts that transmit and dispense information, and packaging it as professional development for the masses is overdone. One-size-fits-all education doesn’t work anymore. We are in the midst of great workplace disruption, brought on by a … [Read more…]

The Future Of Learning And Technology 2020: Preparing For Change

The education landscape of 2020 will be characterized by the blurring of boundaries. Learning anywhere and anytime will be commonplace in many different ways based on the ubiquitous and innovative use of technology. Our organizations face a duality of change—conceptual and technological—regarding the practices of education and learning. The practices of teaching, presenting and learning … [Read more…]

Five Super Effervescent Sparkling Fresh Conference Education Ideas

As a conference organizer, do you replicate last year’s conference schedule and experience and just change the filling? Or do you mix it up? Constantly looking for new ways to freshen up the attendee’s conference experience. The best conference organizers proactively seek fresh, new ideas to implement at their next annual meeting. They work hard … [Read more…]

Conference Education Sessions Must Override Attendees’ Need For Predictability

We are hard-wired to be like the Fraggles. But we are better off being like the the Doozers. Be A Doozer Not A Fraggle If you’ve ever watched the 80s tv show Fraggle Rock, you know the Fraggles and Doozers. The colorful, fur tuft tipped tail Fraggles only have a 30-minute work week. They dedicated … [Read more…]

We Are Drawn To Effortless Education Which Results In Temporary, Fleeting Illusions Of Grandeur

There are no shortcuts to learning. Yet, we believe there are. We rush to see the top 20 tips in 60 minutes. Or the six best pointers an expert has learned from their own success. Our brains love lists. And our brains will take the easy route to alleged learning anytime. The Illusion Of Knowing … [Read more…]

Is Your Success Dependent Upon Proving You Are Smart Or Learning?

I don’t divide the world into the weak and the strong, or successes and failures… I divide the world into learners and non-learners. ~ Sociologists Benjamin Barber. Your Drive To Learn All babies are eager to learn says Stanford professor, neuroscience researcher and author Dr. Carol Dweck. “You never see an unmotivated baby,” she says. … [Read more…]