The Professional Convention Management Association’s Convening Leaders in San Francisco In early January served as an engaging and energizing way to kick off a new year and a new decade. I’ve been a regular attendee and active volunteer in PCMA for over 25 years and continue to be impressed at their willingness to take risks and incubate innovative ideas. Here are a few items that are top-of-mind as I’ve reflected on the recent PCMA CL. Innovate + Elevate Arena The sponsor and partner … [Read more...]
Do You Really Have Them at Hello? Rethinking Your First-Timer Strategy
One of my biggest pet peeves is the way some conferences approach first-time attendees. Being intentional and having a plan for how you welcome someone who is experiencing your conference for the first time is not only the right thing to do, it’s also a smart attendee acquisition strategy. It’s a pivotal time to onboard and help them make connections that will last throughout the conference, and, hopefully, throughout the years as they become repeat attendees. No One Should Eat Alone Take a … [Read more...]
Three Core Conference Planning Tenets To Master And Skillfully Apply
Does your conference committee practice organized abandonment and avoid no-bottom-line-mindsets? What is their capacity to see opportunities in the mist of change? How are they at focusing on the purpose, goals and target market of the conference when making decisions? These three principles are vital to maintaining a healthy, strong conference. Often conference planning members lack experience with the tenets of organized abandonment, focus on strategic alignment and organizing for … [Read more...]
The Crisis of Connection
We’re lonely. And not just a little lonely. We’re experiencing a global epidemic level of loneliness. Last week, the U.K. appointed Tracey Crouch as the Minister of Loneliness after the British parliament released a five-year study on loneliness that found more than 9 million people in the country reported they often or always feel lonely. Across the globe, loneliness is fast becoming one of our most serious health epidemics and is a greater predictor of early death than obesity, smoking … [Read more...]
When Contemplating Conference Growth, Think Next Audiences Which Includes Next Gen
Too often when we think about conference growth or sustainability, we assume it means attracting next gen customers. We pinpoint a specific generation, usually Millennials. Then we discuss how to plan, program and market to that specific age group. Eventually our planning discussions turn to generational differences. Those conversations can quickly digress into personal pet peeve complaints about each generation. Before we realize it, we’ve polarized current and future … [Read more...]
Conversations, Collaboration and Chemistry
Judith E. Glaser, an author, business executive, and self-described “organizational anthropologist,” says science has now proven that the chemical nature of relationships, conversations and collaboration is more than an attraction metaphor: it’s a reality. So the quality of our conversations — especially those participants have with others at conferences and meetings — has a direct chemical impact on them, those around them, and therefore on the organizations they belong to. Glaser, who … [Read more...]
How Conference Networking Improves Participants’ Brain Health [Webinar May 11]
Brain science research continues to prove that our brains function best when we’re engaged in meaningful We-centric conversations. We are a highly social species. This research illustrates our need to design conferences that promote deeper and more meaningful conversations, especially in our networking. These We-centric conversations, as organizational anthropologist and author Judith Glaser states, move us from less surface what I can do into deeper conversations of what we can do together. … [Read more...]
Innovators Network Differently
After studying a whole bunch of professional conferences, it’s very clear to me what separates a thriving event from one on life support. For multi-day conferences, a growing number register and return because of who else will be there. Our attendees have more choices than ever for professional development and acquiring purchasing intelligence. Today, it’s difficult to differentiate and grow without strong networking value and a tribe-like vibe. It’s no longer enough to just attract the … [Read more...]
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