Common, Yet Hazardous, Conference Planning Thinkholes That Inhibit Uniqueness July 14, 2016 by Jeff Hurt Why do so many people rate the conference experience as stale, predictable and average at best? Why do conference leaders miss the mark at preparing their own unique DNA conference experience? Why do so many conference organizers miss the opportunity to create a matchless thumbprint on their event’s identity? We as conference organizers often have … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference planning thinkholes, reflective thinking, strategic thinking, thinkholes, thinking
Becoming A Conference Possibilist And Foster Mind-Share Collaboration Event Experiences July 13, 2016 by Jeff Hurt What is the breakthrough you most want to see happen in your conference in the next year? What do you imagine could be possible if you were truly collaborating with your conference planning team, leadership and volunteers? What effect would leading through collaboration have on those who follow you? In order to do so, you … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , co-creation, collaboration, collaborative intelligence, conference collaboration and co-creation, conference possibilist, mind-share mentality, webinar
Copycat Cookie-Cutter Conference Or Unique Event June 20, 2016 by Jeff Hurt You are unique. And the conference and events you plan can be unique too. As a one-of-a-kind meeting professional, you are called to create one-of-a-kind conferences. You have an infinite amount of possibilities to create something new. Something different. Something unique. Thanks to Will Mancini for continually challenging me to think and be different. Too … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , copycat, copying great ideas, mimicry
Relabel Conference Registrants June 9, 2016 by Jeff Hurt A Momentous Catalyst To Conference Attendee Behavior Change I am often asked how to get conference attendees to adopt 21st Century learning habits. The majority of conferences treat attendees as consumers of information. We encourage them to attend our programming and passively listen. Some of them resist any changes we make to that model. They … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , Registrants, Relabel
The Ironic Challenge Attracting Academics As Your Conference Target Market June 2, 2016 by Jeff Hurt Many conferences depend upon academic researchers to present at their event. Yet that very research often puzzles their conference stakeholders. Even after their customers slice through the layers of jargon and technicalities, the research still seems mystifying. Sometimes the research seems to capture a resounding “Well, duh!” from the audience. Other times, the research presented … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , academic, conference best practices, diadatic, lectures, research, traditional conferences
These Ideas Worked A Decade Ago For Your Conference But Not Today June 1, 2016 by Jeff Hurt Times change! 10-20 years ago, we saw conferences grow both in numbers and maturity. We could throw just about any idea at our event and it seemed to work. Yet the world continues to evolve. These days, our society, our culture and our conferences change. Those ideas, assumptions, methods and features that worked in the … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , bad conference ideas, broken conference ideas, conference best practices, gimmick
Many Conferences Lack Connective Tissue May 26, 2016 by Jeff Hurt Your conference is lacking! Yes, it lacks the connective tissue to support it participants’ true business objectives for attending your event. Yes, it lacks the connective tissue of an obvious framework for the current and future needs of its stakeholders. Connective tissue is a material that supports the vital organs of your body. It provides … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , business case for events, business objectives, business objectives for conferences, conference best practices, conference connective tissue, conference strategy, connective tissue, target market
Six Monumentally Significant Shifts Medical Meetings Education Must Make Now May 24, 2016 by Jeff Hurt Medical meetings need to practice agility and pivoting with their programming now! Their organizers and hosts can’t wait for a two- or five-year change cycle. The medical profession is shifting to outcomes based medicine due to health care reform. And those conferences that want to continue to remain germane to the medical profession need to … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , healthcare reform, medical meetings
Use These Conference Cures For Outdated Mindset Thinking May 13, 2016 by Jeff Hurt We have a tendency to return to the way things have always been done. When we repeat the same process over and over again, the brain says, “Hey, we’ve done this many times. Let me automate it and you don’t have to think about it anymore.” That’s not always good when it comes to conference … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , association issues and challenges, association trends, conference best practices, conference MindShifts, conference predictions, conference trends, meeting industry trends, meeting predictions, mindset, MindShift
Use These Healthy Conference MindShifts To Thwart Poisonous Thinking May 11, 2016 by Jeff Hurt Sometimes, we just have to stop using old-school thinking. We have to move beyond this thought, “Well, it’s worked for us in the past so it must be the right thing to do now or in the future.” Some of our thinking is out of context with the today’s world. When it comes to conference … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , association issues and challenges, association trends, conference best practices, conference MindShifts, conference predictions, conference trends, meeting industry trends, meeting predictions, mindset, MindShift
