Fostering a Winning Conference Culture June 17, 2019 by Lisa Block I have been struck by the disparity in how an association’s organizational culture translates (or doesn’t translate) to the on-site implementation or planning of its live events. There are many associations that tout their open and supportive cultures. But when it gets to “go time,” does that culture manifest at your conferences and meetings? Online … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , big tent, conference planning, event planning, meeting planning, on-site culture, radical hospitality.
More Conference Physics: Inertia January 31, 2019 by Jeff Hurt I bet you’ve heard this before: “An object at rest, tends to stay at rest.” Oh, yeah, it’s Newton’s first law of motion: any object will stay at rest or in motion unless acted on by an external force. It’s also referred to as the law of inertia. Yes, an object at rest, tends to … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , cognitive inertia, cognitive shortcut, conference inertia, confirmation bias, inertia, organizational inertia, resource rigidity, routine rigidity
The Physics Of Conference Entropy January 21, 2019 by Jeff Hurt In physics, the second law of thermodynamics says all things—bodies, businesses, conferences, energy, organizations, relationships—move toward chaos and disorder. This is also known as the state of maximum entropy. In one sense, entropy is a measure of uncertainty or randomness. It is the amount of confusion, disorganization and disequilibrium. As your conference matures, it experiences … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference chaos, conference entropy, conference physics, disequilibrium, disorder, disorderly, disorganization, entropy, physics, randomness, second law of thermodynamics, thermodynamics, uncertainty
We Prefer Stories To Stats—The Dark Side of Stories January 17, 2019 by Jeff Hurt We love stories. They connect on a personal and emotional level. We trust them more than statistical evidence. Unfortunately, we tend to overgeneralize from others’ stories, from anecdotal information and from small sampling sizes. We tend to confuse now with “what always is” as if our immediate situation consistently represents the entire universe of similar … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , narratives, stories, stories over stats, story arc, story sharing
Empowering Conference Registrants To See Learning As A Journey Not A Finish Line January 9, 2019 by Jeff Hurt Do your conference learning opportunities—from the general session to networking to breakouts to deep dive workshops—empower registrants to participate in their own learning journey? Or do your conference education sessions motivate participants to see the finish line? Their learning stops once the session ends. Authentic learner-centered conferences foster a connection between the participant and the … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , certification, CEs, conference education, Continuing Education, education sessions, learning, learning as a finish line, learning as a journey, learning for life, life long learning, professional development, professional learning, relearning, reskilling, unlearning, upskilling
Conference Reform Requires Cultivating Leaders With Moral Purpose To Make A Difference January 8, 2019 by Jeff Hurt Many conferences are stuck in the rut of legacy routines, age-old rituals and cloned programming. Conference organizers and its advisors replicate the past maintaining the traditions and well-established procedures of yesteryear. The event is nothing more than a zombie conference—a conference that appears to be alive yet in reality creates the walking undead. If you … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference purpose, conference reform, conference vision, leaders, leadership, make a difference, moral purpose, restructuring, transformation, transformative, trasaction, walking undead, zombie conference
Developing Your Conference Story Arc To Activate Participants’ Brains November 8, 2018 by Jeff Hurt Applying a story arc to the conference can activate participants’ brains. And you want stimulated, motivated engaged brains during your event for sure! A story arc is an extended, continuous storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television series, comic books, video games, films etc. Each episode follows a dramatic arc with the story unfolding … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference as episodic storytelling, conference narrative, conference story arc, episodic storytelling, framing, narrative, stories, story, story arc, story sharing, storytelling
Use A Conference Story Arc To Shift Your Participants’ Brain Architecture And Strengthen Their Neural Connections November 6, 2018 by Jeff Hurt We are helpless story junkies says author, journalist, and storyteller Michelle Weldon. We can’t help it. It’s part of our human nature to crave and connect with stories. Your brain on story acts very differently than when your brain is receiving data, facts and information. It changes its structure and releases cortisol and oxytocin–called the … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference story arc, hardwired for connections, narrative, neural connections, neuroscience, neurotransmitters, story arc, story sharing, storytelling
Burn Conference Traditions Immune From Criticism October 17, 2018 by Dave Lutz People don’t trust institutions today says sociologist Dr. Josh Packard. We don’t think institutions have our best interests in mind he says. We believe they serve the interests of the professionals who created and run them, and they serve the interests of perpetuating their own existence. Your association, annual conference, and governance are all institutions. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , authenticity, conference tradtions, servant leadership, transparency, trust in institutions
Time Capsules, Time Machines And Evolution Of Traditional Meeting Planners September 27, 2018 by Jeff Hurt Is your annual meeting more like a time capsule or a time machine? Conferences that are like time capsules promote and preserve nostalgia and the past. Conferences that are like time machines teleport people to the future so they can discover what’s next. Conferences that resemble time capsules defend the status quo and traditions. Events … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conferences as time capsules, conferences as time machines, Innovation, meeting planning evolves
