There is one debt every conference organizer must face and vanquish. It can cripple a conference. It doesn’t show up on your profit and loss statement. What is this debt? Organizational debt—the interest your conference pays when its structures, policies, procedures, practices, committees and leadership roles stay fixed and accumulate even as the world around … [Read more…]
The future belongs to the curious! Curiosity is the key to success both now and in the future. When curiosity is combined with passion, aspiration and accomplishment it creates a winning formula resulting in achievement. Conference organizers that create a culture of curiosity gain both a short and long term competitive edge. Those that exhibit … [Read more…]
Does your event have a clear and inspiring purpose? (If you’re shaking your head yes, then what is it?) Now imagine someone asking your conference participants that question. How would they respond? I suspect they would say “Yes, of course it has a purpose!” Then they would launch into a passionate description of your event’s … [Read more…]
We design experiences for our customers. So why don’t we design experiences for ourselves? Have we missed the obvious? (I confess: I have!) As conference organizers, why can’t we also have a fun, fulfilling, and collaborative experience planning and designing the conference? Well, we can and should! And our planning team members should too. Six … [Read more…]
We are used to thinking of our conference and its planning process as a one-way transaction from the company to its customers. Sometimes we view the planning process as a backbreaking, arduous, life-draining experience. We may even dread working with a new conference advisory committee due to our negative past experiences. If this sounds like … [Read more…]
Marriott, Hilton and IHG have announced reductions in group-booking commissions from 10 percent to 7 percent for their North American hotels, to take place over a period of time this year and next. Marriott’s has already begun for most intermediaries. A 30-percent cut in one’s business model is a tough pill to swallow for any … [Read more…]
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 … [Read more…]
Is your organization stuck in a 20th Century time warp and on the endangered list? Are its structures, business models and operations using outdated methods resembling a relic of the past? Or are your organizational work processes thriving in today’s increasingly hypercompetitive, fast-paced and interconnected marketplace? In order to be a successful 21st Century organization, … [Read more…]
Here’s your Who Wants to be A Millionaire million dollar question: What are the three states of association committee change? Is that your final answer? I’m sorry but solid, liquid and gas are not the right responses. And no, the State of WADITW (we’ve always done it this way), the State of WFIIINB (why fix … [Read more…]
One of the ironies of associations is that the strengths that led to their initial success may actually be detrimental to their ongoing growth. Most associations start with a group of passionate volunteers that serve in many roles. They are intricately involved in all the functions of the association. These core volunteers oversee the organization’s … [Read more…]
