Even More Buckaroo Breakaway Cadillac Conference Programming Trends – Part 2 January 19, 2017 by Jeff Hurt Expect the unexpected…just as Buckaroo Banzai did in the 1980s movie of the same name. Buckaroo and his merry band of cavaliers were ready to save the world from whatever came their way. They would embrace the context of each dimension much like you need to embrace these current conference programming trends. While these trends … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning, Experience Design Tagged With: , attendee experience, collaboration, conference organizer, disruption, future-focused conference programming, leadership, meeting planner, strategic thinking, systems thinking, trends
Buckaroo Breakaway Cadillac Conference Programming Trends Looming Your Way In 2017 – Part 1 January 18, 2017 by Jeff Hurt It’s the adventures of your next conference experience across the eighth dimension. Oh, wait. That’s the intro to Buckaroo Banzai about the adventures of the science fiction rock musician and his band of cavaliers. Well, similar to Buckaroo’s adventures, you have the opportunity to take your band of conference participants into the 21st Century conference … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning, Experience Design Tagged With: , attendee experience, choice architects, conference organizer, conversational intelligence, curators, future-focused conference programming, learning design, meeting planner, trends, We-Centric
Our Increased Distrust Of Institutions And What It Means To Your Association, Conference November 8, 2016 by Jeff Hurt “I’m done with __________________!” Go ahead and fill in that blank with any type of institution. Big business, conferences, education, government, medicine, membership associations, nonprofits, professional societies, religious organizations, trade organizations, etc. We are witnessing the rise of the Dones, as Dr. Josh Packard calls them. Groups of people that are done with traditional, outdated … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , association trends, co-creation, collaboration, conference best practices, conference planning, conversations, institutions, Josh Packard, participation, The Dones
Blow-The-Bugle-Awesome 21st Century Conferences Emulate These Core Beliefs October 19, 2016 by Jeff Hurt Your conference-slip is showing! I once worked for a Texas elected official. I quickly learned to tell her if her slip was showing, she had a run in her pantyhose or she had lipstick on her teeth—especially before she went on stage or met with the public. Well conference professionals, your conference-slip is showing. Your … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , anthropology, conference beliefs, conference core beliefs, ethnography, social science, sociology
Your Conference Needs To Focus On Providing 4D Experiences September 12, 2016 by Jeff Hurt Conferences need 4D experiences: deep learning, deep play, deep reflection and deep connections. You probably recall a time in your life when you viewed a 3D movie. You wore 3D glasses and the images looked like they popped out of the screen. Your conference needs more than the gimmick of 3D glasses. It needs authentic … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , 4Ds conference experience, adult learning principles, conference experience, deep connections, deep learning, deep play, deep reflection, networking, reflection
When Conference Participants Vote With Their Feet July 11, 2016 by Jeff Hurt They’re voting with their feet. It’s a common phrase. And one that we as conference organizers should pay attention to. And let’s not forget: after participants vote with their feet, they vote with their wallet. We often wonder if a topic or session is valid or valuable to our stakeholders. The answer is frequently painfully … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , conference debriefs, conference evaluation, conference observation, conference pet projects, consumer driven events, customer feedback, feedback, vote with feet
Getting More Value from Conference Keynote Speakers June 29, 2016 by Dave Lutz Not long ago, becoming a professional speaker was a third step in a thought leaders career path. Many built their expertise in an industry or function, shifted to consulting and then wrote a book to launch their speaking career. In today’s digital age, the path to creating a thought leader platform, leading to speaking gigs, … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design, Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , engagement, keynote, meeting planning best practices, professional speakers, Speaker Emerging Practices, speaker selection
Conferences Need a Strategic Purpose April 11, 2016 by Dave Lutz Does your annual conference have a documented purpose or strategy? My experience is that most organizers either don’t have one or haven’t updated, or used it, in quite a while. With competition for attendee time and share of wallet reaching new degrees of complexity, revisiting this strategic step should be a high priority. Defining the … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning, Experience Design Tagged With: , conference purpose, strategy
How to Pick Forward Thinking Conference Topics January 29, 2016 by Jeff Hurt Forecasting! The mere word may cause fear, apprehension and the thought “I don’t know how to do that! Much less how to apply forecasting to picking future-focused conference and education topics for my customers.” Don’t worry you’re not alone. More Than Predictions Forecasting is more than predicting or foretelling the future. And if you’re under … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , conference curation, conference predictions, conference trends, curation, forecasting, forward focused topics, picking conference topics
What a CEO Can Do For Your Conference December 15, 2015 by Dave Lutz Wanted: An individual with a laser focus on, and advocate for, the conference customer. Someone to educate leadership on the advantages of being customer and experience focused. A silo buster. A strategic professional with a high empathy quotient. Many conferences are planned and implemented leveraging a variety of departmental silos and often, several volunteer committees. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , community, conference best practices, conference tips, meeting planning best practices
