An Association Committee’s Three Responses To Change And Innovation May 10, 2018 by Jeff Hurt 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…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , association, change management, committees, Constrained State, Dynamic State, nonprofit, Resisted State, responses to change, state of organization change
10 Ideas for Improving Your Pay-to-Play Conference Presentations August 22, 2017 by Dave Lutz There’s a place for sponsored content in conference programs, if you’re thoughtful in your approach. The seventh of the TED Commandments — “Thou shalt not sell from the stage: neither thy company, thy goods, thy writings, or thy desperate need for funding; lest thou be cast aside into outer darkness” — is especially timely advice. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Business Model, Sponsorship & Exhibits Tagged With: , association, association best practices, content marketing, education champion, Pay-To-Play, sponsored content, sponsorship, thought leadership
Letting Go Of Past Conference Planning Experience To Foster New Ideas December 1, 2014 by Jeff Hurt I have a fairly inquisitive mind. I like to ponder things and ask tough questions. Wondering who, what, why, why not, how and when. I’m always chewing the cud so to speak. Thinking about how to improve things. Make them better. Thinking About Questions And Experiences I think a lot about how to improve a … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , association, conference best practices, conferences, curiosity, leadership, meeting planner
Eight Terribly Common Association Breaches And Breakdowns November 10, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Sadly, and all too commonly, many associations appear to suffer from the equivalent of attention deficit disorder. If you know someone with ADD, you know what happens when s/he exerts energy in the absence of focus, goals and vision. Many associations are like this as well. They suffer from Organizational-ADD. It all starts with the … [Read more…] Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: , association, decision-making, leadership, nonprofit, organizational ADD, volunteer strategies
Five Fears That Keep You From Accomplishing Amazingly Awesome Stuff August 8, 2014 by Jeff Hurt If you’re an association executive or conference organizer, you know where you stand within your organization. Deep down, you desire to be and do more. No, your drive is not greed in disguise. Nor is your drive selfish in nature. It’s actually a noble drive as you want to make a difference. Your drive is … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , association, association best practices, conference best practices, conferences, fear
These Conference Presentation Myths Cramp The Attendee Experience November 19, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Most conference organizers see attendees as consumers of the conference’s information. Little thought is given to seeing attendees as active participants in their own learning and experience. 8 Myths That Restrict The Attendee Experience Here are eight conference presentation myths that you should avoid. Myth 1: The lecture or panel best serves all conference attendees. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , active learning, active participation, association, conferences, Education & Adult Learning, engagement, learning myths, meeting planner, presentation myths, Speaker Emerging Practices
Increase Conference Attendee Engagement, Intimacy And Participation At Your Next Event October 10, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Have you ever attended a conference by yourself and you didn’t know anyone there? If you have, you’ve experienced a range of emotions from anticipation to anxiousness to concern. If no one acknowledges or welcomes you when you first step onsite, you may feel like an outsider. Conferences can be some of the loneliest places … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , active participation, association, community, engagement, participatory learning
Reinventing, Reimagining And Rethinking Traditional Conferences April 10, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Activism, advocacy, associations, boardrooms, battlefields, churches, education, faith groups, governments, media, nonprofits, philanthropy, retail, technology and work are all being reinvented. We are rethinking and reimagining all of our traditional institutions. This includes the meetings industry’s traditional conference. Our conferences are being reinvented by people who don’t follow the accepted practices and unspoken rules. They … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , association, conference best practices, conferences, meeting best practices, meeting planning best practices
Guaranteed To Disrupt Your Conference: The Generational Divide April 3, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Baby Boomers used to say “Don’t trust anyone under 30!” Today, the under 30s generation says, “Don’t trust anyone over 30!” If your conference is not prepared for the astonishing change in new attitudes and behaviors of the under 30s crowd, you are going to be left behind at the altar crying for more Baby … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , association, conference best practices, conferences
Are You Attracting Your Best Attendees Or Are You Repelling Them? November 26, 2012 by Dave Lutz Why are conference organizers doing so many things that repel their best customers? Instead of bombarding paying attendees with marketing messages, how about just making good on your promise to deliver education and networking opportunities? Missed Opportunities To Grow Attendee Loyalty This summer, I attended three large conferences – one in our industry and two … [Read more…] Filed Under: Attendance Marketing, Business Model Tagged With: , association, association best practices, attendee loyalty, conference marketing, sponsorship
