Conference Education’s Dirty Little Secret October 21, 2014 by Jeff Hurt All conference education has a dirty little secret. And it’s bigger and dirtier than most. The big skeleton in the conference closet is that most attendees will forget the majority of what they hear during the event. The current design of the education session sabotages your learning and retention. Let’s Waste The Company’s Money No … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , adult education, adult learning principles, conference best practices, education best practices, speaker tips
The Tragic All Too Common Brain Busting Conference Lecture October 16, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Have you seen the Gary Larson cartoon of the student asking if he can be excused because his brain is full? As author Roy Pollock points out, it’s funny as a cartoon. However overwhelming a listener’s brain is a tragic and wasteful problem that happens in many education sessions. Especially conference keynotes and breakouts. Jam … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , brain-friendly conferences, cognitive overload, conference best practices, Education & Adult Learning, lecture
Conference Education Sessions Must Override Attendees’ Need For Predictability October 14, 2014 by Jeff Hurt We are hard-wired to be like the Fraggles. But we are better off being like the the Doozers. Be A Doozer Not A Fraggle If you’ve ever watched the 80s tv show Fraggle Rock, you know the Fraggles and Doozers. The colorful, fur tuft tipped tail Fraggles only have a 30-minute work week. They dedicated … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Experience Design Tagged With: , association best practices, brain-friendly conferences, change, change management, conference best practices, conferences, meeting, meeting planner, strategic planning
Four Objections To Changing Conference Education And Experiences October 9, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Change freaks many of us out! We fear it. We ignore it. We refuse to accept it. It’s really not change that freaks us out. It’s the unknown of the outcome. It’s so much easier to keep things the same because we know the results. Defining Change According to psychologist and therapist Roger S. Gil, … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , association best practices, change, change management, conference best practices, conferences, meeting, meeting planner, strategic planning
Walk A Mile In Your Attendees’ Shoes To Improve Their Experience And Increase Your Empathy October 7, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Improving your empathy is a key to increasing your conference profit. Many conference organizers and hosts think that empathy has no place in their conference business. They believe that registration systems, schedules, speaker management tools, marketing, social media and conference attendee, exhibitor and sponsor forecasts are more important. But their view is wrong. At least … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , attendee experience, conference best practices, conference experience, customer empathy, meeting professional, strategic empathy
Your Conference Is Offering Learning Scrap That Is Not Even Worth Recycling October 6, 2014 by Dave Lutz Your conference and association value proposition is under attack! Education and networking are two benefits of conference attendance and association membership. Yet, education is being disrupted in major ways. When employees spend too much time in education offerings that do not translate into increased performance and productivity, it is learning scrap. It’s wasted information, knowledge … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , adult learning strategies, association best practices, conference best practices, conference education, disruptive forces, disruptors, learning scrap, learning trends
We Are Drawn To Effortless Education Which Results In Temporary, Fleeting Illusions Of Grandeur October 3, 2014 by Jeff Hurt There are no shortcuts to learning. Yet, we believe there are. We rush to see the top 20 tips in 60 minutes. Or the six best pointers an expert has learned from their own success. Our brains love lists. And our brains will take the easy route to alleged learning anytime. The Illusion Of Knowing … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , adult learning principles, adult learning strategies, conference best practices, conference education, education best practices, list education sessions
Conference Improvement Starts With A Focus On The Attendee Experience September 29, 2014 by Dave Lutz Improving attendee experiences is a top priority for the majority of conference planners. Yet few of us plan the attendee experience correctly. We approach conference planning from the inside-out. Considering the attendee experience is an afterthought. Most conference improvement plans look something like this: Systems & Resources → Procedures → Touchpoints → Interactions → Experiences. Although we don’t usually … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , attendee experience, conference best practices, customer, customer empathy, meeting, meeting planning best practices, user experience design, UXD
Your Conference Needs To Offer Transformational Learning Not Informational Learning September 25, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Which word describes the type of conference education sessions you prefer to attend? Pick one. Informed or transformed? The Best Learning At Conferences For me, I want to be more than just informed. I can be informed by reading information online. I don’t need to travel to a conference to become informed. I prefer a … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , adult learning, adult learning principles, adult learning strategies, conference best practices, informational learning, transformation, transformational learning
Why Technology Alone Will Not Move The Needle For Conferences September 16, 2014 by Jeff Hurt I’m a fan of technology. I’m usually an early adopter of the next shiny tech tool for individuals. And I typically try to understand if and how that tech tool may help organizations, learning and conferences. But, and it’s a big, big but: technology alone will not truly move your conference needle. Technology Isn’t Your … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Technology, Experience Design Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference experience, conference technology, conferences
