What Do You Want Your Conference Customers To Become? July 9, 2014 by Jeff Hurt “It’s not the attendees’ job to know what they want,” paraphrase of Apple cofounder Steve Jobs. “Larry [Page] is into making people what he wants them to be—which is a little smarter,” former Google Executive (from author’s private correspondence).” So who do you want your conference customers to become? Adopting The Ask In Conference Design … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , Attendee Acquisition, attracting attendees, conference best practices, transformation
Confirmation Bias And Why Conferences Need To Become Innovation Labs July 3, 2014 by Donna Kastner No matter how open minded people profess to be, we’re all hard-wired to some degree for confirmation bias. It is a filter that we use to see reality that matches our thinking. It can cloud our thinking and distort our pursuit of facts. Confirmation Bias And Change Confirmation Bias is our default preference for consuming information … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference best practices, confirmation bias, Innovation
What You Are Doing Today Probably Will Not Drive Your Long Term Conference Growth June 26, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Most conference strategy is stuck! It’s stuck in strategic thinking based on ideas and frameworks designed for a different era. Our current conference growth strategy is out of context with today’s dramatic accelerated pace of change. We have taken for granted a set of growth strategy assumptions that served us in the past. But they … [Read more…] Filed Under: Business Model, Event Planning Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference growth, conferences, long term growth, strategic planning, strategic thinking, strategy
Your Conference Needs More Joyful Silence June 23, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Most conferences emphasize the spoken word. Usually, the aim of a conference is to provide stimulating speakers, fun entertainment, engaging networking, new business leads, great music and healthy food. The conference experience is typically geared to an extrovert, Type-A Personality. But how often do we use the power of silence and solitude in a conference … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference contemplation, reflection, reflective thinking, silence, solitutde
Conference Education Value Soars With Walk & Talk Discussions June 12, 2014 by Donna Kastner Many conference organizers are being asked to step up their content delivery game. One-way “Sage on the Stage” presentations to audiences held hostage for an hour or more won’t cut it in today’s conference environment. “A body at rest, stays at rest.” A Brain At Rest, Stays At Rest Same thing goes for a brain … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , adult learning, brain-friendly conferences, conference best practices
The Isaac Advantage June 11, 2014 by Dave Lutz Conference organizers who are in it for the long run know that partnerships really matter. In my mind, the best partnerships are the ones where your supplier is doing everything they can to help you win. If you’re strictly looking at them as an expense that needs to be cut, you’re probably working with the … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference best practices, meeting planning best practices, technology, tradeshow
Changing Conference Metrics To Design For Attendee Loyalty June 10, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Quick, name any business that makes money from one-time customers only. Can you do it? What business model depends upon a one-time customer purchasing services or products from the company and never returning? You probably can’t think of a successful business model that works that way. Repeat Business Is Required For Success Imagine a restaurant … [Read more…] Filed Under: Business Model Tagged With: , attendee loyalty, conference best practices, conference data collection, conferences
How To Create An Entirely Unique, Clangorously New Conference Experience June 9, 2014 by Jeff Hurt The conference market is saturated with commoditized information-driven attendee experiences. Most conferences are nothing more than status-quo, average, predictable information overloaded experiences. They reek of sameness. After you’ve attended a conference for the first time, it loses its freshness and excitement. It feels too familiar. Focus On Creating The Attendee’s Experience So how can a … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , attendee experience, conference best practices, conference experience, conferences, emotional connection
Conferences Are Providing Inferior Education Through Lectures June 5, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Conferences are providing inferior education if all they provide is didactic, presenter monologue lectures. Yes, that’s right. The speaker lecture is ineffective and inferior! If all your attendees do is sit and listen passively to speakers, you’re providing bad conference education! At least that’s what 2001 Physics Nobel Prize recipient, Stanford professor and former director … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , active learning, adult education, conference best practices, conference education, lecture, participatory learning
Delivering Community And Connections at Conferences June 3, 2014 by Sarah Michel Does your conference have connexity? Not sure what that means? Or even if your conference has it? Well, the success of your face-to-face meetings depends on it! Connexity Happens When… Connexity happens when community and connecting collide! In a good way of course. Your attendees crave these two things: They want to connect with others … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Networking, Experience Design, Sponsorship & Exhibits Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference community, conferences, connections, connexity, sponsorship
