Creating The Highly Energized And Engaged Conference Participant September 16, 2016 by Jeff Hurt Are 50%-80% of your conference attendees in your programming at any given time? Or are they filling the hallways, hotel spa and lounge, local restaurants, coffee shops and bars conversing with others? Or are they visiting the local tourist attractions? One thing is certain, if your conference attendees are not fully engaged in the experience … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , attendee engagement, conference best practices, engagement, participant, participant-centric
Great Questions Define Great Conference Experiences September 15, 2016 by Jeff Hurt It is much more effective to provide opportunities for conference participants to solve their own problems, then telling them how to solve it. (Paraphrase Dr. A. Gidget Hopf, President & CEO of The Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired—Goodwill Industries.) Conference organizers automatically assume that if someone is attending their event, they expect the … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , better conference experiences, collaboration, conference best practices, curiosity, learning design, problem solving, questions
Ninja Moves for Improved Conference Session Marketing September 8, 2016 by Dave Lutz Better session copy helps put butts in seats! As conference education trumps the exhibit hall experience at many association meetings, or creeps into your trade show experience to create a solutions-driven, holistic experience for your attendees, upping your game with session titles, descriptions, and learning objectives has become more important than ever. In 2013, we … [Read more…] Filed Under: Attendance Marketing Tagged With: , Attendance Acquisition, attendance marketing, conference best practices, content marketing, Education, Education & Adult Learning, meeting planning best practices, Session Marketing
Back to School for Trade Show Organizers: Build In More Ways to Learn and Connect August 2, 2016 by Betsy Bair This is the second in a series of posts on the findings of reports published by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) based on research recently conducted on attendee retention strategies. The way we buy has evolved for both the B2B and B2C sectors. Trade show organizers who have re-imagined their expo floors into … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Sponsorship & Exhibits Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference education, Education & Adult Learning, tradeshow
Your Trade Show Attendees: What Do They Really, Really Want? June 28, 2016 by Betsy Bair This is the first in a series of posts on the findings of reports published by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) based on research recently conducted on attendee retention strategies. It’s likely that the Brexit vote last week is on my mind and that’s why the Spice Girls’ tune, “Wannabe,” popped into my … [Read more…] Filed Under: Attendance Marketing, Sponsorship & Exhibits Tagged With: , attendance analysis, attendance marketing, attendees, behavioral data, conference best practices, engagement, Trade show marketing
The Ironic Challenge Attracting Academics As Your Conference Target Market June 2, 2016 by Jeff Hurt Many conferences depend upon academic researchers to present at their event. Yet that very research often puzzles their conference stakeholders. Even after their customers slice through the layers of jargon and technicalities, the research still seems mystifying. Sometimes the research seems to capture a resounding “Well, duh!” from the audience. Other times, the research presented … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , academic, conference best practices, diadatic, lectures, research, traditional conferences
These Ideas Worked A Decade Ago For Your Conference But Not Today June 1, 2016 by Jeff Hurt Times change! 10-20 years ago, we saw conferences grow both in numbers and maturity. We could throw just about any idea at our event and it seemed to work. Yet the world continues to evolve. These days, our society, our culture and our conferences change. Those ideas, assumptions, methods and features that worked in the … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , bad conference ideas, broken conference ideas, conference best practices, gimmick
Many Conferences Lack Connective Tissue May 26, 2016 by Jeff Hurt Your conference is lacking! Yes, it lacks the connective tissue to support it participants’ true business objectives for attending your event. Yes, it lacks the connective tissue of an obvious framework for the current and future needs of its stakeholders. Connective tissue is a material that supports the vital organs of your body. It provides … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , business case for events, business objectives, business objectives for conferences, conference best practices, conference connective tissue, conference strategy, connective tissue, target market
Sagacious And Substantive Gists We Should Appreciate, Comprehend And Respect Regarding Learning May 25, 2016 by Jeff Hurt Learning: it is probably one of the most misunderstood and misapplied concepts today. Many of us assume learning results from attending a class. We believe that our brains are like sponges that just absorb whatever it hears or sees. We presume that learning is a byproduct of listening to a lecture. We’ve even given names … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , active learning, adult education, adult learning principles, adult learning strategies, andragogy, conference best practices, conference education, conference learning model
Use These Conference Cures For Outdated Mindset Thinking May 13, 2016 by Jeff Hurt We have a tendency to return to the way things have always been done. When we repeat the same process over and over again, the brain says, “Hey, we’ve done this many times. Let me automate it and you don’t have to think about it anymore.” That’s not always good when it comes to conference … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , association issues and challenges, association trends, conference best practices, conference MindShifts, conference predictions, conference trends, meeting industry trends, meeting predictions, mindset, MindShift
