Six Uber Important Conference Connections November 14, 2011 by Jeff Hurt During school, we focused on what was in our heads. We took exams, got grades, received diplomas and worked towards degrees. During work, we focus on doing the job right. Our work is an open-book exam and we access lifelines from our colleagues to the Internet. Accessing our networks is encouraged and welcomed. Success today … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Networking, Experience Design Tagged With: , conference, conference best practices, conference education, connections, meetings as connections, network, networks, social learning
Do You Want Your Conference Attendees To Hear Content Or Learn It? November 11, 2011 by Jeff Hurt Here’s a question to think about as a conference organizer or speaker. Do you want your attendees to hear the content or learn it? Goal: Hear The Information If your goal is for your attendees to hear the information, then continue planning like you always have. The lecture is the quickest, easiest and most efficient … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , adult learning, brain science education, brain-friendly conferences, conference best practices, conference education, presentation best practices, presentation strategies
Bite-Sized Conference Sessions: Do They Work? November 8, 2011 by Dave Lutz Shorter education sessions are not the secret sauce for making boring or ineffective conferences appetizing. They may be more innovative and less predictable. They are even more entertaining. Unfortunately, rapid-fire five-to-18-minute presentations don’t improve learning. Unless you intentionally add time for context and meaning making. Shorter Conference Session Trends There is a growing trend for … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Experience Design Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference education, conferences, Ignite, meeting planning best practices, Pecha Kucha
Why Your Conference Rots: It Is Just Like School November 7, 2011 by Jeff Hurt What’s wrong with your conference? It’s just like school! Most conference education has adopted bad baggage from America’s education system. Every conference organizer was brainwashed for twelve or more years that our education system works. Every conference host is convinced that education only occurs with a subject matter expert at the front of the room … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference education, conference tips, conferences, meeting planning best practices
Education Myths That Shape Conferences November 3, 2011 by Jeff Hurt Conventional wisdom regarding traditional conference education is well-intentioned and misguided. Our accepted beliefs about what does and doesn’t work in conference sessions are universal. We’ve always done it this way and no one has complained so it must be working. Today, cognitive neuroscience has created a new standard of proof. Most of what we thought … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference education, learning myths, presentation best practices, presentation myths, speaker tips
Increasing Conference Customers Through Social Media, Reach And Yield November 2, 2011 by Jeff Hurt Where do new conference customers come from? Do you know the cost of acquiring your next customer? Those are the magic questions many conference organizers want answered. Incorporating The FRY Method Author Olivier Blanchard talks about using the FRY method with social media to increase customers in his book Social Media ROI. The FRY Method … [Read more…] Filed Under: Attendance Marketing Tagged With: , attendee growth, conference best practices, conferences, market segmentation, meeting planning best practices, new consumer segmentations, registration
Using Social Media And The FRY Method To Increase Event Registrations November 1, 2011 by Jeff Hurt “It’s all just a numbers game. There’s not a secret to increasing event registration. You just sell more,” says your boss. “You want to increase your sales? Just talk to more people. Pick up the phone and call more potential attendees. Send out more emails. Create more direct mail marketing pieces. Get more eyeballs. That’s … [Read more…] Filed Under: Attendance Marketing Tagged With: , attendee growth, conference best practices, conferences, market segmentation, meeting planning best practices, new consumer segmentations, registration
Your Conference Content Is Cheap! October 31, 2011 by Jeff Hurt Our conferences need less information and more meaning! Information is cheap and easy to find. Meaning is difficult to acquire! Finding Answers Is Easy Google created a program to crawl the entire Internet, collect data and index all the answers. They got us to ask questions. Then they created a map that connected those questions … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference education, conferences, content, content-strategist-curator, meeting planning best practices
Conferences Need Dynamic Planning That Relies On Insight October 27, 2011 by Jeff Hurt Your conference planning process needs a dynamic strategy that relies on insight, not call for proposals and scheduling of speakers. Most meeting professionals who devote their time to the development of detailed conference schedules are destined to eventual disappointment. Why? Because the focus is entirely on the structural framework for the meeting. Until the focus … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference best practices, conferences, meeting best practices, meeting planner, strategic planning
Your Conference: Fresh Oxygen Or Carbon Dioxide? October 24, 2011 by Jeff Hurt Take a deep breath. Now hold it. How long can you hold it before you have to exhale? You cannot be content with what you’re simply holding in your lungs. Your fresh breath suddenly becomes carbon dioxide and needs to be exhaled. It’s a natural part of breathing. Inhale oxygen. Then exhale carbon dioxide. If … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference best practices, conferences, Innovation, meeting planner, meeting planning best practices
