An Anthropologist Walks Into A Conference September 9, 2015 by Jeff Hurt As your conference grows, it faces increased complexity. According to a recent IBM study of 1,600+ CEOs, the biggest challenge their companies face is the complexity gap. Eight out of ten of those CEOs expect their business environment to grow in complexity but less than half are prepared to face that change. Your conference’s growth … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , anthropology, big data, big insights, conference best practices, conference evaluation, education best practices, human sciences, measurement, phenomenology, Qualitative measures, speaker evaluations
Helping Sponsors Turbocharge Through Activation September 2, 2015 by Dave Lutz Activation (or leverage) is the most misunderstood, yet most critical, success driver for sponsorship ROI. Savvy marketing professionals totally get activation. But most of our profession doesn’t. This is why many of us continue to sell non-emotional promotional opportunities and incorrectly call them sponsorship. We need to capitalize on this golden opportunity. Consumer events are … [Read more…] Filed Under: Sponsorship & Exhibits Tagged With: , conference best practices, meeting planning best practices, sponsor activation, sponsor leverage, sponsorship activation, sponsorship best practices, strategic sponsorships
Conference Connexity: Deliver Your Networking Promise Webinar September 9 September 1, 2015 by Sarah Michel We spend the majority of our day in front of screens and media (digital, print & TV) says eMarketer. No wonder we are starved for face to face interactions! Your organization can help satisfy our cravings for community and connections by delivering conference experiences that foster connexity. Connexity is more than speed networking. It is … [Read more…] Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: , community, conference best practices, connexity, engagement, networking
Seven Conference Early Shatterpoints To Measure Immediately August 31, 2015 by Jeff Hurt How financially sustainable is your conference? Too often the metrics we use for our conferences are lagging indicators—inputs and outputs. We measure our P&L, attendance, sponsorship, exhibitors and attendee satisfaction. But that is not enough! We need to measure leading indicators. The VCC team gets asked repeatedly how to know if a conference is successful … [Read more…] Filed Under: Business Model Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference indicators, conference performance indicators, conference shatterpoints, KPI, KPIs, shatterpoints
Cultivating Conference Kindness Not Cynicism August 24, 2015 by Jeff Hurt I would enjoy my job more if it weren’t for people, said the meeting professional. Unfortunately, he wasn’t joking. He didn’t like dealing with people, especially disgruntled conference stakeholders. As conference organizers, we can easily fall into today’s culture of cynicism. It’s difficult to be sincere when we are constantly bombarded with an outrage culture. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference culture, conference design empathy, conference practices, kindness
Implicit vs. Explicit: Beyond the Badge Mass Personalization August 19, 2015 by Dave Lutz Whether your data capture and personalization efforts are implicit, explicit or a combination, it’s critical to develop a rubric. When combined with behavioral data, paths for mass personalization will emerge. Many associations are at the beginning of this journey and will learn much from internet commerce best practices. My Big Move Late last year, I … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Technology, Experience Design Tagged With: , behavioral data, conference best practices, event mobile apps, event technology, iBeacon, mass personalization
Exposing Your Mental Model For Conference Education August 14, 2015 by Jeff Hurt Most conference organizers are not even aware of the mental models that drive their decisions—especially when it comes to conference education. Rarely do we openly examine or actively process our mental models. We just act. So those beliefs continue to govern our thoughts and decisions, without our awareness or knowledge. As a conference organizer, your … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , adult learning, cognitive bias, conference best practices, conference education, conference learning model, education best practices, facilitator, mental model, speaker tips, thinking
Your Mental Model Influences Your Conference Success August 12, 2015 by Jeff Hurt Imagine walking down the hall of a conference venue. You stop and enter one of the rooms. A speaker is telling the audience the three steps that they must follow to be successful. The audience sits quietly. Some write or type notes. Now imagine walking into another room at the same venue. The audience is … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , cognitive bias, conference best practices, mental model, thinking
Welcoming All With Conference Radical Hospitality August 10, 2015 by Jeff Hurt I stood at the door and welcomed people into the room. It was a simple act. One of profound importance. “Welcome and thanks for being here. I appreciate your time.” Many smiled and shook my hand. Some were shocked. Some exclaimed I was the only presenter that had done that. Setting The Space With Welcoming … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Networking Tagged With: , conference best practices, radical hospitality., welcoming attitude
Using FOMO to Convert Conference Fence Sitters August 6, 2015 by Wendy Holliday Why do people camp outside Best Buy before Black Friday sales? What about those constantly checking their Facebook news feed? It is the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) The Word of Mouth Marketing Association defines FOMO: “At its root, FOMO is a sort of social anxiety that occurs when one is concerned with missing a … [Read more…] Filed Under: Attendance Marketing Tagged With: , attendance marketing, conference best practices
