Are We Creating The Wrong Type Of Conference Experiences? June 28, 2017 by Jeff Hurt Everyone’s talking about the need to create customer experiences. (Yes, including us, the Velvet Chainsaw team.) It’s as if Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore’s Experience Economy is just now hitting its stride—for conferences at least. The word is out: we’ve got to create conference experiences, not just conferences that feel like a patchwork quilt of … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , 4Ds conference experience, conference experience, conference experience design, deep connections, deep learning, deep play, deep reflection, dopamine drip, limbic system, prefrontal cortex
Attract With Content; Keep Them With The Experience March 23, 2017 by Jeff Hurt The internet has made world-class content front, center, mobile and affordable—often free. Anyone can hear the best experts for free (or nearly free) on almost any device they own. Anyone can get thought leadership at their fingertips. And your conference audience does. They have access to the same information you do. They can hear, watch … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , attracting attendees, conference experience, conference experience design, content, content marketing
Mediocrity Is Your Biggest Conference Competitor March 6, 2017 by Jeff Hurt Your real conference competition is not that event held six months after yours. Nor is your competitor time, money and resources. Your real competitor is mediocrity to paraphrase authors Karin Hurt and David Dye. You’re In A Difficult Position: Look Backwards Or Forwards For Programming? Today’s technology driven, hyper-connected, instant gratification, real-time world puts you … [Read more…] Filed Under: Business Model, Event Planning Tagged With: , audience expectations, average, conference best practices, conference experience, mediocrity, originality
What Participants Expect From 21st Century Conference Experiences January 30, 2017 by Jeff Hurt Everything we take for granted about conferences, and planning them, faces disruption. Participants from all generations and cultures increasingly expect conferences to mirror their work and personal lives. They expect conferences that are authentic, connected, contextual, mobile, participatory, work-related and transparent. Savvy conference organizers meet these disruptions head-on. They know how to segment their target … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning, Experience Design Tagged With: , 21st century conferences, cognitively stimulating, collaboration, conference experience, conference experience design, engagement, learning spaces, mental engagement, participants, purpose-driven
Your Conference Needs To Focus On Providing 4D Experiences September 12, 2016 by Jeff Hurt Conferences need 4D experiences: deep learning, deep play, deep reflection and deep connections. You probably recall a time in your life when you viewed a 3D movie. You wore 3D glasses and the images looked like they popped out of the screen. Your conference needs more than the gimmick of 3D glasses. It needs authentic … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , 4Ds conference experience, adult learning principles, conference experience, deep connections, deep learning, deep play, deep reflection, networking, reflection
Impotent Conferences Are Powerless To Influence Forward Movement July 1, 2015 by Jeff Hurt Imagine a radio station that played adult contemporary, classical, country, dance, electronic, golden oldies, heavy metal, news, pop, R&B, rock, southern gospel and talk alternating between each. What if this commercial radio station tried to appeal to everyone’s musical taste as well as news and talk radio? How successful would it be? It wouldn’t work, … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , attendee experience, conference best practices, conference experience, conference organizer, learning, meeting professional, networking, strategic thinking, target market
Misguided And Misinformed Conference Barometers May 8, 2015 by Jeff Hurt Many of us who plan conferences have become so busy at the logistics of the event that we lose sight of the goal. When planning an event, we immediately go into automatic overdrive. We do the same things we’ve always done because it’s efficient and familiar to us. The over arching goals of the conference—providing … [Read more…] Filed Under: Business Model Tagged With: , attendee experience, conference best practices, conference experience, conference indicators, conference performance indicators, KPI, KPIs, shatterpoints, traditional conferences
Human Centered Design Will Impact Your Conference Experience [Infographic] May 1, 2015 by Jeff Hurt Take a look at some of the research and predictions from Hyper Island on how Experience Design is more critical to businesses than price. Applying this research to the business of conferences, paid attendee experience will soon become the unique selling point of conference over price and product. Are you even thinking about designing a … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , attendee experience, conference experience, human centered design, user experience design
Four Deeds Your Conference Must Exploit March 13, 2015 by Jeff Hurt Your conference should be something to be experienced! It should be an action verb, not a passive experience. It should be something that participants do, not consume. The following four deeds are how to create an active unforgettable transformative conference experience for your participants. You need these deeds to grow your conference. They are the … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , authentic community, conference best practices, conference experience, fearless conversations, radical hospitality., relevant anticipation
The Growing Majority Of The Conference Declined February 26, 2015 by Jeff Hurt Who are the people that don’t regularly attend conferences? What are the traits of those that devalue the traditional conference experience? It seems that what attracts some people to conferences actually repels others. Some see the traditional conference experience as stale and predictable. They are uninterested in spending $1,500-$2,000 in registration, airfare, lodging and expenses … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , attendee experience, conference best practices, conference experience, traditional conferences
