It's that time of year again. Time to think of what trends might have an impact on conferences and meetings in 2013. So what can we expect to see as far as demands from our participants this year? Five Trends To Watch Here are five trends to watch during 2013 1. The Participation Economy From passive information consumption to actively contributing, discussing, creating and participating. Conference attendees don't want to spend $1,500 - $2,000 to attend your event and then sit passively for … [Read more...]
Four Basic Conference Principles You Must Adopt
Brain drain or brain fuel? Which would you rather create for your conference attendees? Brain fuel for sure! Unfortunately, most conferences are nothing more than brain drains. The Traditional Conference Tension Conference organizers have to balance a common tension: fill seats versus creating a unique attendee experience. Usually, conference organizers land on the side of trying to fill as many seats as possible. Their solution to this challenge is to secure as many presenters and … [Read more...]
Moving Towards More Peeragogy Learning Experiences For Conferences And Associations
What if at your next education experience, the speaker gave all the expert-power to the audience? What if the participants were empowered to take more control of their learning, collaboration and dialogue? It's happening in secondary schools, colleges, universities and some education experiences across the globe. It's peeragogy or paragogy, also known as peer-based learning. Defining Peeragogy In short, peeragogy is peer-based learning or learning from each other. It acknowledges the … [Read more...]
Four Smart Savvy Conference Tips For Attendees
It's the start of the fall conference season. Some of my trade association colleagues are making their annual journey to the trade association Mecca. Well, let's not get too carried away with calling ASAE's Annual Meeting and Expo Mecca. Four Tips To Make Your Conference Experience More Successful Whether you're attending ASAE12 or another conference, here are four smart, savvy conference tips to make your experience a success. 1. Take The Path Less Traveled Conference attendees tend to stick … [Read more...]
Horseshoe Groups: Merging Two Buzz Groups To Increase Audience Discussion
Lectures are a barrier to the listener's thinking. The constant one-way transfer of information is like a dripping faucet. The information keeps coming and coming and coming. And that constant drip of new data, facts, figures and info keeps the brain overwhelmed with new information. The listener is faced with a choice: listen to the new information or think about what they just heard. You can't listen to the lecture and think about that information at the same time. You either do one or the … [Read more...]
Using Content Marketing To Grow Conference Attendance
Joe Pulizzi shares how he uses content marketing to grow attendance at the Content Marketing World Conference. Here’s a rundown of his video if you want to fast forward to a specific area. 00:10 – Who Is Joe Pulizzi & What Is The Content Marketing World Conference 01:00 – What Is Content Marketing? 02:07 – How To Use Content Marketing To Grow Conference Attendance 03:39 – Tips For Creating Content For Your Conference Marketing 06:59 – For More Information On Content … [Read more...]
Creating Buzz Groups To Add Audience Participation To Traditional Lectures
Lectures are good for sharing information. They are not good for learning and getting listeners to think! Nor are the good for getting listeners to remember and apply the information they hear. Audience discussion methods are more effective for learning than the lecture. Lectures are the equivalent of distributing a report and asking people to read it. The scientific research about the ineffectiveness of lectures for education and learning abounds. Yet it is still the primary method used in … [Read more...]
Three Conference Speaker Processes That Will Alarm You [Free Speaker Report]
Who has the final decision making power to hire a professional speaker for an organization? The answer may surprise you. And it may cause you to drop your jaw, raise your eyebrows and shout, "Huh?" Recently, Velvet Chainsaw partnered with Tagoras, Inc., a leading continuing education company, to survey conference professionals about their use of speakers. Here are three findings from The Speaker Report: The Use Of Professional And Industry Speakers In The Meetings Market. (Free PDF download. … [Read more...]
