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 is based on having great connections. Relationships with thought leaders and advisors. Links to relevant and contextual online content. Ties with others that have similar … [Read more...]
Live Streaming: Hollywood Production Value Or Good Enough For Learning
It's the end of the (meetings) world as we know it. ~ Paraphrase, R.E.M. "This might be the beginning of the end...and the dawn of a new era in which people think recorded video as passé and demand live streaming of events," says Priya Ramesh on The Buzz Bin Blog. YouTube Going Live "With over 2 billion views a day, it's easy to think about YouTube as a place to watch videos recorded in the past. But you’ve told us you want more - and that includes events taking place right now," says … [Read more...]
Designing Content For The Big Tent General Session
Finding the right keynote presenter that has content specific for your conference audience is frequently as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. Many times the content experts are not the greatest presenters. Yet the good presenters don't have any content of value to the attendees. So what do you do? How can you design conference content that is relevant to your audience from a recognized expert with poor delivery skills? And how can you deliver content from your tradeshow floor as … [Read more...]
The Conference Life Cycle: Where Is Your Event In This Process?
All associations, businesses and professions must continually adapt in order to survive. Organizations, products and services go through a four stage life cycle: startup, growth, maturity and decline. Unless the organization reinvents itself, it declines and ceases to exist. The business life cycle also applies to conferences, meetings and events. Where do you think your conference is in this life cycle? The Product Life Cycle History Theodore Levitt originally developed the idea of a … [Read more...]
Roast Your Conventional Thinking: Reverse Your Perspective
In the late 1950s before Seattleites were known as flannel-wearing, granola-eating, sandal-sporting, long-haired, liberal, hippie, indie-rock iPods listeners and fair trade coffee organic food freaks, a mysterious phenomenon occurred. People began discovering small pockmarks on their windshields. A mass hysteria developed as more and more Seattleites found these tiny scars on their vehicles. A pockmark plague scoured the Northwest. Two theories emerged as the cause of these … [Read more...]
