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
Three Conference Mindsets (And More Research You Need To Know) October 13, 2011 by Jeff Hurt People’s behaviors, needs and preferences online reflect their offline actions. Understanding some of their online human activity can help conference organizers understand and connect with their onsite conference attendees. Ultimately, securing the right kind of conference content is exactly what your attendees seek. The Research In Spring 2011, About. com partnered with Latitude to examine … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , adult learning, adult learning principles, attracting attendees, conference best practices, conferences, content, content marketing, meeting planning best practices
Three Infographics On Conference Content And Delivery August 31, 2011 by Jeff Hurt Dare to color outside the lines. Have the courage to take risks. Let go of outdated, dead sacred cows. These were just a few of the overarching themes from Experient’s e4 2011 Conference “Outside the Lines.” Bye, Bye Breakouts! Hello Innovation Labs! The Experient team always delivers a stellar conference that’s engaging. They are willing to … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , committee best practices, conference best practices, conference tips, conferences, content, content strategist, content-strategist-curator, meeting best practices, meeting planning, meeting planning best practices, Speaker Emerging Practices
If You Are Not Content Marketing, You Are Not Marketing May 24, 2011 by Jeff Hurt Content marketing is the art of communicating with your customer without selling. ~ Junta42.com Content marketing does not pitch products or services. It does not interrupt. Instead, it helps customers become more intelligent. At the heart of content marketing is the belief in reciprocity. If an organization delivers consistent, ongoing valuable information to its customers, … [Read more…] Filed Under: Attendance Marketing Tagged With: , content, content marketing, organization marketing
Are You Corrupting Your Education Sessions? May 19, 2011 by Jeff Hurt Less is more. Too much, too fast, it won’t last. That’s a favorite adage used by some educators. The underlying concept is that you can present more and faster. But your listeners will simply forget more and faster! Overloading The Mind Organizations and conference planners are often pressured to offer more presentations and content. More, … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , brain science education, conference education, conferences, content, delivery, meeting planning best practices, presentation best practices
The Four Cs Of Social Engagement: Social Media For Events January 27, 2011 by Jeff Hurt According to a recent study, 80% of American adults use the Internet. 75% belong to a social network. Our social media use is increasing and event organizers need to adopt new thinking, new directions and new strategies for event communications and engagement. Here is the PPT from my presentation for Southwest Showcase jointly produced by International Association for Exhibitions … [Read more…] Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: , conferences, content, engagement, event technology, Social Media, social networking, technology
Annual Meetings Overloaded With Scarcity Of Attention January 19, 2011 by Jeff Hurt Attention. It is the currency of today. Squirrel!* Oops, back to the post. Attention is more important and more valuable than reach or impressions. Without it we cannot learn. Using it wisely and economically, we can increase our learning and change our future. Attention. We all want it. We all have it. We all want … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , attention, conferences, content, engagement, scarcity of attention
Creating Zombie Conferences That Consume Attendee Brains January 18, 2011 by Jeff Hurt Most conference marketing should say: Come to our Zombie Conference! We want to consume your brain! At least that statement would be more authentic to many conference experiences. Many conference schedules are packed full of education sessions and informative presentations. Organizers rapidly shovel and push information at attendees. It often feels like a medieval joust … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , conferences, content, delivery, Education & Adult Learning, Information Indigestion, short term memory, working memory
Information Dump Or Learning Facilitator? December 13, 2010 by Jeff Hurt It’s time to decide which one your conference is: information dump or learning facilitator. Is there a difference between information and education? Education and learning? A quick review of the definitions for each within the context of meetings helps provide clarity. Information Information is concepts, data, facts and research. Communicating information is normally show-n-tell lectures … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , active learning, active participation, adult learning, conferences, content, delivery, Education & Adult Learning, engagement
Obituary For A Conference Education Session December 7, 2010 by Jeff Hurt It was a wasted ninety minutes of life. 5,400 seconds of possibility that are now gone forever without a shred of hope, learning or motivation. It had such potential. It died so quick and so young. No one understood a single thing that was said. The barrage of PowerPoint slides with small fonts, too many … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , active learning, adult learning, conferences, content, delivery, Education & Adult Learning, engagement, meeting planner