The American Idol Strategy Of Picking Conference Speakers March 5, 2010 by Jeff Hurt America has a love-hate-relationship with American Idol. We boo the negative naysayer and painfully honest founder and judge Simon Cowell. Although we often secretly agree with what he has to say. We applaud the effervescent Ellen DeGeneres when she says she likes a finalist and compares them to an unripe banana. Although we know she … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , association, conferences, content, delivery, Education & Adult Learning, event, meeting, speaker, Speaker Emerging Practices
Does Your Conference Content Resemble New York City Or A Ghost Town? March 4, 2010 by Jeff Hurt Consider your association’s education and conference content. Does it resemble a vibrant, youthful, buzzing community, like the always open 24-7 New York City? Or does it resemble an old ghost town with dust and tumbleweeds, a city stuck in the past refusing to change with the times? Now let’s take that further. So, which do … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , association, conferences, content, Education & Adult Learning, event, meeting
13 Things You Can Do Now To Improve Your Conference Content March 3, 2010 by Jeff Hurt Imagine you are going to hear Martin Luther King’s memorable “I’ve Got A Dream” speech for the first time, live and in person. You grab your time machine manual and follow its instructions. You step into your time machine and set the location for the steps of the Lincoln Monument and the date for August … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , conferences, content, delivery, Education & Adult Learning, meeting planner
An Open Letter To Association Board Members, Committees, Executives March 2, 2010 by Jeff Hurt Dear Association X (insert your association name here): I have been a member of your association for several years. I am writing this open letter to you about your annual conference and event speakers, and how they map to my professional development needs. For the past several years, I have attended your annual meetings and … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , association, conferences, content, Education & Adult Learning, meeting, Speaker Emerging Practices
Is Your Conference Content Boogielicious Or Headbanging Hurt? March 1, 2010 by Jeff Hurt Can your conference content boogie? Is its SPH (Sessions Per Hour), similar to BPM, contagious, and trance-like making everyone want to sway to its beat? Does your content have an infectious swing and shuffle rhythm that makes the heart beat faster, toes tap and the booty shake more? Does it have a rockabilly, blues, boogie-woogie … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , association, conferences, content, Education & Adult Learning
Conference Organizers: Let’s Do The Time Warp Again February 22, 2010 by Jeff Hurt It’s so dreamy, oh fantasy free me So you can’t see me, no not at all In another dimension, with voyeuristic intention Well-secluded, I see all With a bit of a mind flip You’re there in the time slip And nothing can ever be the same You’re spaced out on sensation, like you’re under sedation … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , conferences, Education & Adult Learning, event, meeting planner
Is It Our (De)-Fault To Distance Ourselves From The Meeting’s Content And Programming? February 19, 2010 by Jeff Hurt What event professional do you know that takes full responsibility for the entire attendee experience at their face-to-face event or meeting? What would meetings and events look like if meeting professional’s quit blaming others for the content, programming and experience of the event? For the past 18 months I’ve consistently heard meetings and event professionals … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , association, content, Education & Adult Learning, engagement, event, face-to-face event, meeting, meeting planner, meeting professional
20 Things To Do To Make Your Conference Experience More Successful February 18, 2010 by Jeff Hurt If you’re like me, you’re probably planning on attending at least one conference in the coming months. Do you make a list of goals or people that you want to meet before you attend? Or do you attend with a free spirit attitude and let spontaneity rule? Regardless of your conference mindset, here’s a quick … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , association, conferences, Education & Adult Learning, meeting, pre-conference planning tips, Tweetup, Twtvite
Look Out! Run For Your Lives. They’re Coming To Your Next Event! Attendee 2.0 January 22, 2010 by Jeff Hurt Conference organizers and speakers, they’re coming to your next event. Bigger than the Blob. Mightier than the Undead. Faster than the Twilight Vampires. Here they come as you shake in your boots. Meet your new audiences: Attendee 2.0. They are coming to your next event and like the Blob, have the potential to overtake … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , association, Attendee 2.0, conferences, Education & Adult Learning, event, meeting planner, Web 2.0
Busted: Ten Conference Adult Learning Myths January 20, 2010 by Jeff Hurt In conference and meeting environments, attendees receive more messages and content from attending six to eight hours of presentations than a typical day of being bombarded by advertising, direct mail, radio and TV. Duplicate that day two or three times, and you have a mind that is flooded with messages and information on excessive conference … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , adult learning, association, conferences, content, Education & Adult Learning, professional development
