So go downtown Things will be great when you're downtown No finer place for sure, downtown Everything's waiting for you* *Downtown as sung by Petula Clark. Take A Mental Stroll It’s time to take a nostalgic journey downtown on Conference Street. Visualize yourself walking down a traditional city lane. Both sides are lined with the usual buildings. Each structure houses a long-established institution. What do you see? Think of your conference experience as one of these various … [Read more...]
Our Screwed Up Thinking About Creating Conference Experiences
As conference organizers, we need to learn about the power of experience. Well, we already know about experiences. We have them all the time. We’ve had experiences with our families and friends. We’ve had experiences with work. We’ve had school experiences. We’ve had experiences with institutions and organizations. We’ve had vacation experiences. Terrible, Horrible, No Good Bad Thinking About Experiences Unfortunately, we’ve made some very faulty assumptions from our own experiences. And … [Read more...]
Attendee Experience The Next Frontier For Differentiation
Most conference experiences are very similar. They have similar schedules, receptions, general sessions, breakouts, exhibit halls, lecture-style education offerings, quality and price. They all look and feel alike. Too many conferences are on the verge of commoditization. One of the conference’s main offering—delivery of information disguised as education—is so widely available and mutually interchangeable with other types of information delivery—that potential customers cannot distinguish … [Read more...]
How To Create A Bodacious, Mind-boggling, Unforgettable Conference Experience
Now, more than ever, conference organizers can’t continue to play it safe! Your annual conference is part of your organization’s brand experience. Most conference hosts and organizers understand the power of experience to inspire people and drive business growth. Yet few take the time to consider, plan and design an amazing conference experience. They just patchwork conference components together and wait for great results. Today, people expect more from their conference experience. Repeat … [Read more...]
Why Conference General Sessions Should Be More Like The Olympics
The 2012 London Olympics were an interesting diversion from U.S. politics, the scorching heat and a questionable economy. They captivated our attention as we rooted for our countries, the underdog and individuals that had overcome great odds. Even when an athlete from another part of the world broke some amazing record, we united with our support and awe. Their win was the water cooler discussion in the office and the buzz of Twitter. Being More Olympic-like So why aren't conference … [Read more...]
Exceeding Conference Attendee Expectations
What would it take for your conference attendees to call your annual meeting the greatest event on the Earth? Animal acts? High wire tightrope acrobatics? Clowns? Three rings of ongoing entertainment? A live band? It's challenging to keep annual meetings fresh and exciting while maintaining integrity. Yet it's very easy to duplicate last year's event and only make a few tweaks to the speakers and content. Often, that's just not enough! Your Conference: The Greatest Event On Earth? Adapting a … [Read more...]
Mapping The Emotional Highs And Lows Of Your Event
Do you as an event or conference organizer plan scream machine roller coaster event experiences? Or ho-hum, obligatory amusement park train rides? What do your attendees want in their conference experience? Do you even know what they want? Do your attendees want a plain vanilla, flat-line experience? Or do they want something unforgettable with unexpected emotional twists? Or maybe they want a Golden Corral smorgasbord all-you-can eat buffet experience? So what type of emotional experience … [Read more...]
Roller Coaster Scream Machines, Ho-Hum Train Rides And Event Experiences
Your palms sweat. Your heart races. Adrenalin pulses through your veins. The closer you get to the main entrance, the more your body is on high alert. Part of you wants to run away as fast as possible. Part of you wants to stay and conquer. Finally, it's your turn. You sit in the small car. Put on the seat belt and pull the overhead safety harness down around you. The bell rings and the cars jerk forward. Slowly, the cars are pulled up a large hill with the clack of the track and the rhythm … [Read more...]
