Conference Connexity: Deliver Your Networking Promise Webinar September 9 September 1, 2015 by Sarah Michel We spend the majority of our day in front of screens and media (digital, print & TV) says eMarketer. No wonder we are starved for face to face interactions! Your organization can help satisfy our cravings for community and connections by delivering conference experiences that foster connexity. Connexity is more than speed networking. It is … [Read more…] Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: , community, conference best practices, connexity, engagement, networking
Treating Attendees As Human Beings Not Machines June 1, 2015 by Jeff Hurt Creating a conference culture of connection is a robust competitive advantage. One of the most powerful and often misunderstood aspects of successful conferences is authentically connecting with others. Too often our conference networking experiences disintegrate into ego driven, self-promotional, self-exploiting opportunities. It is irrational not to intentionally create conference experiences that nurture and promote authentic … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Networking, Experience Design Tagged With: , community, conference best practices, connections, connexity, engagement, networking
Want To Help Your Attendees? Stop Calling It Networking! May 19, 2015 by Sarah Michel Attendees value the connections they make at your conference. It’s one of their most treasured intangible benefits of attendance. They come to your event looking for their people. They meet many of your attendees at receptions, meals, sessions and in the hallways. Unfortunately, many of those introductions are nothing more than empty interactions. They don’t … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Networking, Experience Design Tagged With: , community, conference best practices, connections, connexity, engagement, networking, networthing
Too Many Conferences Provide Plop, Placate And Pay November 19, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Have conferences become too enthralled with experts and attendees swapping solutions? Have conference organizers resigned themselves to the inertia of the way we’ve always done it? Is the traditional conference experience in danger of being institutionalized which devalues individual expression? Are we addicted to providing passive plop, placate and pay* experiences? Are conference organizers sitting … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , attendee engagement, conference exper, conferences, curiosity, engagement, meeting planner, presentation best practices, presentation strategies, traditional conferences
Conferences Can Cultivate Curiosity Or The Cult Of Expertise Groupies November 18, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Everyone seems to be looking for the next sure thing. We like answers. We seek quick remedies. We attend conferences looking for shortcut solutions with big payouts. We expend a lot of energy to find tips to the trade, keys to success, or hacks that provide instant results. The less we have to work at … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , attendee engagement, conferences, curiosity, engagement, meeting planner, presentation best practices, presentation strategies
Increase Conference Attendee Acquisition With Targeted Message Maps November 3, 2014 by Wendy Holliday How often are your conference communication pieces in lockstep with your attendees’ needs? Do your conference emails tend to go out as a one-size-fits-all blast to your entire database? Or is your copy customized with critical issues for each primary target audience segment? If you want to increase your conference attendee acquisition, you need targeted … [Read more…] Filed Under: Attendance Marketing Tagged With: , conference best practices, engagement, meeting planning best practices
Lessons From Bruno Mars on Audience Engagement August 20, 2014 by Sarah Michel What can Bruno Mars teach us about audience engagement for our ballroom experiences? Plenty. Earlier this week, I witnessed 7,000 participants (from Linksters to Boomers) stand, clap, sing and dance for 75 minutes at his sold-out Denver Moonshine Jungle concert. If you saw his performance at the 2014 Super Bowl halftime, you already know the … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , active participation, conference best practices, engagement, meeting planning best practices, virtual attendee
Increase Your Conference Attendee Engagement By Increasing Relevance July 18, 2014 by Jeff Hurt “How can I increase engagement at my conference?” It’s a question I hear a lot. “How can I help my attendees increase their engagement?” What’s my answer? Increase the relevance. Increase the relevance of the content. Increase the relevance of the learning experience. Oh and by the way, what type of engagement are you talking … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , adult learning strategies, attendee engagement, conference relevance, education best practices, engagement, presentation best practices, speaker selection
Crank Up Your Conference Emotional Intensity With Bright Lights April 3, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Forget about turning down the lights to set the mood for your opening general session. Why? It’s the perfect way to disengage and dial back your attendees’ emotions. If you want to emotionally connect and increase your audience’s emotional intensity, a University of Toronto study says you need to turn lights up bright! Bright Lights … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , attendee engagement, conferences, engagement, general sessions, meeting planner, meeting professionals
Helping Conference First Timers And Solo Attendees Get Plugged In February 4, 2014 by Donna Kastner Imagine that you’re a first-time attendee at a conference that draws thousands. To make matters even more challenging, you’re flying solo. No safety net of colleagues to meet-up with every now and then. The Solo Attendee By day, you move from session to session, trying to make eye contact with strangers. You even manage to … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Networking, Experience Design Tagged With: , conference best practices, engagement
