Wikipedia defines design as the creation of a plan or convention for the construction of an object, system or measurable human interaction (as in architectural blueprints, engineering drawings, business processes, circuit diagrams, and sewing patterns). So, when you read the word design, what pops into your mind? Artists? Fashion Designers? City planning? Interior design? Graphic design? Meeting and conference professionals? Wait! Go back and read that last phrase: meeting and conference … [Read more...]
What Type Of Learning Experiences—Shallow, Advancement Or Deep–Are You Serving Customers?
The world has drastically changed in the past several decades. But most conference experiences have changed very little, if at all. They compete with the Internet to distribute content and deliver information. So what type of conference education are you serving your customers—shallow learning, advancement learning or deep learning? Do you even know the difference between the three? Do you know which would lead to authentic, transformative learning experiences? The Initial Research On … [Read more...]
Successful Conference Professionals Understand, Design And Offer Deep Learning Experiences To Attendees
Most conferences offer some type of learning opportunities for their participants. From informal peer networking to roundtable discussions to formal expert lectures and panel discussions. The education opportunities abound. Traditionally, the goal of conference education is to deliver as much information as possible as fast as possible to as many people as possible. Today, many meeting professionals focus on distributing content through traditional and unusual formats—TED style, Ignite, … [Read more...]
Designing 21st Century Conference Learning Experiences And Spaces
Our conference learning spaces affect our audience. We must learn to think like designers. Then we can focus on changing our conference participants’ learning spaces with the right goal in mind—nurturing their learning. Be forewarned! We are not decorating learning spaces. We are designing them to foster, nurture and amplify our participants’ learning. (Hat tips Rebecca Louise Hare and Dr. Robert Dillon authors of The Space: A Guide for Educators.) Are You Putting Lipstick On Outdated … [Read more...]
Buckaroo Breakaway Cadillac Conference Programming Trends Looming Your Way In 2017 – Part 1
It’s the adventures of your next conference experience across the eighth dimension. Oh, wait. That’s the intro to Buckaroo Banzai about the adventures of the science fiction rock musician and his band of cavaliers. Well, similar to Buckaroo’s adventures, you have the opportunity to take your band of conference participants into the 21st Century conference dimension. These conference programming trends are headed your way. Pick a couple, study them and embrace their underpinnings to provide … [Read more...]
Great Questions Define Great Conference Experiences
It is much more effective to provide opportunities for conference participants to solve their own problems, then telling them how to solve it. (Paraphrase Dr. A. Gidget Hopf, President & CEO of The Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired—Goodwill Industries.) Conference organizers automatically assume that if someone is attending their event, they expect the conference to help them solve their problems. They believe that the conference should provide the answers. Telling … [Read more...]
Your Conference Attendees Utterly Deep Driving Need To Share Experiences
My sister likes to talk! Saying she like to talk is an understatement. I don’t think she ever stops talking except when she sleeps. She is not that much different from my father. He likes to talk and talk and talk. And a couple of my very close friends are like that too. They all like to talk about their experiences—good and bad. And after some reflection, I guess I like talking about myself too. I’m doing it right now in this blog post. Sharing Information Gets Us High There is a … [Read more...]
What Will Associations Monetize In The Future?
Associations offer more than education opportunities. They provide industry research, membership, certification and standards, networking and advocacy. And all of these services have been monetized in order to provide additional services for their members. Yet, today, many of these services have become commoditized. Others produce these products, often at higher quality, with value-adds, at lower costs or even free. So what will associations monetize in the future? Education And Content … [Read more...]
