Conference Education Sessions Must Override Attendees’ Need For Predictability October 14, 2014 by Jeff Hurt We are hard-wired to be like the Fraggles. But we are better off being like the the Doozers. Be A Doozer Not A Fraggle If you’ve ever watched the 80s tv show Fraggle Rock, you know the Fraggles and Doozers. The colorful, fur tuft tipped tail Fraggles only have a 30-minute work week. They dedicated … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Experience Design Tagged With: , association best practices, brain-friendly conferences, change, change management, conference best practices, conferences, meeting, meeting planner, strategic planning
Four Objections To Changing Conference Education And Experiences October 9, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Change freaks many of us out! We fear it. We ignore it. We refuse to accept it. It’s really not change that freaks us out. It’s the unknown of the outcome. It’s so much easier to keep things the same because we know the results. Defining Change According to psychologist and therapist Roger S. Gil, … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , association best practices, change, change management, conference best practices, conferences, meeting, meeting planner, strategic planning
Conference Improvement Starts With A Focus On The Attendee Experience September 29, 2014 by Dave Lutz Improving attendee experiences is a top priority for the majority of conference planners. Yet few of us plan the attendee experience correctly. We approach conference planning from the inside-out. Considering the attendee experience is an afterthought. Most conference improvement plans look something like this: Systems & Resources → Procedures → Touchpoints → Interactions → Experiences. Although we don’t usually … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , attendee experience, conference best practices, customer, customer empathy, meeting, meeting planning best practices, user experience design, UXD
Can Your Conference Really Be Personalized? March 7, 2013 by Jeff Hurt It seems to be a regular part of our normal life today — the personalization of content, programs, products and services. Yet, our conferences still serve up generic content for the masses. We Notice When Personalization Is Absent Recently I observed an annual conference committee meeting of a major association. Staff and volunteer leaders were … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning, Experience Design Tagged With: , conference best practices, conferences, Education & Adult Learning, event, meeting, meeting planner, meeting planning best practices
How Predictable Is Your Annual Conference? March 1, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Has your annual conference become predictable? Do attendees show up to the general session late because they know it starts with business for 20-30 minutes before the keynote? Predictable Meetings, Routine Conferences Predictable: behaving in a way that is expected and can be predicted; can be prophesied; can be foretold; to declare or indicate in … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning, Experience Design Tagged With: , conferences, Education & Adult Learning, event, meeting, meeting planner, meeting planning best practices
Enough Of Slow Death Conferences! April 4, 2011 by Jeff Hurt “It’s like attending a slow death. Once you’ve been to one conference, you’ve been to them all. They are boring!” Those words echoed in my ears like a YouTube video continuing to loop. They stung. Resonated. Pricked my brain. They sat on my heart like concrete blocks tied to my feet and sunk in the … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , annual meeting, conferences, improving annual meetings and education, meeting, meeting planning best practices
What Dr. Seuss, Horton The Elephant, Oprah And Conferences Have In Common January 17, 2011 by Jeff Hurt “We are here. We are here. We are here,” cried the Whos of Who-ville. “Boil that dust speck! Boil that dust speck! Boil! Boil! Boil!” chanted the Wickersham brothers. Horton The Elephant Most people know the story of Horton the Elephant. Horton hears a small speck of dust talking to him. Amazingly, that small speck … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , association, conference purpose, conferences, meeting, meeting planner
14 Conference And Event Trends That Will Shape The Next Decade December 20, 2010 by Jeff Hurt What do the next ten years have in store for conference and event organizers? Plenty. 14 Conference And Event Trends That Will Shape The Next Decade As 2010 comes to a close, many conference and event professionals have been looking ahead to the 2011. Here’s a look into 2011 and the next decade. 1. Increased … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conferences, engagement, meeting, meeting planner, trends
Seven Things You Should Stop Doing At Your Conferences December 17, 2010 by Jeff Hurt I’ve attended more than my share of conferences this year both as speaker and as attendee. Here are seven conference things that annoy the heck out of me! 1. Branded PowerPoint Templates For Speakers Really, I mean really! We know the name of your conference. We know what your brand looks like. Do you want to … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conferences, event, meeting
Leveraging Six Right-Brain Aptitudes For Successful Conferences November 11, 2010 by Jeff Hurt “The future belongs to a different kind of person,” Dan Pink, A Whole New Mind. It belongs to “…creative and empathetic right-brain thinkers whose abilities mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who doesn’t.” Pink claims we are living in a different age. A different time that demands different thinking. According to Pink, … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , association, conferences, meeting, meeting planner, meeting planning best practices
