Most of the time, we don't have a good handle on who is truly attending our conference. Seriously, we don't. But there is a way to glean insight just by using emails provided at registration. Mining Registration Data for Insights One way to mine attendance data is to scrub and normalize company names based on the URL domain from email addresses entered by each attendee. Exhibitors, staff, vendors and speakers are often eliminated from the list to base the analysis on “true” attendees. It … [Read more...]
365-Day Conferences Are Unrealistic
We’ve been hearing it for years. Conference organizers have been on a quest to create a 365-day community around their big annual event. As a result, industry education sessions and event technology products have adopted the year-round concept and branding. But there’s a problem, attendees and exhibitors aren’t falling in line. They’ll give you their attention for a limited time and then move on with their pressing priorities. They’re not interested in 365. They’re interested in solving … [Read more...]
Defrosting New Conference Connections
“It was awkward and painful,” my friend said. That’s how she described attending a professional meeting where she didn’t know anyone. She was at a loss for how to melt the ice and warm up to others. Especially professionals she perceived to have more experience and knowledge than her. Sound familiar? Here was someone who has so much to offer anyone lucky enough to engage in conversation with her. Yet her reluctance to initiate interaction caused her to avoid eye contact and miss out … [Read more...]
Establishing A New Model To Select Conference Content And Programming
Is it time to end the speaker call for proposals? Does the traditional open call for topics and speakers actually meet the conference audience’s needs? The traditional call for volunteer and professional speakers is a roll of the dice that the submissions meet the needs of the conference attendees. Too often staff and committees rely on the call for proposals to fill their conference education programming. There is little to no attention given to ensuring that the content is the right … [Read more...]
Your Conference Speakers And Racism
The Zimmerman trial and CBS’ Big Brother racial scandal have put the discussions about race and discrimination front and center. Racism and discrimination are sensitive and delicate topics for sure. So how do you ensure that your conference speakers avoid racial and discriminatory language? How do you protect your organization from inappropriate behavior of a speaker, volunteer or professional, that you secure for your event? Sexually Offensive And Racist Words At A Conference Around … [Read more...]
Is Your Conference Churning Out Junk Information?
We live in world where overconsumption is the norm. We over consume things to keep up with the Jones and Smiths. We over consume food at all you can eat smorgasbord buffets and 24 hour drive thrus. We over consume information from a variety of sources. Today, we have factory farms that churn out junk food. We have factory farms that churn out junk gadgets and stuff. We have content farms that churn out junk information. We have conference committee content farms and call for speaker … [Read more...]
Networking For Learning And What’s Next
Every first quarter I receive a string of emails from my undergraduate school inviting me to annual Homecoming and reunion. A couple months later, I start receiving emails from my high school inviting me back for my annual reunion. I decided a long time ago that I really didn't want to relive my high school days. Eighth through tenth grades were very difficult for me. I experienced a lot of bullying, name calling and unfortunate circumstances. College life was different than high school and … [Read more...]
Reinventing, Reimagining And Rethinking Traditional Conferences
Activism, advocacy, associations, boardrooms, battlefields, churches, education, faith groups, governments, media, nonprofits, philanthropy, retail, technology and work are all being reinvented. We are rethinking and reimagining all of our traditional institutions. This includes the meetings industry's traditional conference. Our conferences are being reinvented by people who don't follow the accepted practices and unspoken rules. They are moving meetings' cheese! Why The Reinvention? Very … [Read more...]
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