Not Safe For Conferences (NSFC): Marginal Presentations June 21, 2011 by Jeff Hurt Welcome to the world of conferences starring your industry speaker’s slide deck with a supporting role by you. If Ebert and Roper critiqued our conference presentations instead of movies, they would announce a huge two thumbs down for the majority of our speakers. If Entertainment Tonight was Conference Tonight, they would report a colossal loss of … [Read more…] Filed Under: Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , conference tips, conferences, meeting planning best practices
How Do You Feel About The Commoditization Of Event Production? June 15, 2011 by Jeff Hurt I love a cloned conference! Don’t you? Jeff Rodgers of Zap Creative has launched The Meetings Department that offers a plug and play template for your next meeting. Starting at $5,000, you purchase a cloned conference experience with a minute-by-minute show flow, script for general sessions and awards, walk-in and walk-out music and videos to … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference tips, meeting planner, meeting planning basics, meeting planning best practices
The HIPPO In The Room: You Are Not Your Audience June 14, 2011 by Jeff Hurt Dear Conference Organizer: You are not your audience. You are not your customers. Yes, you have your own preferences, your own likes, your own tastes. But you are not planning that event for yourself. And what you like is probably far from what your audience likes. You have to get out of your own mind. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conference tips, meeting planner, meeting planning basics, meeting planning best practices, speaker, Speaker Emerging Practices
Your Conference Attendance Marketing Silver Bullet June 13, 2011 by Dave Lutz It’s rare to find a silver bullet that actually works. And I’ve seen one lately. The Registrant List As A Lure For conference attendance acquisition, that bullet is the attendee list. The attendee list acts as a lure attracting those that have not registered yet. So let potential attendees see who else is already registered. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Attendance Marketing Tagged With: , attracting attendees, conference tips, meeting planner, meeting planning basics, meeting planning best practices
Create An Event Pre-Mortem Instead Of An Event Autopsy June 8, 2011 by Jeff Hurt The knife plunged into the skin creating a diagonal slash starting at the shoulder. The gloved hands plunged the knife into the body again creating a second diagonal cut in the opposite shoulder. The two incisions met at a point and then continued in a vertical downward slice. The letter Y was scarred permanently into … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , meeting planning, meeting planning basics, meeting planning best practices
4 Tips Your Conference Can Learn From Oprah Winfrey May 31, 2011 by Jeff Hurt Oprah Winfrey said goodbye to her raving fans recently after 4,560 shows. Her last episode generated more than 18 million viewers. (Nielson Ratings) Few public figures have received such extraordinary exit ratings. Amazingly, Oprah stopped while she was ahead. Creating Raving Fans And Extraordinary Success How did she do it? What made her successful? What … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conferences, meeting planning best practices
Do You See Your Conference Attendees? May 26, 2011 by Jeff Hurt “I see you,” is a phrase used by the Na’vi of the movie Avatar when they greet one another. While it literally means “I see you,” the Na’vi use it figuratively to mean “I see into you” or “I understand you.” The phrase is more than a greeting. It is an acknowledgement. An acknowledgement that … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conferences, meeting planning best practices
Creating A Fuzzy Event With ESP May 20, 2011 by Jeff Hurt How fuzzy is your annual conference or event? No, we are not talking about a hairy, fluffy conference or event. Nor are we talking about an event for hair stylists, hair removal professionals or hirsute populations. Fuzzy events embrace fuzzy goals. Is your goal to incrementally improve your conference experience? Or is it to create … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conferences, meeting planning best practices
Are You Corrupting Your Education Sessions? May 19, 2011 by Jeff Hurt Less is more. Too much, too fast, it won’t last. That’s a favorite adage used by some educators. The underlying concept is that you can present more and faster. But your listeners will simply forget more and faster! Overloading The Mind Organizations and conference planners are often pressured to offer more presentations and content. More, … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , brain science education, conference education, conferences, content, delivery, meeting planning best practices, presentation best practices
Give Yourself Permission To Take The Risk May 17, 2011 by Jeff Hurt In the next 12 months, you have a choice to make. Reimagine your annual meeting and mix it up. Or keep it the way it’s always been done. What Yes Promises A yes promises a breakthrough in helping your conference participants improve their effectiveness and professional careers. It promises a new, fresh and exciting experience. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , association best practices, conferences, meeting planning best practices
