Most conference organizers and event professionals are always looking for the next great idea. I’ve recently come across several set-off-the-fireworks awesome event ideas. Consider borrowing them. And if you do steal them, make sure that you understand the principles underneath the issues they address. As well as how to adapt them to your context. Or you’ll fail at implementation! So go ahead and be a creative kleptomaniac as you adopt and adapt these gulp-worthy ideas. The Coffee … [Read more...]
Creating Conference Engagement With These Seven Social Spaces
People participate in a variety of behaviors at a typical conference. They enter the conference with specific expectations of what they can do at the event, who they can do it with and what's expected of them. So how often do we plan conferences with a focus on the behaviors and types of spaces that attendees use? Seven Social Spaces The goal of categorizing spaces is to get you to think about what your attendees might be doing in these spaces. And what they might be doing it for. Thinking … [Read more...]
Six Conference Space Properties To Transform Attendee Behavior
As a meeting professional, you have the power to identify and manipulate the properties of a space to foster specific behaviors and attitudes. These spatial characteristics can be fine tuned to create a unique attendee experience. And it all rests within the power of your planning. Six Properties That You Can Adjust Properties are the individual aspects of people or space that are altered to effect behavior. Each of these six properties, as defined by Make Space, can be adjusted to alter the … [Read more...]
Conference Organizers Are Space Designers, Cultural Translators And Learning Facilitators
Meeting space is the body language of the conference host organization.* Conference organizers have the ability to transform behavior, affect mood and foster learning with their attention and intention to the space's design. Their lack of intention to that design also has an impact on the attendee. Your Space Decisions Define Your Beliefs The conference venue's form, functionality and final room layout reflect the beliefs, behaviors, culture and priorities of the conference organizer and the … [Read more...]
Creating Compelling Experiential Spaces For Conferences
Steelcase, a global office environment creator, was invited by TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Conference organizers to create immersive environments for their conference. (Did you click on that link to watch the short video clips showing some examples?) TED wanted compelling spaces that sparked great attendee conversations and nurtured community. 5 Principles For Designing Compelling Environments While Steelcase typically helps design and furnish long-term workspaces, they were … [Read more...]
Creating Community, Identity And Reflection With Your Conference Space
Have you ever seen a movie that starts with a fast action scene? Immediately, you are pulled into the middle of things. Screenwriters call this media res or in the middle of a plot. They know that they can pull their viewers into the story by placing the action at the beginning. This same principle can be applied to your conference and its space. Attendees Enter On Action Conference registration areas that are easy to navigate are critical for registrants to feel safe and welcome in a space. … [Read more...]
