We Participate, Therefore We Are July 27, 2010 by Jeff Hurt This spin on cogito ergo sum (English: “I think, therefore I am”) could possibly be a good motto for all conferences and events. Social Learning We participate, therefore we are. Our learning, understanding and knowledge are developed in participation with others. Social learning occurs through conversations about the content and through grounded interactions and engagement … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , active learning, active participation, adult learning, conferences, Education & Adult Learning, engagement, meeting
A Conference Attendee Dear John/Jane Letter July 20, 2010 by Jeff Hurt Dear Conference Organizers: This relationship isn’t working out. You know, the one between us, the attendees, and you the conference organizers. It’s time for us to explore other educational, community-building and networking opportunities. We’ve tried to make it work. But it’s not us — it’s you (really). We thought we would do things together. We … [Read more…] Filed Under: Ramblings Tagged With: , community, conferences, content, meeting, meeting planner
NASA Is Looking For Signs Of Life…At Your Conference June 30, 2010 by Jeff Hurt The National Adult Survival Association (NASA) has decided to send the next generation of land rovers to your annual meeting. These rovers have more robust and hyper-sensitive life detecting systems than the traditional conference evaluation smile sheets. NASA is looking for signs of life…at your conference. NASA’s researchers have documented that your conference had life … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , association, community, conference community, conferences, engagement, meeting
Tackle These Four Barriers That Prevent Effective Conference And Meeting Change June 28, 2010 by Jeff Hurt When was the last time you introduced some changes in your annual conferences and meetings? Perhaps you rearranged the schedule, mixed things up or set rooms in different layouts. So how comfortable was that change for you? I’ll admit that I’m not comfortable with change unless I’m told why I need to change or I’m … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conferences, meeting, meeting planner
Eight Ways To Vary Your Conference Seating And Improve Your Attendees’ Experience May 25, 2010 by Jeff Hurt Said to myself sit down, sit down, you’re rockin’ the boat The room layout will drag you under With a monologue so heavy you’d never float, Sit down, sit down, sit down Sit down, sit down, sit down, you’re rockin’ the boat. Paraphrase of Sit Down Your’re Rocking The Boat from Guys And Dolls One … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , logistics, meeting, meeting professional
How Do Your Dendrites Grow? With Enriched Environments, Active Participation And Conference Chairs Not In A Row April 20, 2010 by Jeff Hurt Imagine this scenario. You’re attending the annual conference of your favorite professional association. You can’t make up your mind which breakout to attend and decide to peek in on a couple sessions that have alluring topics and descriptions. Session 1 You walk into one room and find the presenter demonstrating the use of a popular … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , active learning, active participation, association, brain-friendly conferences, brain-friendly meetings, conferences, Education & Adult Learning, meeting, meeting planner
Gravity Attracts Attendees To Your Conferences April 2, 2010 by Jeff Hurt Gravity. It’s such a constant force in our lives that we rarely marvel at it. We forget that it’s at work daily. Toss a ball in the air and it falls to the ground. Step on a scale and…uh, oh, time to run an extra 20 minutes. Without it, we’d float off into the atmosphere. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Attendance Marketing Tagged With: , attracting attendees, conferences, meeting
The Wal-Mart Conference Experience: Why It Doesn’t Scale March 23, 2010 by Jeff Hurt We’re not in Manhattan anymore. That’s the tagline for the Sarah Jessica Parker, Hugh Grant movie Did You Hear About The Morgans? The plot: An estranged New York couple observes a murder and is relocated to a small town in Wyoming as part of a witness-protection program. In the movie, Parker’s character did not pack … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , association, boutique conference experience, conferences, content, Education & Adult Learning, mass of niches, meeting, meeting planner, Wal-Mart conference experience
Do Conference Session Learning Objectives Really Matter? March 19, 2010 by Jeff Hurt This is the last in a series of posts on writing better conference session descriptions. Read the previous posts Conference Descriptions That Whet The Appetite, an overview of the four elements of a successful conference description, How To Write Killer Conference Session Titles That Attract Attendees and Crafting Better Conference Materials: Writing Session Descriptions For … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , association, conference session descriptions, conference session titles, conferences, learner objectives, meeting, meeting planner, professional development, writing good conference session descriptions
Crafting Better Conference Materials: Writing Session Descriptions For Dummies March 18, 2010 by Jeff Hurt This is the third in a series of posts on writing better conference session descriptions. Read the first post Conference Descriptions That Whet The Appetite, an overview of the four elements of a successful conference description, or second post How To Write Killer Conference Session Titles That Attract Attendees. Begin With The End In Mind … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Event Planning Tagged With: , association, conference session descriptions, conference session titles, conferences, learner objectives, meeting, meeting planner, professional development, writing good conference session descriptions
