As a conference organizer, do you replicate last year’s conference schedule and experience and just change the filling? Or do you mix it up? Constantly looking for new ways to freshen up the attendee’s conference experience. The best conference organizers proactively seek fresh, new ideas to implement at their next annual meeting. They work hard … [Read more…]
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 … [Read more…]
We participate, therefore we are. This spin on cogito ergo sum (English: “I think, therefore I am”) is a good motto for all conferences and events. It is exactly where I think conference organizers should begin to focus their meeting planning efforts. They need to focus on designing learning experiences where attendees actively participate, not … [Read more…]
The best conference organizers are proactively looking for fresh, new ideas to implement at their next annual meeting. They work hard at coming up with the next big idea. Shattering Status Quo The most innovative conference organizers are not satisfied with creating ordinary, mundane conference experiences. They have no patience for the status quo. As … [Read more…]
Here’s a test. Pick which statement best defines a participatory conference. A. Conference organizers invite prospective attendees to participate in the development, design and planning of a conference experience. B. Conference organizers design a conference experience using an intentional internal design process however once the conference begins, it invites attendees to contribute, participate and interact. … [Read more…]
If you haven’t made the shift from serving members to involving them, consider this your wake-up call — and your roadmap. Sociologists identify today’s online networked individuals as the participatory class. For many adults, the Internet primarily means the web. For others it means chat, connecting with friends, email, games, movies, social networks, text, video … [Read more…]
This post is my contribution to the free eBook, What’s Next In Events 2011: 9 Event Experts Weigh In compiled and created by Lara McCullouch-Carter. We are witnessing the emergency of a cultural phenomenon that supports widespread participation in the production and distribution of content, information and media. Sociologists call it the new participatory culture. We … [Read more…]
If you haven’t made the shift from ‘serving attendees’ to ‘involving participants,’ consider this your wake-up call — and your roadmap. The Participatory Class Sociologists identify today’s networked individuals as the participatory class. As part of a participatory culture, we expect to create, collaborate, connect, share, and learn interactively. We feel that our contributions matter. … [Read more…]
Today’s networked individuals have shaped the Internet into something especially hospitable to an emerging class of citizens – the participatory class. The Internet pioneers built into its structure, organization, model of governance and sustainability, the potential for creation, collaboration, sharing and interactive learning. One of the most important characteristics of this Web 2.0 World is … [Read more…]
