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 at coming up with the next big idea. They are willing to make at least 25% of their annual meeting a new experience for everyone. Changing The … [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...]
A Conference Learning Manifesto With Ten New Principles To Adopt
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 where they passively consume. Designers Of Experiences Not Schedulers Of Speakers Conference organizers need to see themselves as more than logistics … [Read more...]
Five More Fresh Innovative Game Changer Conference Ideas
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 a matter of fact, they seek to shatter the status quo. Conference organizer game changers create unique ah-ha moments for attendees. They create … [Read more...]
Participatory Conferences And Events: Participatory Design Or Design For Participation?
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. Which did you choose? The Outcome Of Each Method So what happens with … [Read more...]
Invasion Of The Participatory Culture [PPT]
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 — all of which means they are content producers. As part of a participatory culture, we expect to create, collaborate, connect, … [Read more...]
Confronting The Challenges Of Today’s Participatory Culture In Conferences And Events
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 Want To Participate Consider: More than 50% of the population has uploaded and shared content, information or media on the … [Read more...]
Shifting From Serving Attendees To Involving Participants
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. We share a social or emotional connection with one another that helps solve problems and develop new … [Read more...]
