Comments on: Meetings And Events As Systems Thinking: The Community Ecosystem http://jeffhurtblog.com/2009/11/19/meetings-and-events-as-systems-thinking-the-community-ecosystem/ Helping improve your annual meetings & education Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:50:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Jeff Hurt http://jeffhurtblog.com/2009/11/19/meetings-and-events-as-systems-thinking-the-community-ecosystem/comment-page-1/#comment-2283 Jeff Hurt Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:48:18 +0000 http://jeffhurtblog.com/?p=1092#comment-2283 @Debra - Yes, I so agree with you. Great insight to consider some of the conference sessions virtually. Dave Lutz and I are giving two workshops in January on creating hybrid events. We'll incorporate your thoughts. @Velchain & @Carol-Anne - I'm loving the comments on this post. There is a wealth of wisdome here for sure. @Debra – Yes, I so agree with you. Great insight to consider some of the conference sessions virtually. Dave Lutz and I are giving two workshops in January on creating hybrid events. We’ll incorporate your thoughts.

@Velchain & @Carol-Anne – I’m loving the comments on this post. There is a wealth of wisdome here for sure.

]]> By: Debra Askanase http://jeffhurtblog.com/2009/11/19/meetings-and-events-as-systems-thinking-the-community-ecosystem/comment-page-1/#comment-2280 Debra Askanase Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:06:21 +0000 http://jeffhurtblog.com/?p=1092#comment-2280 Hi Jeff, I love the comments in this post, too! I think @Velchain is right on: The best conferences are the ones that have 2 or more concurrent sessions. How to find out what they are is the challenge to creating a vibrant ecosystem during the conference. I can think of a lot of ways to do that, but I mostly want to point out that the ecosystem (and I love that analogy) should incorporate both the pre-and post-conference conversation. I also thought about extending the conference, as mentioned by both you and @Velchain, but with another iteration: continue some of the conference sessions virtually. It's added value for the attendees (perception of an extra "free" session), and offers everyone the time to go home, chew over the information with colleagues and use the information, and come back together for a richer discussion in "Round Two." @askdebra Hi Jeff,
I love the comments in this post, too! I think @Velchain is right on: The best conferences are the ones that have 2 or more concurrent sessions. How to find out what they are is the challenge to creating a vibrant ecosystem during the conference. I can think of a lot of ways to do that, but I mostly want to point out that the ecosystem (and I love that analogy) should incorporate both the pre-and post-conference conversation.

I also thought about extending the conference, as mentioned by both you and @Velchain, but with another iteration: continue some of the conference sessions virtually. It’s added value for the attendees (perception of an extra “free” session), and offers everyone the time to go home, chew over the information with colleagues and use the information, and come back together for a richer discussion in “Round Two.”

@askdebra

]]> By: Jeff Hurt http://jeffhurtblog.com/2009/11/19/meetings-and-events-as-systems-thinking-the-community-ecosystem/comment-page-1/#comment-2169 Jeff Hurt Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:11:24 +0000 http://jeffhurtblog.com/?p=1092#comment-2169 @Jeremy Thanks for the recommendations. I've put it on my reading list. Looks great too! @Jeremy
Thanks for the recommendations. I’ve put it on my reading list. Looks great too!

]]> By: jeremy http://jeffhurtblog.com/2009/11/19/meetings-and-events-as-systems-thinking-the-community-ecosystem/comment-page-1/#comment-2166 jeremy Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:03:42 +0000 http://jeffhurtblog.com/?p=1092#comment-2166 Great post, I love the framework. I suggest you check out Tim Brown's new book, Change by Design. I think you'll like it, if you haven't read it already. Great post, I love the framework. I suggest you check out Tim Brown’s new book, Change by Design. I think you’ll like it, if you haven’t read it already.

]]> By: Jeff Hurt http://jeffhurtblog.com/2009/11/19/meetings-and-events-as-systems-thinking-the-community-ecosystem/comment-page-1/#comment-2155 Jeff Hurt Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:08:35 +0000 http://jeffhurtblog.com/?p=1092#comment-2155 @Dana Fantastic thoughts and insight. Good pic too to help people get an initial understanding of an ecosystem. I relly like what you said, "We must all come from a place of greater understanding. I think those who are must successful...are those who truly care about others..." I'm with you on that one! @Dana
Fantastic thoughts and insight. Good pic too to help people get an initial understanding of an ecosystem. I relly like what you said, “We must all come from a place of greater understanding. I think those who are must successful…are those who truly care about others…” I’m with you on that one!

]]> By: Dana Freker Doody http://jeffhurtblog.com/2009/11/19/meetings-and-events-as-systems-thinking-the-community-ecosystem/comment-page-1/#comment-2154 Dana Freker Doody Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:59:18 +0000 http://jeffhurtblog.com/?p=1092#comment-2154 Great follow-up post, Jeff. Sam's question made me remember a story I read on a flight a few months back about an upset in the ecosystem killing off frogs that produce antibiotics. It took a while for people to pay attention to this problem, because the first thought is, "why should I care about some little frogs?" http://www.americanwaymag.com/el-valle-hotel-united-states-the-wyoming-toad-central-america The event/person/process that tips your community's ecosystem out of balance may be so slight on the outset it is ignored. That is dangerous. We must all come from a place of greater understanding. I think those who are most successul in our industry, in any industry, in life, are those who truly care about others, about all their stakeholders, who notice all the different "species" in their ecosystem and work to understand their motivations and meet their needs. I turned back to The Invisible Exhibitor whitepaper because there is a graphic in there representing the trade show as an ecosystem. The funny thing is, the convergence of the ecosystem is depicted at a bricks-and-mortar trade show, which (18 months later) I would no longer consider an accurate graphical representation. I twitpic'd it: http://twitpic.com/q8iu1. Great follow-up post, Jeff. Sam’s question made me remember a story I read on a flight a few months back about an upset in the ecosystem killing off frogs that produce antibiotics. It took a while for people to pay attention to this problem, because the first thought is, “why should I care about some little frogs?”
http://www.americanwaymag.com/el-valle-hotel-united-states-the-wyoming-toad-central-america
The event/person/process that tips your community’s ecosystem out of balance may be so slight on the outset it is ignored. That is dangerous. We must all come from a place of greater understanding. I think those who are most successul in our industry, in any industry, in life, are those who truly care about others, about all their stakeholders, who notice all the different “species” in their ecosystem and work to understand their motivations and meet their needs.
I turned back to The Invisible Exhibitor whitepaper because there is a graphic in there representing the trade show as an ecosystem. The funny thing is, the convergence of the ecosystem is depicted at a bricks-and-mortar trade show, which (18 months later) I would no longer consider an accurate graphical representation. I twitpic’d it: http://twitpic.com/q8iu1.

]]> By: Jeff Hurt http://jeffhurtblog.com/2009/11/19/meetings-and-events-as-systems-thinking-the-community-ecosystem/comment-page-1/#comment-2153 Jeff Hurt Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:27:56 +0000 http://jeffhurtblog.com/?p=1092#comment-2153 @Samuel How can you recognize when an ecosystem is out of balance? Great question. The quick answer is if the community stops flourshing and growing. Think of pollinators like bees and bats. If they don't have enough flowers or plants to attract them, they leave the habitat and go searching somewhere else. Without them, the entire ecosystem suffers. Now think of the community ecosystem. It thrives on connections (human, emotional, social) and content. Start feeding the community poor content without any nutrients and people start leaving the ecosystem. Give it too much content that it can't use at the expense of human social connections, and people go elsewhere. You can probably take the analogy from there and run with it. Thanks again for adding your thoughts. @VelChain Amen, amen, amen, amen! Let it be so! Great comments and I whole heartedly agree with your thoughts. I believe, as I know Sam does, that some of the best learning occurs in informal and social environments. Having a discussion over a meal with like-minded peers is one of my favorite things to do. As to your point about integrating technology before and after event, I offer the following option. To involve both the social, human need for connection and to engage parts of the ecosystem with content, consider holding regional or city meet-ups for Webinars. (Think of Super Bowl or Oscar Parties for an example.) I've been involved in designing Webinar programs with content for an international association with regional chapters. We pick our topic, find our speaker, discuss their presentation and rehearse it. I used a process where everyone in the room could quickly respond to Webinar questions by holding up color coded papers (red for no, green for yes, yellow for I don’t know.) I also designed open-ended discussion questions for facilitators. People meet in homes, office spaces, conference rooms or other venues for the streaming Webinar. Everyone meets at a specific location for a 60- or 45-minute webinar, simultaneously across the globe. Once the Webinar is complete, the group digests and debriefs the Webinar with a 30- to 45 minutes of discussion using the pre-planned questions as a guide. Add some food and refreshment and you've just created a great way to provide the right nutrients for the entire ecosystem on the global, national and regional levels. That’s the perfect way to create the healthy connections everyone craves. @Samuel
How can you recognize when an ecosystem is out of balance? Great question. The quick answer is if the community stops flourshing and growing. Think of pollinators like bees and bats. If they don’t have enough flowers or plants to attract them, they leave the habitat and go searching somewhere else. Without them, the entire ecosystem suffers. Now think of the community ecosystem. It thrives on connections (human, emotional, social) and content. Start feeding the community poor content without any nutrients and people start leaving the ecosystem. Give it too much content that it can’t use at the expense of human social connections, and people go elsewhere. You can probably take the analogy from there and run with it. Thanks again for adding your thoughts.

@VelChain
Amen, amen, amen, amen! Let it be so! Great comments and I whole heartedly agree with your thoughts. I believe, as I know Sam does, that some of the best learning occurs in informal and social environments. Having a discussion over a meal with like-minded peers is one of my favorite things to do.

As to your point about integrating technology before and after event, I offer the following option. To involve both the social, human need for connection and to engage parts of the ecosystem with content, consider holding regional or city meet-ups for Webinars. (Think of Super Bowl or Oscar Parties for an example.)

I’ve been involved in designing Webinar programs with content for an international association with regional chapters. We pick our topic, find our speaker, discuss their presentation and rehearse it. I used a process where everyone in the room could quickly respond to Webinar questions by holding up color coded papers (red for no, green for yes, yellow for I don’t know.) I also designed open-ended discussion questions for facilitators.

People meet in homes, office spaces, conference rooms or other venues for the streaming Webinar. Everyone meets at a specific location for a 60- or 45-minute webinar, simultaneously across the globe. Once the Webinar is complete, the group digests and debriefs the Webinar with a 30- to 45 minutes of discussion using the pre-planned questions as a guide. Add some food and refreshment and you’ve just created a great way to provide the right nutrients for the entire ecosystem on the global, national and regional levels. That’s the perfect way to create the healthy connections everyone craves.

]]> By: Dave Lutz http://jeffhurtblog.com/2009/11/19/meetings-and-events-as-systems-thinking-the-community-ecosystem/comment-page-1/#comment-2152 Dave Lutz Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:36:17 +0000 http://jeffhurtblog.com/?p=1092#comment-2152 Jeff, another thought provoking post! Aren't analogies great? (not the cow stomach one, but the others) As I was reading your post, and Sam's comment, what was going through my head is that every ecosystem has lots of species. Each specie, or audience segment, requires different things to help them thrive. Conference organizers need to do a real good job of identifying those primary segments and creating education, expanded networks and great experiences with each primary segment in mind. There will be some overlap, but each person needs to be able to customize their own unique experience from a well thought out menu. From an education perspective, the best conferences tend to be the ones that offer 2 or more concurrent sessions that the attendee wants to attend, but can’t, because they’re at the same time. If you are able to make attendees feel like they are missing something, you’ve done a good job with content creation. Maybe next year they’ll bring a co-worker. Some people might say technology/social media is the answer to helping attendees keep engaged throughout the year. While that would work for Sam, you and me, there are a ton of participants that just aren’t playing on these platforms regularly. Sure lots of folks have accounts, but there seems to be more inactive than active users. Participants will still need to engaged in lower tech pushed touches like email, newsletters or maybe even a phone call or fax. What I think is a real winner today, is to expand each speaker’s responsibility beyond their 75 minute session. Get them to commit to a webinar, YouTube video and/or blog posts. Get them to agree on a follow-up article or communication to all interested attendees one week after the session. Ask them to leverage their personal networks for the good of the conference. We can't forget that we are social animals. Some of us feel great when our association does something to help a charity. Other times we dig that our association is environmentally friendly. Sometimes we just want to be entertained, party, or eat a great meal. From my experience, members get the biggest high when they are involved in creating a part of the conference, participating and feeling the sense of accomplishment. We all love it when a plan comes together. Sometimes dealing with volunteers is a pain, but when you are able to get them contributing to the success, you just might win them over for life. Dave Lutz - @velchain Velvet Chainsaw Consulting Jeff, another thought provoking post! Aren’t analogies great? (not the cow stomach one, but the others)

As I was reading your post, and Sam’s comment, what was going through my head is that every ecosystem has lots of species. Each specie, or audience segment, requires different things to help them thrive. Conference organizers need to do a real good job of identifying those primary segments and creating education, expanded networks and great experiences with each primary segment in mind. There will be some overlap, but each person needs to be able to customize their own unique experience from a well thought out menu. From an education perspective, the best conferences tend to be the ones that offer 2 or more concurrent sessions that the attendee wants to attend, but can’t, because they’re at the same time. If you are able to make attendees feel like they are missing something, you’ve done a good job with content creation. Maybe next year they’ll bring a co-worker.

Some people might say technology/social media is the answer to helping attendees keep engaged throughout the year. While that would work for Sam, you and me, there are a ton of participants that just aren’t playing on these platforms regularly. Sure lots of folks have accounts, but there seems to be more inactive than active users. Participants will still need to engaged in lower tech pushed touches like email, newsletters or maybe even a phone call or fax.

What I think is a real winner today, is to expand each speaker’s responsibility beyond their 75 minute session. Get them to commit to a webinar, YouTube video and/or blog posts. Get them to agree on a follow-up article or communication to all interested attendees one week after the session. Ask them to leverage their personal networks for the good of the conference.

We can’t forget that we are social animals. Some of us feel great when our association does something to help a charity. Other times we dig that our association is environmentally friendly. Sometimes we just want to be entertained, party, or eat a great meal. From my experience, members get the biggest high when they are involved in creating a part of the conference, participating and feeling the sense of accomplishment. We all love it when a plan comes together. Sometimes dealing with volunteers is a pain, but when you are able to get them contributing to the success, you just might win them over for life.

Dave Lutz – @velchain
Velvet Chainsaw Consulting

]]> By: Sam Smith http://jeffhurtblog.com/2009/11/19/meetings-and-events-as-systems-thinking-the-community-ecosystem/comment-page-1/#comment-2150 Sam Smith Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:38:42 +0000 http://jeffhurtblog.com/?p=1092#comment-2150 Hi Jeff, Great post. There is a lot for people to think about in here. I really like the idea of viewing events as ways "to generate the life-blood, pulse, oxygen, water and nutrients for sustainable growth of the community." One of my favorite things about going to a conference, meeting or event is the energy that I draw from the people around me. Most of that energy comes from the conversations and sharing that takes place. One question that popped into my head is how can you recognize when the eco-system is out of balance OR headed out of balance? And, is it self correcting or is it something that needs intervention? Cool idea! Thanks for giving me something interesting to think about on a Friday! - Sam Hi Jeff,

Great post. There is a lot for people to think about in here.

I really like the idea of viewing events as ways “to generate the life-blood, pulse, oxygen, water and nutrients for sustainable growth of the community.” One of my favorite things about going to a conference, meeting or event is the energy that I draw from the people around me. Most of that energy comes from the conversations and sharing that takes place.

One question that popped into my head is how can you recognize when the eco-system is out of balance OR headed out of balance? And, is it self correcting or is it something that needs intervention?

Cool idea! Thanks for giving me something interesting to think about on a Friday!

- Sam

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