Dear Association X: Why do you keep hiring big-name speakers who are not relevant to the conference theme, our industry, or my professional life?…

And the killer app is when the big thinker like Gladwell or Dan Pink provide meaningful, thought-provoking content and then can tie it back to the industry attendees. If that speaker won’t, it’s as easy as having a industry panel recap what was taught and applying it to the industry. Or better yet, follow up with a breakout session that allows attendees to discuss, digest and devour the content. Then they can help each other apply it to their personal and professional lives.

If more conference organizers would just tweak the schedule and follow those general session thought leader’s with discussion groups, everyone would win. Then the thick heads in the room that didn’t get it or didn’t like it, would suddenly have to engage with it. Oops, did I type that? Most be channeling someone else. Bueller? Bueller?

I think there’s also a difference between having a big thinker (someone mentioned Malcolm Gladwell) who has meaningful and thought-provoking things to say, even if they are not specifically industry-relevant, but are selected based on a fit with the overall theme of a conference – and having some famous person (like Oprah) just because they are famous.

@Justin You always provide some interesting perspectives and insight. Thank you for doing that.

@Sylvia & @Carrie Appreciate you stopping by and adding your input. Sylvia – I like that tearm, “learning facilitator.”

@Wendy Appreciate your point of view.

@Sue I agree that there is still room at the podium for non-industry related speakers and think our attendees need that fresh insight. I just want those speakers to help apply their content to our industry. The best learning takes place when the presenters do the obvious and help us listeners make those connections.

@Stephanie. Amen! Amen! Amen to getting rid of “Power Panels” that are powerless to provide us with thoughtful insight. I’m right there with you on that one.

@Wes – Thank you for pointing out that some industry speakers are as dry as sand. I totatlly agree that the professional speaker that can target their message for the conference audience is the one to consider!

If we wanted to hear the party line, we’d read the press releases, not go to the session.

Eli, here’s hoping that someday we will be willing and able to pay non-celeb speakers what they’re worth (which is not, BTW, “exposure”). I think most would agree that these people are the ones who bring the meat and potatoes, info-wise, to any meeting. Why they aren’t deemed worth paying I can’t figure out, other than organizers have been getting away with not paying for so long that they expect free stuff. Kind of like, well, the Internet, isn’t it?

Though not directly related to speakers (it’s more aimed toward soc med), I’d be curious to see how people put this discussion together with this LA Times column about how we’re turning back toward experts and key opinion leaders and away from peers as learning sources: http://tinyurl.com/yenwh59