Comments on: A Conference Attendee Dear John/Jane Letter

By: A Meeting/ Conference Organizer Must Read | PlannerWire

A Meeting/ Conference Organizer Must Read | PlannerWire — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 18:49:27 +0000

[...] believe me? Go and read "A Conference Attendee Dear John/Jane Letter" by Jeff Hurt. He is one of the smartest in the industry and if you won't listen to me, you [...]

By: Jeff Hurt

Jeff Hurt — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:28:50 +0000

@Bill
Thanks for reading and adding your thoughts. I’m with you that more meeting professionals should start considering facilitators for their education sessions. Facilitators that share some brief content and engage audiences with discussion lead to happier and more connected participants for sure.

By: Bill Guertin

Bill Guertin — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 03:11:27 +0000

As one of those “talking head ego” (sic) speakers, I would absolutely agree with your letter, Jeff. I’ve seen more and more conference attendees want to discuss concerns and trade ideas with each other than listen to the “experts” onstage, and frankly, I don’t blame them.

In response, I’ve chosen to evolve into a much more open-ended, share-the-stage kind of speaker, much more of a facilitator than a presenter. I’ve been criticized by my peers as taking the easy way out (“What? Less content? How lazy is that?”), but I’ve seen the value of the sessions for attendees leap up tremendously. Perhaps those who are planning such events in the future might bring this to the attention of those you’re hiring as presenters.

(I’d be happy to share my format with anyone who wants it; it’s not rocket science. Just ask for the “participative format” outline I use at bill@The800PoundGorilla.com)

By: Jeff Hurt

Jeff Hurt — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 23:12:35 +0000

@Rosemary
Glad I could bring you a virtual dip in the pool on a hot day! Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.

@Chris
Glad the post resonated with you. Thanks for posting your comments!

By: Chris Roffe

Chris Roffe — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:02:36 +0000

Jeff,

This a great call to action and it resonates.

Fantastic capture of how mobile devices are leveraging individual influence and creating completely new expectations for engagement for conferences.

Cheers,

Chris

By: Rosemary Connors

Rosemary Connors — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:42:02 +0000

This post is a great dunk in the pool on a scorching day – bracing! Fabulous! I am forwarding this to my guys and dolls who I have met along the way in my 20+ years of meeting planning / membership development / alumni relations. We *all* need this reminder, no matter the age of our audiences. Thank you!

By: Jeff Hurt

Jeff Hurt — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:45:19 +0000

@Michael @Michelle @Scott
Thanks for reading and commenting. We greatly appreciate it.

@Ruud
I hope this does resonate with conference organizers. It’s time for change. Thanks for adding to the discussion.

@Rosa
Wow, that’s a compliment. Although, I have to admit I’ve not read the ClueTrain Manifesto yet. (My bad!). And yes, I think this applies to all generations, not just Gen Y. Thanks for bring that point to the forefront.

By: Rosa Garriga

Rosa Garriga — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:20:14 +0000

This looks like taken from the Cluetrain manifesto
It’s not only conference planners that need to change, that may take some pressure from us…
Btw, do you think this is only applicable to Generation Yers or other generations feel the same way too?

By: Scott Gould

Scott Gould — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:43:54 +0000

By: Ruud Janssen

Ruud Janssen — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:34:24 +0000

This perspective may just land with organisers. I’m going to make an effort to get this translated into a couple of languages and get it dessiminated across my network, great initiative!