Tag Archive: participatory conferences

Some Conferences Are Like Bad Funerals

Tweet Many annual meetings are like funerals of the past. Quiet, stoic, painfully long, full of tradition, and extremely passive. It’s hard to tell who really died as the audience is just as lifeless as the deceased. Sometimes these traditional conferences have doses of fear and damnation trying to scare people into doing something they…

Are You Designing For The Four Stages Of Conference Experience?

Tweet As a conference organizer, are you designing for the four stages of a conference experience? Or are you only designing for attendees to consume information? If you are planning only didactic, one-way, information transfer such as lectures and panels, you are missing some great opportunities to give your attendees a more robust experience. Four…

Creating Conference Engagement With These Seven Social Spaces

Tweet 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…

A Conference Learning Manifesto With Ten New Principles To Adopt

Tweet 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,…

These Three Society Changes Affect Your Conference Planning

Tweet Those born on or after 1962 have witnessed three major culture shifts. These shifts set them apart from older generations. It also creates new challenges for those trying to create conference experiences for multiple generations. Everyone’s expectations are different. Three Major Society Shifts Since 1962 Conference organizers need to acknowledge that the needs of…