Conferences that Work

JANUARY 10, 2022

Most of the event industry and our clients continue to assume that if you can make the meeting bigger it’s a good thing. The massive disruption of in-person events since March 2020 has shaken our industry to the core. Online and hybrid meetings have seen less drastic reductions. It ain’t necessarily so.

Meetings 330

Meetings Meeting Design 2020 Speakers 330

Conferences that Work

APRIL 18, 2022

I’ve been writing about hybrid meetings for a long time; my first post was in February 2010. The COVID19 pandemic created an explosion of interest in hybrid meetings, and the marketplace and event professionals are still defining what “hybrid” means. (No, Sounds crazy, yes, but stay with me!

2010 411

2010 Meetings Conference Travel 411

Conferences that Work

SEPTEMBER 13, 2021

What is the mix of presentation versus interaction at your meetings? Traditional meetings focus heavily on presentation. Presentation versus interaction at meetings. But our meeting designs, in large part, haven’t changed to reflect this shift in cultural awareness. What should it be? The written word.

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Meetings Meeting Design Conference Event Design 300

Conferences that Work

JULY 19, 2021

Ever since my first encounter with the hybrid hub and spoke meeting topology at Event Camp Twin Cities in 2011, I’ve been a big fan of the format. Yesterday [see below], I realized that hub and spoke is a great format for purely online meetings too. What’s a hub and spoke meeting? But first…. Convenience.

Meetings 330

Meetings 2011 2021 Fashion 330

Conferences that Work

JANUARY 11, 2021

What makes attending conferences worthwhile? As I described in Conferences That Work , the two most common reasons for attending conferences are to learn useful things and make useful connections. But there are numerous other ways that conferences provide value to stakeholders. Obvious problems. Complicated problems.

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Conference 2010 2011 2014 342

Conferences that Work

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

We talk about all kinds of things, with a focus on my work and thinking about participant-driven and participation-rich meetings and event design. 06:00 On traveling to events, and my passion for what I do. 11:00 What participant-driven and participation-rich meeting design means, and the core components.

Event Design 156

Event Design Meetings Social Media Meeting Design 156

Conferences that Work

SEPTEMBER 26, 2016

I’ve been promoting the Conferences That Work meeting format for so long, that some people assume I think it’s the right choice for every meeting. two meeting types and three situations when you should NOT use a Conferences That Work design: — Most corporate events. Here are (drum roll!)

Meeting Design 120

Meeting Design Conference Meetings Conference Design 120

Conferences that Work

OCTOBER 11, 2021

I think it’s also a meeting problem: “The real problem of humanity is the following: we have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and god-like technology.” And so it goes with meetings. It’s why businesses sponsor meetings. All meeting design needs to recognize this reality.

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Meetings 2009 2002 Technology 289

Conferences that Work

SEPTEMBER 26, 2022

Software testers do peer conferences right! They even call them a peer conference , rather than unconference , a term I don’t like.) As evidence of software tester conference awesomeness, I offer three examples below. a short history of the peer conference. The 2022 SoCraTes peer conference. But first…. …a

Conference 156

Conference 2022 2004 Meeting Design 156

Conferences that Work

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

Why not make your entire conference a braindate? One of Skift’s “ 10 event trends for 2020 ” is networking. The report predicts: “Activities such as braindates that deliver more meaningful connections will become mainstream at events.” Because good event design is about how a conference works.

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Conference 2020 2019 Meeting Design 268

Gallus Events

JULY 24, 2017

I have always used the metaphor of a production line to explain the need for meeting design. Unlike most of our events (which have scarcely changed in 20 years) a production line looks VERY different from the one I worked on during the long, painful, boring summers of the mid 1990s. Just In Time. A slow but deliberate process.

Meeting Design 124

Meeting Design Meetings Technology Sponsorships 124

Conferences that Work

JUNE 14, 2021

Why are our meetings still full of lectures? When the leading candidate for the Mayor of New York City has this take on how people learn, perhaps it’s not so surprising that we’re still sitting through endless broadcast-style sessions at meetings and conferences. It’s just the opposite. No related posts.

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Meetings 2021 Meeting Design Conference 316

Conferences that Work

FEBRUARY 20, 2017

And yes, I admit it, during the second day of my vacation while enjoying the harmonies I hear, I’m jolted to think about religious meeting design…. Religious services are thought to be around 300,000 years old — by far the oldest form of organized meeting that humans have created. Breaks aren’t communal activities.

Meeting Design 154

Meeting Design Meetings 2014 Speakers 154

Conferences that Work

APRIL 11, 2022

Over the years I’ve designed and facilitated hundreds of meetings. One of the most common issues I address that is rarely acknowledged openly is the tension between the wants and needs of suppliers and practitioners at meetings. But what happens when both suppliers and practitioners at meetings attend sessions ?

Meetings 296

Meetings Conference Meeting Design Advertising 296

Conferences that Work

NOVEMBER 8, 2021

What are the fairest rules to use when running meetings? ” I think it’s reasonable to concentrate on fairness to participants : the majority of those involved with the meeting. All meetings have rules, whether overt or covert, conscious or unconscious, that influence how they proceed. Status and power at meetings.

Meetings 323

Meetings Conference Negotiating Speakers 323

Conferences that Work

APRIL 5, 2021

If people come to meetings to learn, how can we create the best environment for them to do so? It turns out that trust and safety are prerequisites for optimum learning at meetings. How we learn at meetings. Only about 10% of adult learning involves formal classroom or meeting presentation formats. No related posts.

Meetings 324

Meetings Conference Meeting Design Management 324

Gallus Events

DECEMBER 11, 2018

I spoke at IBTM in Barcelona ( you can read the “review” here ) at the end of November on one of my favourite topics, Meeting Design or fresh formats for conferences. Think of the future when you create an event today, take baby steps towards that future! What objectives should underpin meeting design.

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Conference Meeting Design Entertainment Meetings 178

Conferences that Work

JULY 2, 2018

Recently, a client asked for help designing a new conference. Thirty minutes of discussion with three stakeholders revealed they hadn’t yet settled on the event’s specific purpose, scope, and format. hoping that in the process the event’s purpose and desired outcomes will become clearer.

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Meeting Design 2012 2014 Meetings 192

Conferences that Work

JANUARY 25, 2021

How can we design the optimum balance between control versus freedom at meetings? Unless your constituency is bound to your event via a requirement to earn CEUs, members can withhold their attendance or avoid sessions at will. — It’s when we try to tightly control every aspect of our meeting that our events suffer.

Meetings 307

Meetings 2010 2020 Conference 307

SmartMeetings

MAY 6, 2019

Just like social media, event planning relies heavily on understanding ever-changing consumer preferences and behaviors. Meeting planners face the same problems as social media managers—competing for the time and attention of potential attendees. Consider these three key trends and how they can positively impact meeting design.

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Meeting Design Meetings Social Media B2B 81

Conferences that Work

JUNE 3, 2019

The first peer conference I convened and designed was held June 3 – 5, 1992 at Marlboro College, Vermont. So, as of today, the community of practice that eventually became edACCESS has enjoyed 27 years of peer conferences. Twenty-three people came to the inaugural conference. 27 years of peer conferences.

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Conference 2014 Consulting Meeting Design 170

Conferences that Work

MARCH 29, 2021

The essential characteristics of meeting professionals. If there is a heaven on earth in the event industry, there are four essential characteristics of successful meeting professionals you’ll meet there. Every successful meeting involves thinking about, planning for and executing countless details.

Meetings 303

Meetings Tourism Consulting Hospitality 303

Conferences that Work

MAY 24, 2021

Are online meetings reducing our collective intelligence [CI] ? New research about online meetings. Translation: in the experimental setup used , the researchers found that online meeting participants were: better able to avoid interrupting each other; and. ” Artificial online meetings. I don’t think so.

Meetings 296

Meetings 2016 Consulting Conference 296

Conferences that Work

MARCH 3, 2022

Here’s a rare opportunity to ask me anything about meeting design and facilitation at a unique, free, online workshop. Join me next Thursday, March 10th, 2022 at 12:00 pm EST for Ask Adrian Anything ( AAA ): an online participant-driven workshop on the future of events. Experience a participant-driven online event.

Meeting Design 296

Meeting Design 2022 Conference Meetings 296

Conferences that Work

AUGUST 16, 2021

And it made me think about meeting design. And, me being me, I thought about what Marcy had just said in the context of meeting design. And meetings are no exception. But when we are fully engaged in a meeting, we are just there , immersed in and responding to what is happening. The rehearsal.

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Food and Beverage Meeting Design Meetings 2021 316

Conferences that Work

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

For over thirty years I’ve been making clients’ conferences significantly better, for about the cost of a conference coffee break. I make conferences better by dramatically increasing attendee satisfaction. I’d argue that hiring me is the most effective and cost-effective way to improve any event.

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2024 Conference Meeting Design Speakers 202

Conferences that Work

FEBRUARY 26, 2018

Traditional conferences focus on a hodgepodge of pre-determined sessions punctuated with socials, surrounded by short welcomes and closings. Such conference designs treat openings and closings as perfunctory traditions, perhaps pumped up with a keynote or two, rather than key components of the conference design.

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Conference Conference Design Meeting Design Education 160

Conferences that Work

MARCH 25, 2024

Since 2005, I’ve written three successful books on meeting design and facilitation and over 800 weekly blog posts on a wide range of topics. My books continue to sell, and this blog is the world’s most popular website on meeting design and facilitation. Attendees loved my events! ” Jerry was right.

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2005 2009 2007 Meeting Design 202

PCMA Convene

AUGUST 12, 2019

Instead of showcasing, as we’ve done in past years, extraordinary places, spaces, destination videos, F&B offerings, tech tools, and other bits and pieces that make the events world go round, we zoomed in on you. And second, what’s one new breakthrough shared or idea launched at your event that will help advance your field?

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Meeting Design 2019 Meetings Insurance 92

Conferences that Work

APRIL 25, 2022

Hosted by CSAE Manitoba , this free one-hour online Participate Lab will introduce you to the design of participation-rich events through the direct experience of participatory meeting techniques and formats. All are welcome to attend this event at no charge (both CSAE members and non-members). Where & When.

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2022 Meeting Design Conference Meetings 290

Conferences that Work

JUNE 12, 2017

I love my meeting design clients, but there is one mistake I see them making over and over again. Clients invariably ask me to help design their meeting after they’ve chosen a venue! Read the full article at Conferences That Work. Face The Fear—Then Change Your Conference Design!

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Venues 2010 Meetings Conference Design 210

Gallus Events

MARCH 22, 2016

At the end of February we supported Practically Perfect PA to run their second “Assist Conference” They reached their target of 100 PAs just a few days before the date of the conference, and everyone was delighted to have sold out the event. And the key to 100s PAs and one sell out event? And the reason?

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Conference Meeting Design Speakers Fashion 173

Gallus Events

APRIL 18, 2017

There is no such thing as the “perfect” conference programme. Every programme should reflect the slight differences in the audience; those delivering the content; the physical space in which the meeting takes place; the budget, and a good few other aspects too! Conference Programme Template. Add some meeting design.

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Conference Meeting Design 2017 Sponsorships 140

Conferences that Work

DECEMBER 18, 2023

Before 2020, I was designing and facilitating around a dozen in-person meetings and conferences a year. After COVID decimated the meeting industry, I focused on the design and facilitation of online meetings. He has stayed on top of new meeting trends and technologies for decades. Thank you, David!

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2023 Conference 2006 2020 208

Conferences that Work

MAY 20, 2024

Improving Conferences That Work I designed and facilitated my first peer conference in 1992. Conferences That Work: Creating Events That People Love took four years to write. I’m still proud of how well Conferences That Work lays out the fundamental reasons for the importance and value of peer conferences.

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Consulting Social Media 2009 2013 202

Conferences that Work

SEPTEMBER 11, 2023

Events and media consultant Julius Solaris shared at the Unforgettable Experience Design Summit that he was initially very enthusiastic about unconference format events. He thought conferences would eventually adopt unconference models. Why aren’t unconferences more popular? Here are my six reasons.

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Conference Venues 2023 Consulting 266

Conferences that Work

FEBRUARY 7, 2022

Companies bombard me with offers to check out online meeting platforms. Butter is an online meeting platform that is designed to support the facilitation of great interactive meetings. So here’s my review of Butter, a meeting platform for facilitators to shine. The usual caveats. Butter — the big picture.

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Meetings Meeting Design Fashion 2021 156