Conferences that Work

JULY 30, 2018

I often design and facilitate workshops for association members who mostly haven’t met before. During the workshops each participant shares and receives consulting from a small peer group on a current personal professional challenge. Why are these workshops successful?

2011 136

2011 Education Consulting Conference 136

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. Related posts: Help Wanted—Venues for my participation techniques workshops!

Venues 210

Venues 2010 Meetings Conference Design 210

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.

Meetings 156

Meetings Meeting Design Fashion 2021 156

Conferences that Work

AUGUST 8, 2016

For over 25 years, I’ve been designing and facilitating Conferences That Work : successful, innovative, highly interactive, participant-driven events that leverage attendees’ expertise and experience to create just the conference that participants want and need. Testimonials from earlier workshops. “I by far!”

2011 120

2011 2016 Education 2012 120

Gallus Events

OCTOBER 29, 2019

Workshops are a very popular format for getting people stuck into a topic. But not all workshops are created equally. I attended a workshop in Barcelona last week. What is a workshop. Back in 2015 (probably after attending workshops that weren’t workshops) I wrote a post: Definition of a Workshop.

2015 100

2015 Speakers Meeting Design Events 100

Conferences that Work

JULY 24, 2017

So you’re holding a conference. Read the full article at Conferences That Work. The Solution Room—a powerful conference session There’s been a lot of interest in The Solution Room, a session that I co-facilitated last July at Meeting Professionals International World Education Congress in Orlando, Florida.

Conference 180

Conference 2011 Education Meetings 180

PCMA Convene

AUGUST 12, 2019

American Society of Hematology asked participants at its annual meeting to share — through art — their answers to the question, “What Keeps Your Heart in Medicine?”. The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers declared war on boring lectures in July at the two-day leadership workshop, “Leadership Lessons From World War II.”.

Meeting Design 92

Meeting Design 2019 Meetings Insurance 92

Velvet Chainsaw

JULY 10, 2017

In order to design relevant education and networking experiences at our conferences, we need to be focused to the point of obsession with our target audience. Over the past 18 months, we’ve carefully scrubbed and analyzed the attendance of 20 major conferences. Who has the professional development budget to attend every year?

Conference 288

Conference Education 2017 Speakers 288

Conferences that Work

APRIL 9, 2018

Over the last five years I’ve heard increasing concern from the meeting professionals community about the deterioration of the quality of our national industry conferences. I’ll illustrate with the area where I have most experience: providing education at these meetings.

Education 185

Education Meetings 2006 2012 185

Conferences that Work

JUNE 7, 2021

Why am I writing about social learning on a blog that’s (mainly) about meeting design? Because social (uncovered) learning is the best learning model for conference sessions. Which means, to create the best meetings we need to maximize the social learning that takes place. Humans’ true superpower.

Meeting Design 284

Meeting Design Conference Meetings Event Design 284

Conferences that Work

JUNE 13, 2016

Why mention this on an event design blog? Well, the most effective aspect of China’s online censorship regime illustrates what happens when you don’t incorporate covenants into your meetings. When such freedoms are agreed to individually and as a group at the start of a meeting, ambiguity about meeting behavior dissipates.

Meetings 159

Meetings 2011 2012 Education 159

Conferences that Work

MARCH 25, 2019

Though it’s clearly sensible to keep a conference running on schedule, we’ve all attended meetings where rambling presenters, avoidable “technical issues”, incompetent facilitation, and inadequate logistics have made a mockery of the published program. It seems obvious to do this. Chaos and cynicism follow.

Contracts 175

Contracts 2011 Conference Education 175

Conferences that Work

DECEMBER 12, 2016

or Europe, I’ve got a POPWORKS workshop for you! February 2-3, 2017: RAI Amsterdam , The Netherlands 1½-day workshop, registration now open — €895. March 20-21, 2017: Catalyst Ranch , Chicago 1½-day workshop, registration now open — $599 if you register by January 7 , $699 afterwards. I am sick that I missed it.

2012 48

2012 2017 Education Conference 48

Conferences that Work

MARCH 13, 2017

How do we get people to participate at meetings? Seth Godin describes a desirable meeting mindset: What would happen… if we chose to: …Sit in the front row. Seth Godin describes a desirable meeting mindset: What would happen… if we chose to: …Sit in the front row. Ask a hard question every time we go to a meeting….

2011 200

2011 2012 Education Meeting Design 200

PCMA Convene

APRIL 4, 2019

The appetite for experiential tours among those who come to Portland for meetings and conventions has grown noticeably in the last two years, Morgan said. So much so, that she predicts that the days when business travelers see only see the inside of their hotels, moving from conference room to hotel room and back again, will soon be history.

Meeting Design 40

Meeting Design Meetings Food and Beverage Hotels 40

PCMA Convene

AUGUST 1, 2019

Attendees who want more from their meetings don’t want to sit and listen passively to a formal presentation. Welcome to the era of disrupted meetings, in good company with other industries and institutions whose established norms are being taken down to the studs. They have expectations of involvement. FLIPPED LEARNING.

Meetings 85

Meetings 2017 Meeting Design Speakers 85

Slido

OCTOBER 30, 2018

A good icebreaker at the onset of your conference can set the tone for your event, boost audience engagement and create the right conditions for networking. But before you dive into planning one for your conference, keep these three things in mind: Set a clear goal Know what you want to achieve with your icebreaker. Do you have a pet?

Conference 80

Conference Speakers Meeting Design 2016 80

Conferences that Work

AUGUST 29, 2016

Whenever I’ve had the pleasure of meeting David (not often enough!) There is nothing in the 2016 BizBash Design Issue that explores the heart of event design: what will happen at the event? 2 — Elementary Meetings. 3 — Conferences That Work. Read the full article at Conferences That Work.

Event Design 136

Event Design 2010 2016 2009 136

PCMA Convene

MAY 24, 2019

Convene ’s own look at the attitudes toward homelessness in the meetings industry show that a number of meeting professionals are bucking that trend: Thirty-five percent of those who responded to a survey last August reported they had organized CSR activities to benefit homelessness in the destinations where they hold meetings.

2019 94

2019 Meetings 2009 Education 94

SmartMeetings

JULY 5, 2016

From books that take an irreverent approach to meeting planning to comprehensive guides on everything from meeting design to green events , this reading list has everything the modern meeting planner needs for a relaxing day of poolside reading. Into the Heart of Meetings: Basic Principles of Meeting Design.

Meetings 73

Meetings Food and Beverage Sustainability Meeting Design 73

PCMA Convene

JUNE 1, 2017

Attendees who want more from their meetings don’t want to sit and listen passively to a formal presentation. Welcome to the era of disrupted meetings, in good company with other industries and institutions whose established norms are being taken down to the studs. They have expectations of involvement.

Meetings 103

Meetings Meeting Design Speakers Tech 103

Conferences that Work

JUNE 26, 2017

I’ve spent 25 years working on changing outmoded mindsets about what we should be doing in meetings. Historically, topics had to be determined in advance, the meeting format was mainly lecture and did not encourage interaction, and content was king. Read the full article at Conferences That Work. And it is changing.

Education 125

Education Conference Meeting Design Meetings 125

Event Marketer

MAY 17, 2023

Designed as the ultimate three-day conversation, EMS 2023 delivered senior-level perspectives on the current state of experiential marketing as the industry continues to find its footing in a post-pandemic climate.

2023 52

2023 2024 Marketing Speakers 52

Gallus Events

JUNE 17, 2016

The event was held at one of the particular fantastic – and pretty new- ETC Venues in London and it was a day that promised something different from the standard association conference: and trust me, association conferences can be VERY STANDARD. An “insight” session: basically an introduction session to a workshop.

2016 113

2016 Meeting Design Sponsorships Events 113

Gallus Events

JUNE 17, 2016

The event was held at one of the particular fantastic – and pretty new- ETC Venues in London and it was a day that promised something different from the standard association conference: and trust me, association conferences can be VERY STANDARD. An “insight” session: basically an introduction session to a workshop.

2016 100

2016 Meeting Design Sponsorships Events 100

Conferences that Work

JULY 15, 2019

And when I started convening and speaking at conferences I was scared of being “on stage”, even in front of small audiences. Read the full article at Conferences That Work The post Becoming Brave appeared first on Conferences That Work. No related posts.

Conference 145

Conference Meeting Design Meetings 145

Hubilo Blog

FEBRUARY 25, 2020

The sole idea of organizing any business event or a conference is to engage with your audience and build a strong brand by providing value by the means of sharing knowledge, insights or present compelling stories. This where you need keynote speakers at your event or conference. Why have a keynote speaker at your event?

Speakers 101

Speakers Consulting Healthcare Financial 101

Hubilo Blog

FEBRUARY 25, 2020

The sole idea of organizing any business event or a conference is to engage with your audience and build a strong brand by providing value by the means of sharing knowledge, insights or present compelling stories. This where you need keynote speakers at your event or conference. Why have a keynote speaker at your event?

Speakers 98

Speakers Healthcare Consulting Financial 98

PCMA Convene

JANUARY 25, 2019

The appetite for experiential tours among those who come to Portland for meetings and conventions has grown noticeably in the last two years, Morgan said. So much so, that she predicts that the days when business travelers see only see the inside of their hotels, moving from conference room to hotel room and back again, will soon be history.

Travel 74

Travel Event Design Food and Beverage Hotels 74

Planning Pod

NOVEMBER 19, 2019

Say you are preparing for a meeting, or a conference, or a class, or a banquet, or a wedding, and you want to optimize the venue or space you are using so that the seating and tables are set up for the best attendee experience. For example, conferences and meetings usually focus on networking and professional development.

Speakers 95

Speakers Trade Shows Conference Entertainment 95