Conferences that Work

MARCH 28, 2022

They assume that meetings will consist of sessions with speakers on a stage. They assume that the core purpose of a meeting session is to transmit content to an audience. And they assume that when attendees are not in sessions, we should ply them with food and drink and entertainment. Steve Jobs said, “Design is how it works”.

Logistics 171

Logistics Meeting Meeting Design Site Selection 171

MeetingsNet

MAY 29, 2019

"Conversations & Input" eases presenter pressure, gets all attendees involved, and deepens learning. We're all quite familiar with the Q&A portion of a meeting session: The final few minutes where the audience has its chance to drill down a bit with the presenter. The Results.

Attendee 85

Attendee Meeting Audience Meeting Design 85

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. Include lots of communal activities.

Meeting Design 66

Meeting Design Meeting Speakers Conference 66

Conferences that Work

MARCH 13, 2017

How do we get people to participate at meetings? We know that participants — people who are active learners — learn more, retain more, and retain more accurately than passive attendees. Seth Godin describes a desirable meeting mindset: What would happen… if we chose to: …Sit in the front row. Seth Godin, What Would Happen.

Attendee 84

Attendee Education Booking Conference 84

Smart Meetings

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Coburn describes the overwhelming number of virtual meetings now happening on Zoom as top-down content delivery. The twine for Zoom app will open a window that looks like a series of tables with pictures of attendees “sitting” at each one. The event planner can determine the number of seats, turn on matchmaking based on tags (e.g.,

Remote 246

Remote Platform Production Technology 246

Endless Events

JULY 19, 2019

EventMobi is actually a platform that allows event planners to establish good communication with their attendees. Everything from “apps to live voting and attendee management in a single platform, that can also be integrated with other tools”, Thorben explains. A tad scary, right?

Events 199

Events Publishing Platform Technology 199

Smart Meetings

JUNE 11, 2021

While tickets are for specific time slots, attendees are encouraged to make the journey their own. Action Item: How can you provide your attendees with the tools to create their own experience from whatever perspective they are comfortable? Visitors are also empowered to self-direct their experience.

Social Media 279

Social Media Meeting Media Production 279

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. The art and craft of the meeting designer. It’s a meeting designer’s job to create these contextual layers.

Rehearsal 139

Rehearsal Meeting Design Conference Planner 139

MPI

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

Although engaging attendees is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to enhance the quality of a meeting, there is still a lot of resistance, according to Bo Krüger, meeting designer, facilitator, trainer and speaker and owner of Moving Minds.

Attendee 59

Attendee Speakers Meeting Design Events 59

Endless Events

JUNE 15, 2018

Today there are multiple options for attendees to check in to events, whether offline or online. Also, take into account the real-time feedback of your attendees. From uncommon games and giveaways to choose-your-own-adventures and unique conference breakout sessions , it’s possible to make any meeting interesting.

Registration 258

Registration Events Sponsors Event Marketing 258

Conferences that Work

MAY 11, 2020

In person meetings have vanished overnight. It’s time to implement what we’ve learned about great face-to-face meeting design and process into online meetings. Meetings will never be the same. Regardless of the time needed, conference attendees should be otherwise engaged during step #2.

Online 158

Online Conference Platform Publishing 158

The MICE Blog

JULY 27, 2022

One of the presentations that highly inspired me to think differently about event design took place in 2019 at the MICE Forum at ITB Berlin (Organised by VDVO ). The conference programme was designed to highlight the importance of the individual who is the centre of every live event. ethics of artificial intelligence (AI)).

Events 147

Events Speakers Conference Attendee 147

Conferences that Work

FEBRUARY 5, 2024

As Kiesow illustrates for journalism, emphasizing community over audience also pays rich dividends for meeting attendees. When the attendees are the owners, meeting designs that build and support community are the obvious way to go. But, all too often, attendees are not the conference owners.

Audience 98

Audience Meeting Manufacturing Meeting Design 98

Stova

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

A hybrid event is one that combines a face-to-face (F2F) event at a physical location with a “virtual” online component for remote attendees. Some attendees may simply accept remote event attendance as an acceptable substitute with no travel time, no travel costs and reduced environmental impact.

Remote 111

Remote Audience Events Meeting Design 111

Conferences that Work

APRIL 25, 2022

Today’s attendees are no longer satisfied sitting and listening to people talking at them. If you want to hold meetings where effective learning, connection, and engagement take place, you need to build in authentic and relevant participation. This workshop is limited to 100 attendees, so register now ! What We Will Talk About.

Online 116

Online Registration Meeting Design Conference 116

Conferences that Work

APRIL 11, 2022

First, you need to understand before the meeting what your practitioners and suppliers want, need, and expect. As a meeting designer, if a meeting is going to include both practitioners and suppliers I always ask my clients about the relationship between these groups and their wants and needs.

Meeting 118

Meeting Vendor Sponsors Attendee 118

Social Tables

APRIL 17, 2019

Leading events such as IMEX, Dreamforce, and C2 Montréal are integrating opportunities for attendees to focus on their mental and physical health, as well as recharge. Sure, wellness programs don’t dictate the success of meetings, but they certainly enhance results. Our industry is resilient and events aren’t going away.

Proposal 149

Proposal Communications Communications Venue 149

Social Tables

DECEMBER 27, 2018

To succeed, you have to be dynamic, you have to be flexible, and, above all, you have to be in tune with attendee desires. Industry Performance Trends Attendee Experience Trends Meeting Destination Trends Event Technology Trends Meeting Design Trends. Attendee Experience Trends. Industry Performance Trends.

Trends 167

Trends Meeting Planner Venue 167

Conferences that Work

APRIL 18, 2022

The first novel hybrid meeting format was invented by Joel Backon back in 2010. The second is a design I’ll be using in a conference I’ve designed and will be facilitating in June 2022. 1—In-person attendees participate in an online session! Want to read my other posts on hybrid meetings? Conclusion.

Meeting 169

Meeting Online Conference Booking 169

Convene by PCMA

MAY 19, 2023

Amsterdam’s well-connected infrastructure means attendees can easily jump between venues, hotels, attractions, and restaurants. After all, when event organizers choose host cities that embrace innovation and forward-thinking ideas, those values inevitably set the tone for their event programs and become part of the attendee experience.

Sustainability 52

Sustainability Attendee Fashion Panel 52

Social Tables

OCTOBER 6, 2018

Because of that, they’re also now the largest pool of potential meeting attendees. Since the meeting industry is shaped by attendee expectations, successful events have to cater to millennials. Attendees want more control over the meeting agenda. Meetings should be “purposeful” experiences.

Trends 157

Trends Meeting Trade Show Events 157

Social Tables

OCTOBER 6, 2018

With that, they’re also now the largest pool of potential meeting attendees. In an industry shaped by attendee expectations, successful events have to cater to their wants and desires. Control over the meeting agenda is moving to attendees. Millennials are the decision makers now. labor force at 35%.

Meeting 158

Meeting Trade Show Events Social Media 158

Conferences that Work

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

I make conferences better by dramatically increasing attendee satisfaction. Increasing attendee satisfaction increases the effectiveness of the event for all stakeholders: attendees, sponsors, and event owners. For example: “Attendees want to connect with peers over shared challenges and specific topics.”

Sponsors 96

Sponsors Registration Conference Attendee 96

Endless Events

JANUARY 12, 2018

On the side of the audience, we’ll see more innovation related to getting attendees to interact with speakers and giving them an active learning experience. As we mentioned earlier, we’re going to see a lot of human-centric tech this 2018, especially for events.

Venue 287

Venue Booking Event Apps Events 287

Convene by PCMA

AUGUST 2, 2024

In response to our sacred cow question, meeting designer Adrian Segar posted on X that we should “get rid of expensive keynotes, predetermined schedules of lectures, large events that try to cover everything with no support for tribes to find each other.”

Social Media 119

Social Media Events Consulting Culture 119

Conferences that Work

JULY 19, 2021

If you want maximum learning, interaction, and connection at a meeting, small meetings are better than large meetings. Increased learning, interaction, and connection. This is the classic hybrid hub and spoke format that we used 10 years ago at Event Camp Twin Cities (ECTC). Producing Event Camp Twin Cities 2011.

Meeting 147

Meeting Online Remote Conference 147

Conferences that Work

SEPTEMBER 11, 2023

I still believe that these events, when well-designed and facilitated, offer the best attendee experience for the majority of conferences that are held today. 2—Poor unconference design Half a century ago, as a lowly graduate student, I attended tons of traditional academic conferences. Here are my six reasons.

Preparation 112

Preparation Venue Conference Proposal 112

Conferences that Work

APRIL 1, 2019

At traditional conferences with fixed programs set in advance, at best half of sessions offered are what attendees want. I was an amateur in the meeting industry, and that led to some mistakes, but it also gave me a fresh perspective at a time when meeting design wasn’t really a “thing.”

Booking 103

Booking Conference Speakers Meeting Design 103

Social Tables

OCTOBER 14, 2016

But you’ve forgotten one important piece of the puzzle: how do you plan on engaging your attendees? Attendee engagement is an oft-overlooked component that is just as important as the venue or food and beverage. When you incorporate the event hashtag into a live tweet, it makes it easy for other attendees to join the conversation.

Audience 68

Audience Social Media B2C Networking 68

Conferences that Work

SEPTEMBER 16, 2024

For decades, I’ve championed responsible conference designs that prioritize participants. This approach benefits everyone—participants, sponsors, and organizers—because when attendees’ wants and needs are met, their satisfaction positively impacts all other event stakeholders.

Platform 96

Platform Media Conference Sponsors 96

Conferences that Work

NOVEMBER 8, 2021

I think of status at events as the relative levels of proclaimed or perceived social value assigned to or assumed by attendees. And power at events is an individual’s capacity to influence the actions, beliefs, or conduct of attendees. Typically, but not always, higher status implies greater power at meetings.

Meeting 143

Meeting Conference Speakers Booking 143

Convene by PCMA

APRIL 4, 2022

This year’s lineup of GMID events reflects not only the surge in 2022 in the number of events that have returned to an in-person format, but a range of meeting-design decisions.

Meeting 116

Meeting Trade Show Social Media Hospitality 116

Conferences that Work

APRIL 9, 2018

In a nutshell, I think that our industry associations have become too focused on justifying their continued existence financially, and are neglecting their core mission of supporting and representing their members and association meeting attendees. But their inclusion looks good on the promotional materials.

Education 78

Education Meeting Sponsors Speakers 78

The MICE Blog

MARCH 11, 2021

Now, after one year of hosting and attending virtual events, the events industry is facing the challenge of how to engage attendees and combat ‘zoom fatigue.’ We used meeting design to do that, which already had some gamification elements to it. And by working towards a mutual goal, attendees are ‘forced’ to collaborate.

Contracts 130

Contracts Contracts Virtual Events Online 130

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! Nothing worked.

Booking 96

Booking Consulting Meeting Design Conference 96

Conferences that Work

SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

Let’s look at these three conclusions in the context of meeting design. Most meeting presenters still lecture. And most meeting session presenters resort to lecturing as their dominant session modality. Attendees learn more when presenters use active learning modalities.

Publishing 92

Publishing Speakers Education Booking 92

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. The attendees are still here talking to each other!

Education 88

Education Social Network Conference Logistics 88