If you have ever attended a conference, you know how most of them feel. Some conference organizers try to innovate. Instead, you need to create your own conference style. Here are five tips to bring the sexy back to conferences and conference planning. MORE
When Conference Plans Land On Chutes. So many conference leaders, organizers and planning teams are obsessed with details, logistics and planning. Their plans actually obscure their conference’s vision. Their attention to detail and efficiency eclipses the conference purpose. MORE
So what is the flipped conference education session? In short, the term is used to describe any format where there is a pre-recorded or pre-conference feature. It might be a lecture on video, recorded PPT presentation or pre-conference webinar. Flipped conference education: 1. MORE
So what’s the difference between a growing, healthy conference and a declining one? Leadership—boards, committees, volunteers, staff—of growing, healthy conferences share some common attitudes. And leaders of declining conferences share similar outlooks as well. MORE
Much less how to apply forecasting to picking future-focused conference and education topics for my customers.”. Your organization’s conference and education topics need to be forward focused not best-practice or backwards focused on what worked for someone last year. Forecasting! MORE
A Momentous Catalyst To Conference Attendee Behavior Change. I am often asked how to get conference attendees to adopt 21 st Century learning habits. The majority of conferences treat attendees as consumers of information. Conference Planning Registrants Relabel MORE
Here’s a look at a few ways—both positive and negative—this smartphone has changed the conference experience. As attendees have come to rely on their iPhone to make other parts of their lives easier, they’ve also come to expect it to make their conference experience more seamless. MORE
Your conference today is where it is based upon the decisions you as a conference organizer made in the past. The decisions you make today about your conference creates your conference’s future. We’ve talked about conference predictions here and here. MORE
During ASAE’s MM&C Conference earlier this month, association executives and industry partners took part in 24 learning labs, three keynotes, two preconference workshops and networked to up their game on digital, content and branding strategies. MORE
It’s as if Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore’s Experience Economy is just now hitting its stride—for conferences at least. The word is out: we’ve got to create conference experiences, not just conferences that feel like a patchwork quilt of our great grandmother’s dresses. MORE
Many of you were super interested in learning about the six problems attendees experience at conferences : If you don’t have me at registration, you’ve lost me. I don’t use what I’ve learned at the conference back in the office. I am not implementing what I learned at the conference. MORE
Members love to talk about their conference experience during in-depth interviews with me. We spend a lot of time talking about their conference experience because the conference is where most members get the most value. Many conference attendees go to every session. MORE
Conference Connections. Conferences offer a unique opportunity for attendees to connect to people outside of their immediate sphere. Conference Ideas To Leverage Weak Ties. Event & Meeting Planning conference best practices conferences connexity networking MORE
How do you create a great conference experience? By getting attendees ready for a great conference experience! Here are three new things to try out: Rock the pre-conference communications : What are the most common attendee mistakes or misunderstandings? MORE
Everything we take for granted about conferences, and planning them, faces disruption. Participants from all generations and cultures increasingly expect conferences to mirror their work and personal lives. Savvy conference organizers meet these disruptions head-on. MORE
Conference organizers have been on a quest to create a 365-day community around their big annual event. Most conference organizers do a decent job of delivering education and networking value before and during the event. But what about after the conference? MORE
RSA Conference is this week in San Francisco. This event is like the annual prom for the security industry—part conference, part trade show, part “place to be.” Finally, I was pleased to see the conference include a track this year on. MORE
So what is your conference’s return on mission? Think of ROM as investments that should move the mission of your organization and conference forward in very real and tangible ways. So how are your investments in your conference moving the mission of your organization forward? MORE
I've had two recent experiences that have made me think critically about an association board's role in selecting venues for their association's annual conference. As if that was the only thing that could spell success for the conference. MORE
Which is more important to your attendees’ conference experience? There lies the tension for 21st Century Conferences offering education sessions. The Faulty Premise For Conference Delivery As A Priority. Then conference organizers say “We’ve revolutionized our education.”. MORE
Many of us who plan conferences have become so busy at the logistics of the event that we lose sight of the goal. Misleading Barometers Our own expectations of repeating what we’ve always done for organizing our conferences have become misguided barometers. MORE
He didn’t like dealing with people, especially disgruntled conference stakeholders. As conference organizers, we can easily fall into today’s culture of cynicism. Instead of fostering and practicing conference kindness, we embrace a stoic armor of rightness, pessimism and skepticism. MORE
Our conferences are planned to educate attendees for an era that no longer exists. Most of our conference attendees were educated on how to be right. Level 1: Transactional – delivery and exchange of information and data (where most conference experiences occur). MORE
Experiences are better when conferences are built around people. The conference experience greatly improves for all stakeholders when they are built around people and their relationships. Traditional Conference Experience. Conferences Should Be Built Around People. Tweet. MORE
Why do people go to conferences even though online learning and books are a better deal? These are all reasons to go to a conference rather than buy a book or take an online class. When you invest in a conference, you give yourself permission to take the time to be there. MORE
At a conference dinner earlier this month, a bunch of us, hungry and tired, sat at the table joking that chicken was most likely on the menu. Sounds about right for a conference, yes? Farm-to-food eating is gaining popularity across the globe, so conference venues are taking note. MORE
Which would you rather create for your conference attendees? Unfortunately, most conferences are nothing more than brain drains. The Traditional Conference Tension. Conference organizers have to balance a common tension: fill seats versus creating a unique attendee experience. MORE
Ok, you get it – Your Conference is a Brand. You’ve got your conference mission. You know how your conference will advance the profession and what’s in it for your participants. Design your conference logo. Your conference should stand for more than a cartoon cowboy. MORE
Attracting the next generation of participants is an urgent priority for most professional conference organizers. Too often we think that means injecting conference botox to give our event a more youthful, trendy hip vibe. Yet it is much more than giving our conference a face-lift. MORE
10-20 years ago, we saw conferences grow both in numbers and maturity. These days, our society, our culture and our conferences change. Outdated Ineffective Conference Ideas That We Think Worked A Decade Ago. The annual conference just doesn’t cross their mind. MORE
Here are some fun things conference organizers do to increase attendee energy at the conference. Encourage all the speakers, staff, exhibitors, sponsors, and volunteers to come up on stage at the end of the conference. Related: The problems attendees experience at conferences. MORE
For many associations the annual conference is the biggest event of the year. But, what many associations don’t realize is that the annual conference can also be their biggest member recruiter. Here's how one association uses its annual conference to add hundreds of members each year. MORE
And one that we as conference organizers should pay attention to. So let’s dig deeper into the issue of people voting with their feet at your conference. Is your conference only a consumer-driven event? Or is your conference a leading transformational experience? MORE
The days after a major conference are filled with busy work, attending to all of the things you pushed off leading to the conference. I have 50,000 vendors calling me (yes they call me too, I know how you feel) some from conference and others I politely deferred before conference. MORE
Peer conversations are more important to your conference than you know. You know when it’s happening at conferences because the rooms are buzzing with discussions. The Industrial Conference Is Dead. Shifting Our Thinking About Conversations And Conferences. MORE
The only reason that conference education sessions exist is to drive a business’ outcomes. Ok, sure some conference education sessions exist for personal development, hobbies or pleasure. But most of us attend conferences to learn and grow professionally. MORE
The mass-personalization wave that is dramatically changing what and how we buy as consumers has application to conferences. Application to Conferences. In my opinion, the first item — individualizing a conference experience for every attendee — isn’t scalable today. MORE
Yesterday’s blog post gave a few tips on turning post-conference excitement into action. When you come back from a conference with all of these delicious ideas percolating in your head, it’s hard [.] ( Read more. ) Membership Management conference innovation MORE
Danger, conference organizer! Your Conference Data Just Might Be Flailing Its Arms. If you are paying close attention to the right conference data, it might just be flailing its robotic arms shouting danger. So, what is your conference data really telling you? MORE
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. MORE
Conference professionals suck at measurement. If you trust your conference smile sheet evaluations as a barometer of how effective your conference education was, you are just being foolish says learning research psychologist Dr. Will Thalheimer. MORE
With less than a month away for ASAE I thought I’d share some social media prep work you can be doing to make the most of your conference attendance. The post 7 Tips to Making the Most of Conference appeared first on YourMembership.com. MORE
And the most successful conferences link their learning opportunities to their target market’s strategic business interest. They do not see their conference education sessions as a roll of the call-for-proposal-dice. And it results in conference success and loyalty. MORE
Conference Related Topics Smooth The Path
JULY 18, 2017
Why do people go to conferences even though online learning and books are a better deal? These are all reasons to go to a conference rather than buy a book or take an online class. When you invest in a conference, you give yourself permission to take the time to be there.
Eric Lanke
MARCH 20, 2017
I've had two recent experiences that have made me think critically about an association board's role in selecting venues for their association's annual conference. As if that was the only thing that could spell success for the conference.
YourMembership Blog
AUGUST 7, 2013
The days after a major conference are filled with busy work, attending to all of the things you pushed off leading to the conference. I have 50,000 vendors calling me (yes they call me too, I know how you feel) some from conference and others I politely deferred before conference.
Smooth The Path
AUGUST 7, 2017
Here are some fun things conference organizers do to increase attendee energy at the conference. Encourage all the speakers, staff, exhibitors, sponsors, and volunteers to come up on stage at the end of the conference. Related: The problems attendees experience at conferences.
Velvet Chainsaw
JUNE 14, 2017
The mass-personalization wave that is dramatically changing what and how we buy as consumers has application to conferences. Application to Conferences. In my opinion, the first item — individualizing a conference experience for every attendee — isn’t scalable today.
Velvet Chainsaw
JANUARY 30, 2017
Everything we take for granted about conferences, and planning them, faces disruption. Participants from all generations and cultures increasingly expect conferences to mirror their work and personal lives. Savvy conference organizers meet these disruptions head-on.
Association Management
FEBRUARY 16, 2017
RSA Conference is this week in San Francisco. This event is like the annual prom for the security industry—part conference, part trade show, part “place to be.” Finally, I was pleased to see the conference include a track this year on.
Velvet Chainsaw
APRIL 22, 2014
Conference professionals suck at measurement. If you trust your conference smile sheet evaluations as a barometer of how effective your conference education was, you are just being foolish says learning research psychologist Dr. Will Thalheimer.
Smooth The Path
MAY 21, 2017
Many of you were super interested in learning about the six problems attendees experience at conferences : If you don’t have me at registration, you’ve lost me. I don’t use what I’ve learned at the conference back in the office. I am not implementing what I learned at the conference.
Velvet Chainsaw
AUGUST 24, 2015
He didn’t like dealing with people, especially disgruntled conference stakeholders. As conference organizers, we can easily fall into today’s culture of cynicism. Instead of fostering and practicing conference kindness, we embrace a stoic armor of rightness, pessimism and skepticism.
Velvet Chainsaw
FEBRUARY 23, 2016
Danger, conference organizer! Your Conference Data Just Might Be Flailing Its Arms. If you are paying close attention to the right conference data, it might just be flailing its robotic arms shouting danger. So, what is your conference data really telling you?
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.
Velvet Chainsaw
JULY 10, 2015
So what is your conference’s return on mission? Think of ROM as investments that should move the mission of your organization and conference forward in very real and tangible ways. So how are your investments in your conference moving the mission of your organization forward?
YourMembership Blog
JULY 12, 2013
With less than a month away for ASAE I thought I’d share some social media prep work you can be doing to make the most of your conference attendance. The post 7 Tips to Making the Most of Conference appeared first on YourMembership.com.
Velvet Chainsaw
SEPTEMBER 12, 2013
If you have ever attended a conference, you know how most of them feel. Some conference organizers try to innovate. Instead, you need to create your own conference style. Here are five tips to bring the sexy back to conferences and conference planning.
Wild Apricot Blog
JANUARY 12, 2017
For many associations the annual conference is the biggest event of the year. But, what many associations don’t realize is that the annual conference can also be their biggest member recruiter. Here's how one association uses its annual conference to add hundreds of members each year.
Velvet Chainsaw
JANUARY 7, 2016
Your conference today is where it is based upon the decisions you as a conference organizer made in the past. The decisions you make today about your conference creates your conference’s future. We’ve talked about conference predictions here and here.
Smooth The Path
AUGUST 23, 2016
How do you create a great conference experience? By getting attendees ready for a great conference experience! Here are three new things to try out: Rock the pre-conference communications : What are the most common attendee mistakes or misunderstandings?
Velvet Chainsaw
JANUARY 11, 2016
Our conferences are planned to educate attendees for an era that no longer exists. Most of our conference attendees were educated on how to be right. Level 1: Transactional – delivery and exchange of information and data (where most conference experiences occur).
Velvet Chainsaw
JANUARY 29, 2016
Much less how to apply forecasting to picking future-focused conference and education topics for my customers.”. Your organization’s conference and education topics need to be forward focused not best-practice or backwards focused on what worked for someone last year. Forecasting!
Velvet Chainsaw
MAY 8, 2015
Many of us who plan conferences have become so busy at the logistics of the event that we lose sight of the goal. Misleading Barometers Our own expectations of repeating what we’ve always done for organizing our conferences have become misguided barometers.
Velvet Chainsaw
FEBRUARY 16, 2015
And the most successful conferences link their learning opportunities to their target market’s strategic business interest. They do not see their conference education sessions as a roll of the call-for-proposal-dice. And it results in conference success and loyalty.
Velvet Chainsaw
OCTOBER 3, 2013
Conference Connections. Conferences offer a unique opportunity for attendees to connect to people outside of their immediate sphere. Conference Ideas To Leverage Weak Ties. Event & Meeting Planning conference best practices conferences connexity networking
Velvet Chainsaw
MARCH 19, 2012
Experiences are better when conferences are built around people. The conference experience greatly improves for all stakeholders when they are built around people and their relationships. Traditional Conference Experience. Conferences Should Be Built Around People. Tweet.
Velvet Chainsaw
SEPTEMBER 15, 2014
Ok, you get it – Your Conference is a Brand. You’ve got your conference mission. You know how your conference will advance the profession and what’s in it for your participants. Design your conference logo. Your conference should stand for more than a cartoon cowboy.
Velvet Chainsaw
JULY 21, 2016
When Conference Plans Land On Chutes. So many conference leaders, organizers and planning teams are obsessed with details, logistics and planning. Their plans actually obscure their conference’s vision. Their attention to detail and efficiency eclipses the conference purpose.
Aaron Wolowiec
APRIL 28, 2015
At a conference dinner earlier this month, a bunch of us, hungry and tired, sat at the table joking that chicken was most likely on the menu. Sounds about right for a conference, yes? Farm-to-food eating is gaining popularity across the globe, so conference venues are taking note.
Velvet Chainsaw
SEPTEMBER 3, 2014
Conference organizers have been on a quest to create a 365-day community around their big annual event. Most conference organizers do a decent job of delivering education and networking value before and during the event. But what about after the conference?
Velvet Chainsaw
MAY 21, 2015
Attracting the next generation of participants is an urgent priority for most professional conference organizers. Too often we think that means injecting conference botox to give our event a more youthful, trendy hip vibe. Yet it is much more than giving our conference a face-lift.
Velvet Chainsaw
JUNE 9, 2016
A Momentous Catalyst To Conference Attendee Behavior Change. I am often asked how to get conference attendees to adopt 21 st Century learning habits. The majority of conferences treat attendees as consumers of information. Conference Planning Registrants Relabel
Velvet Chainsaw
JUNE 1, 2016
10-20 years ago, we saw conferences grow both in numbers and maturity. These days, our society, our culture and our conferences change. Outdated Ineffective Conference Ideas That We Think Worked A Decade Ago. The annual conference just doesn’t cross their mind.
Velvet Chainsaw
APRIL 10, 2014
The only reason that conference education sessions exist is to drive a business’ outcomes. Ok, sure some conference education sessions exist for personal development, hobbies or pleasure. But most of us attend conferences to learn and grow professionally.
Velvet Chainsaw
MARCH 28, 2014
So what is the flipped conference education session? In short, the term is used to describe any format where there is a pre-recorded or pre-conference feature. It might be a lecture on video, recorded PPT presentation or pre-conference webinar. Flipped conference education: 1.
Velvet Chainsaw
SEPTEMBER 19, 2012
Which would you rather create for your conference attendees? Unfortunately, most conferences are nothing more than brain drains. The Traditional Conference Tension. Conference organizers have to balance a common tension: fill seats versus creating a unique attendee experience.
Velvet Chainsaw
APRIL 16, 2014
Peer conversations are more important to your conference than you know. You know when it’s happening at conferences because the rooms are buzzing with discussions. The Industrial Conference Is Dead. Shifting Our Thinking About Conversations And Conferences.
Velvet Chainsaw
JULY 11, 2016
And one that we as conference organizers should pay attention to. So let’s dig deeper into the issue of people voting with their feet at your conference. Is your conference only a consumer-driven event? Or is your conference a leading transformational experience?
Velvet Chainsaw
JANUARY 21, 2014
Which is more important to your attendees’ conference experience? There lies the tension for 21st Century Conferences offering education sessions. The Faulty Premise For Conference Delivery As A Priority. Then conference organizers say “We’ve revolutionized our education.”.
Velvet Chainsaw
JUNE 10, 2015
So what’s the difference between a growing, healthy conference and a declining one? Leadership—boards, committees, volunteers, staff—of growing, healthy conferences share some common attitudes. And leaders of declining conferences share similar outlooks as well.
Associations Now
JUNE 30, 2017
Here’s a look at a few ways—both positive and negative—this smartphone has changed the conference experience. As attendees have come to rely on their iPhone to make other parts of their lives easier, they’ve also come to expect it to make their conference experience more seamless.
YourMembership Blog
MAY 22, 2017
During ASAE’s MM&C Conference earlier this month, association executives and industry partners took part in 24 learning labs, three keynotes, two preconference workshops and networked to up their game on digital, content and branding strategies.
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