These mental models are deeply embedded in our conference planning and management practices. Savvy conference organizers realize that their mental models have much more influence over their outcomes than their decisions and actions. Surfacing our cognitive conference constructs. MORE
Let’s think about how emotional contagion works at conferences. We, the organizers of the conference, have been working on this event for months. The few weeks leading up to the conference have been more than jam packed. Then pre-conference attendees. MORE
It is much more effective to provide opportunities for conference participants to solve their own problems, then telling them how to solve it. Conference organizers automatically assume that if someone is attending their event, they expect the conference to help them solve their problems. MORE
Too often conference and meeting professionals assume that their role is best suited to planning and executing the conference. I get that from the education section or the conference technical teams.”. They own designing the conference customers experience journey. MORE
When talking about conference education, most people think about the traditional lecture. It is perceived as the holy grail of much of the conference. Our Love/Hate Affair With Conference Lectures. Five Myths Of Interactive, Participatory Learning For STEM Conferences. MORE
A meeting planner said to me, “the whole conference experience is decided in the first 10 seconds”. Those critical first impressions are made at the registration desk at most conferences. We, the professionals organizing the conference, think of registration as a transaction. MORE
ABMS , a prominent board of medical specialty boards, will hold its annual conference in Chicago, September 25-27. The post American Board of Medical Specialties Conference appeared first on Web Courseworks. MORE
Once you’ve observed the conference through the lens of your target customer and gained insights from conference data, you can move to the next steps. These steps are critical for you and your conference planning teams to embrace, enlist and employ. MORE
Does your conference committee practice organized abandonment and avoid no-bottom-line-mindsets? How are they at focusing on the purpose, goals and target market of the conference when making decisions? These three principles are vital to maintaining a healthy, strong conference. MORE
The opening keynote speaker sets the tone for the rest of the conference. Then schedule a call in advance of the conference to discuss what you hope to achieve with the opening keynote. Ask to repost their blog posts in pre-conference marketing. MORE
We are used to thinking of our conference and its planning process as a one-way transaction from the company to its customers. We may even dread working with a new conference advisory committee due to our negative past experiences. The Traditional Transactional Conference Model. MORE
If we dive a bit more deeply into this aspirational culture statement it’s easy to see how the values that make The Walt Disney Company an extraordinary place to work are the same values that are capable of transforming association events into member-centric conference experiences. MORE
One of the strongest intangible attributes of a healthy conference is how much sharing takes place. Conversely, conferences that have a higher deal-making quotient tend to hold their cards closer to their chests. The post Conferences Need More Sharing appeared first on Velvet Chainsaw. 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
Your real conference competition is not that event held six months after yours. Today’s technology driven, hyper-connected, instant gratification, real-time world puts you as a conference organizer in a difficult position. Have you normalized conference mediocrity as acceptable? 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 organizers and their planning teams should understand, identify and quash organizational debt. Refactoring As A Metaphor For Conference Improvement. Thus we refactor to improve the conference experience for our customers. Consider it as your conference source code. MORE
As a conference organizer, how purpose-driven are you? Successful conference organizers are purpose-driven! They design conference experiences that become meaning-making opportunities for their participants. Purpose-Driven Conference Organizers’ Mindset. MORE
This is the first of two posts that are intended to be a helpful resource for conference organizers as they develop their attendee succession-plan strategy. Key Indicators For Most Conferences. The post En Route For Next-Gen Conference Audiences appeared first on Velvet Chainsaw. MORE
Ultimately, we must take steps to minimize and prevent accrual of conference organizational debt. Read more about conference organizational debt here , how to refactor organizational debt here and the interest you pay on conference organizational debt here. 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
13-16, we wanted to share more advice from conference goers to help you capitalize on your experience. Like many people, when I attended my first ASAE conference in 2006, I was overwhelmed and distracted by how the massive number of people, sessions and booths. MORE
Your conference is lacking! So how does the metaphor of our body’s connective tissue relate to conferences? Your Conference, That House And Connective Tissue. Your conference is just like that house. 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
As conference organizers, why can’t we also have a fun, fulfilling, and collaborative experience planning and designing the conference? Here are six ways to focus on designing your team’s experience during your next conference planning process. 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
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
Established, successful conferences have leadership that are usually adept at incrementally improving their event each year. Conference organizers must focus on both their customers’ needs—their pain points and problems to solve—and their aspirations—their wants and professional goals. 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
Conference organizational debt. Your conference pays the interest on this debt in the form of reduced speed, lack of capacity, diminished engagement, rigidity and stagnate programming. Think of your conference speaker and content RFP process. MORE
The North Star is the perfect metaphor for your annual conference purpose. When your conference purpose serves as a North Star, it guides all decisions, tasks, behaviors and strategy. Uncovering Your North Star Conviction To Find Conference True Target Market. MORE
Sure, right now you might use apps to deliver content or as an add-on to the conference experience. One of these tests could be your annual conference. Likely only 10% of your membership goes to the annual conference. Maybe, the first place to start is with your conference. 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
And just as important, how and what do we think about our conferences and events? How do we understand our conference planning processes, its underlying assumptions, and our customers, partners, exhibitors, and stakeholders? Your Conference Mental Models Control You. MORE
Now imagine someone asking your conference participants that question. Then they would launch into a passionate description of your event’s annual Party with a Purpose, its pre-conference feel-good community service projects and its ongoing student scholarship fundraisers. MORE
There is one debt every conference organizer must face and vanquish. It can cripple a conference. Anyone striving to build a 21st century sustainable conference needs to understand organizational debt, how it impacts their event and how to prevent it. MORE
If we dive a bit more deeply into this aspirational culture statement it’s easy to see how the values that make The Walt Disney Company an extraordinary place to work are the same values that are capable of transforming association events into member-centric conference experiences. 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
If there’s something strange in your conference-hood. Our cognitive frameworks—our mental models and paradigms—shape our thinking, behavior, operations and success of our conferences. We falsely believe that future conferences are just an extension of the past. MORE
Conference Management Mobile Strategy Event App77% of people say that when they’re attending live events they often (or always) use their smartphones for business. Another 13% say they sometimes use their smartphones, while only 10% say they rarely or never use their phones. MORE
Who owns the overall experience that customers have at your conference? Who oversees and manages the conference customers’ journey? Or perhaps no one is considering the holistic experience of your conference customer? Do you know what your conference target market customer wants? MORE
13-16, we wanted to share more advice from conference goers to help you capitalize on your experience. Like many people, when I attended my first ASAE conference in 2006, I was overwhelmed and distracted by how the massive number of people, sessions and booths. MORE
Conference Related Topics 
Velvet Chainsaw
JULY 12, 2018
These mental models are deeply embedded in our conference planning and management practices. Savvy conference organizers realize that their mental models have much more influence over their outcomes than their decisions and actions. Surfacing our cognitive conference constructs.
Velvet Chainsaw
JUNE 21, 2018
The North Star is the perfect metaphor for your annual conference purpose. When your conference purpose serves as a North Star, it guides all decisions, tasks, behaviors and strategy. Uncovering Your North Star Conviction To Find Conference True Target Market.
Velvet Chainsaw
JULY 13, 2018
If there’s something strange in your conference-hood. Our cognitive frameworks—our mental models and paradigms—shape our thinking, behavior, operations and success of our conferences. We falsely believe that future conferences are just an extension of the past.
Smooth The Path
JUNE 12, 2018
The opening keynote speaker sets the tone for the rest of the conference. Then schedule a call in advance of the conference to discuss what you hope to achieve with the opening keynote. Ask to repost their blog posts in pre-conference marketing.
Velvet Chainsaw
JUNE 29, 2018
Conference organizers and their planning teams should understand, identify and quash organizational debt. Refactoring As A Metaphor For Conference Improvement. Thus we refactor to improve the conference experience for our customers. Consider it as your conference source code.
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.
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.
Web Courseworks Associations
AUGUST 30, 2017
ABMS , a prominent board of medical specialty boards, will hold its annual conference in Chicago, September 25-27. The post American Board of Medical Specialties Conference appeared first on Web Courseworks.
Velvet Chainsaw
JULY 6, 2018
Ultimately, we must take steps to minimize and prevent accrual of conference organizational debt. Read more about conference organizational debt here , how to refactor organizational debt here and the interest you pay on conference organizational debt here.
Velvet Chainsaw
APRIL 26, 2018
One of the strongest intangible attributes of a healthy conference is how much sharing takes place. Conversely, conferences that have a higher deal-making quotient tend to hold their cards closer to their chests. The post Conferences Need More Sharing appeared first on Velvet Chainsaw.
Velvet Chainsaw
JANUARY 26, 2018
Once you’ve observed the conference through the lens of your target customer and gained insights from conference data, you can move to the next steps. These steps are critical for you and your conference planning teams to embrace, enlist and employ.
Velvet Chainsaw
JUNE 28, 2018
There is one debt every conference organizer must face and vanquish. It can cripple a conference. Anyone striving to build a 21st century sustainable conference needs to understand organizational debt, how it impacts their event and how to prevent it.
Velvet Chainsaw
JULY 9, 2018
And just as important, how and what do we think about our conferences and events? How do we understand our conference planning processes, its underlying assumptions, and our customers, partners, exhibitors, and stakeholders? Your Conference Mental Models Control You.
Velvet Chainsaw
JANUARY 24, 2018
Who owns the overall experience that customers have at your conference? Who oversees and manages the conference customers’ journey? Or perhaps no one is considering the holistic experience of your conference customer? Do you know what your conference target market customer wants?
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
MAY 29, 2018
We are used to thinking of our conference and its planning process as a one-way transaction from the company to its customers. We may even dread working with a new conference advisory committee due to our negative past experiences. The Traditional Transactional Conference Model.
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.
Aaron Wolowiec
AUGUST 3, 2016
If we dive a bit more deeply into this aspirational culture statement it’s easy to see how the values that make The Walt Disney Company an extraordinary place to work are the same values that are capable of transforming association events into member-centric conference experiences.
Aaron Wolowiec
AUGUST 3, 2016
If we dive a bit more deeply into this aspirational culture statement it’s easy to see how the values that make The Walt Disney Company an extraordinary place to work are the same values that are capable of transforming association events into member-centric conference experiences.
Velvet Chainsaw
JULY 5, 2018
Conference organizational debt. Your conference pays the interest on this debt in the form of reduced speed, lack of capacity, diminished engagement, rigidity and stagnate programming. Think of your conference speaker and content RFP process.
Smooth The Path
MARCH 29, 2018
A meeting planner said to me, “the whole conference experience is decided in the first 10 seconds”. Those critical first impressions are made at the registration desk at most conferences. We, the professionals organizing the conference, think of registration as a transaction.
Aaron Wolowiec
JUNE 28, 2016
13-16, we wanted to share more advice from conference goers to help you capitalize on your experience. Like many people, when I attended my first ASAE conference in 2006, I was overwhelmed and distracted by how the massive number of people, sessions and booths.
Aaron Wolowiec
JUNE 28, 2016
13-16, we wanted to share more advice from conference goers to help you capitalize on your experience. Like many people, when I attended my first ASAE conference in 2006, I was overwhelmed and distracted by how the massive number of people, sessions and booths.
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.
Velvet Chainsaw
SEPTEMBER 15, 2016
It is much more effective to provide opportunities for conference participants to solve their own problems, then telling them how to solve it. Conference organizers automatically assume that if someone is attending their event, they expect the conference to help them solve their problems.
Velvet Chainsaw
MAY 18, 2018
Does your conference committee practice organized abandonment and avoid no-bottom-line-mindsets? How are they at focusing on the purpose, goals and target market of the conference when making decisions? These three principles are vital to maintaining a healthy, strong conference.
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.
Velvet Chainsaw
JANUARY 18, 2018
Established, successful conferences have leadership that are usually adept at incrementally improving their event each year. Conference organizers must focus on both their customers’ needs—their pain points and problems to solve—and their aspirations—their wants and professional goals.
Velvet Chainsaw
MAY 26, 2016
Your conference is lacking! So how does the metaphor of our body’s connective tissue relate to conferences? Your Conference, That House And Connective Tissue. Your conference is just like that house.
Velvet Chainsaw
MARCH 6, 2017
Your real conference competition is not that event held six months after yours. Today’s technology driven, hyper-connected, instant gratification, real-time world puts you as a conference organizer in a difficult position. Have you normalized conference mediocrity as acceptable?
Velvet Chainsaw
OCTOBER 1, 2015
When talking about conference education, most people think about the traditional lecture. It is perceived as the holy grail of much of the conference. Our Love/Hate Affair With Conference Lectures. Five Myths Of Interactive, Participatory Learning For STEM Conferences.
Smooth The Path
JANUARY 24, 2017
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.
Velvet Chainsaw
JULY 31, 2017
As a conference organizer, how purpose-driven are you? Successful conference organizers are purpose-driven! They design conference experiences that become meaning-making opportunities for their participants. Purpose-Driven Conference Organizers’ Mindset.
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.
Socious
DECEMBER 12, 2016
Conference Management Mobile Strategy Event App77% of people say that when they’re attending live events they often (or always) use their smartphones for business. Another 13% say they sometimes use their smartphones, while only 10% say they rarely or never use their phones.
Smooth The Path
JULY 12, 2017
Let’s think about how emotional contagion works at conferences. We, the organizers of the conference, have been working on this event for months. The few weeks leading up to the conference have been more than jam packed. Then pre-conference attendees.
Velvet Chainsaw
JUNE 28, 2017
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.
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
JANUARY 10, 2018
This is the first of two posts that are intended to be a helpful resource for conference organizers as they develop their attendee succession-plan strategy. Key Indicators For Most Conferences. The post En Route For Next-Gen Conference Audiences appeared first on Velvet Chainsaw.
Smooth The Path
APRIL 19, 2018
Sure, right now you might use apps to deliver content or as an add-on to the conference experience. One of these tests could be your annual conference. Likely only 10% of your membership goes to the annual conference. Maybe, the first place to start is with your conference.
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