Conferences that Work

FEBRUARY 10, 2025

Event planners often overlook the importance of attendee conversations. Just as advertisers missed the phone’s potential to connect people in real-time, many events fail to prioritize the natural value of attendee conversations. Why does this happen?

Advertising 156

Advertising Conference Technology Events 156

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. They stand to sing and pray.

Meeting Design 166

Meeting Design Meetings 2014 Speakers 166

Conferences that Work

FEBRUARY 17, 2020

Well, here’s an alternative historical perspective from a completely different source, a 1926 article about the New York Club of Printing House Craftsmen, uncovered by Jeff Jarvis and described as “ …a lovely evocation on the value of sharing in our field, which we used to call printing. ” “Stop. No related posts.

Consulting 369

Consulting Meeting Design Conference Meetings 369

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.

Meeting Design 192

Meeting Design 2012 2014 Meetings 192

Conferences that Work

AUGUST 12, 2024

I learned about them when I presented at The Religious Conference Management Association annual conference in 2014, and I’ve written about what meeting designers can learn from religious services. However there isn’t much academic research into event management, so I was happy to discover Ruth Dowson and Daniel H.

2014 240

2014 Tourism 2023 Conference 240

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

Food and Beverage 348

Food and Beverage Meeting Design 2021 Meetings 348

Conferences that Work

MARCH 3, 2025

Aside from my first book , I havent written much about the effects of attendee status attendees’ “relative rank in a hierarchy of prestige” at events. It’s time to revisit this important topic because you can improve your meetings by making attendee status a real-time construct. Improve all your meetings!

Meetings 156

Meetings 2014 Conference Design Fashion 156

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

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. Learning researchers and our best teachers and meeting designers have known this for a long time.

Meetings 348

Meetings 2021 Meeting Design Conference 348

Conferences that Work

AUGUST 15, 2022

All too often, clients planning an event don’t spend enough time making hard but important event choices. Read the full article at Conferences That Work The post Making event choices appeared first on Conferences That Work. No related posts.

Conference 296

Conference Events Meeting Design Event Design 296

Conferences that Work

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

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. Photo attribution: Flickr user viejozapato.

Conference 305

Conference 2020 2019 Meeting Design 305

Conferences that Work

SEPTEMBER 13, 2021

Presentation versus interaction at meetings. But our meeting designs, in large part, haven’t changed to reflect this shift in cultural awareness. Read the full article at Conferences That Work The post Presentation versus interaction at meetings appeared first on Conferences That Work. No related posts.

Meetings 315

Meetings Meeting Design Conference Event Design 315

Conferences that Work

JUNE 28, 2021

During our 25 minutes together, we discussed various panel formats, their value, and how to structure and design powerful panel discussions into the larger context of meetings, conferences, and events. 2:30 A brief history of meetings; why lecture formats are still so popular; how panels fit into the larger context of meetings.

Meeting Design 334

Meeting Design Conference Meetings Event Design 334

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.

2022 290

2022 Meeting Design Conference Meetings 290

Conferences that Work

APRIL 18, 2022

The COVID19 pandemic created an explosion of interest in hybrid meetings, and the marketplace and event professionals are still defining what “hybrid” means. (No, No, sticking a streaming camera in the back of the room does not make an in-person meeting hybrid.) Want to read my other posts on hybrid meetings?

2010 423

2010 Meetings Conference Travel 423

Conferences that Work

SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

? ? Here’s a standing invitation for event and hospitality teachers. I will meet online with your class for free. As an experienced facilitator and designer of participant-driven and participation-rich meetings, I love to share what I’ve learned during my four decades in the meeting industry.

Hospitality 227

Hospitality Education Meeting Design Conference 227

Conferences that Work

APRIL 1, 2019

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.” Read the full article at Conferences That Work The post Q&A with Adrian Segar on Crowdsourcing appeared first on Conferences That Work.

2014 259

2014 2019 Conference Meeting Design 259

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. Well, it’s not.

Meeting Design 120

Meeting Design Conference Meetings Conference Design 120

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. Here’s why they do it, and why it’s a mistake.

Venues 221

Venues 2010 Meetings Conference Design 221

Conferences that Work

OCTOBER 11, 2021

All meeting design needs to recognize this reality. So there’s a disconnect between what’s best for meeting participants, due to their fundamental psychological makeup, and the dictates of their institutional bosses and the organizations that organize the events. Yes, humanity’s problem is a meeting problem.

Meetings 320

Meetings 2009 2002 Technology 320

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 367

Meetings 2011 2021 Fashion 367

Conferences that Work

FEBRUARY 5, 2024

These two quotes are from my posts on the parallels between the evolution of journalism and events (2015) and on the parallel missions of journalism and participant-driven and participation-rich events (2018).] When the attendees are the owners, meeting designs that build and support community are the obvious way to go.

Meetings 245

Meetings Meeting Design 2015 Conference 245

Conferences that Work

JUNE 7, 2021

Why am I writing about social learning on a blog that’s (mainly) about meeting design? Which means, to create the best meetings we need to maximize the social learning that takes place. So, how can I incorporate the power of social learning into my events? What are you waiting for?

Meeting Design 309

Meeting Design Conference Meetings Event Design 309

Conferences that Work

MAY 11, 2020

I’ve been designing and facilitating participant-driven and participation-rich in person meetings — aka peer conferences — for almost thirty years. Because participants love these meetings ! Now the covid-19 pandemic has forced meetings online. Zoom has rapidly become the dominant platform for online meetings.

Conference 395

Conference 2012 Meetings Meeting Design 395

Conferences that Work

JULY 31, 2017

Although I have good reasons to champion meeting designs where the participants get to choose what they want and need to discuss and learn rather than a program committee , there is invariably a place for some predetermined presentations at conferences. Read the full article at Conferences That Work.

Meetings 220

Meetings Meeting Design Conference Speakers 220

Conferences that Work

MAY 24, 2021

New research about online meetings. Can we conclude that turning off video increases collective intelligence during online meetings? Because the vast majority of online meetings provide a significantly different environment than the CMU researchers used. Do you think online meetings are reducing our collective intelligence?

Meetings 296

Meetings 2016 Consulting Conference 296

Conferences that Work

JUNE 3, 2019

At the time, I had no idea that what I instinctively put together for a gathering of people who barely knew each other would lead to: a global design and facilitation consulting practice; over 500 posts on this blog, which has now become, to the best of my knowledge, the most-visited website on meeting design and facilitation; three books (almost!)

Conference 189

Conference 2014 Consulting Meeting Design 189

Conferences that Work

NOVEMBER 8, 2021

Status and power at meetings. 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. At many events, only high status people talk.

Meetings 358

Meetings Conference Negotiating Speakers 358

Conferences that Work

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

Increasing attendee satisfaction increases the effectiveness of the event for all stakeholders: attendees, sponsors, and event owners. I’d argue that hiring me is the most effective and cost-effective way to improve any event. ” —Excerpts from the Winter 2024 Freeman Syndicated Survey of Event Attendees.

2024 240

2024 Conference Meeting Design Speakers 240

Conferences that Work

MARCH 13, 2017

They are also far more likely to make valuable connections with their peers during the event. 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…. Read the full article at Conferences That Work.

2011 212

2011 2012 Education Meeting Design 212

Conferences that Work

MARCH 15, 2021

Recently, I’ve been appearing as a guest at college event planning and hospitality courses to talk about meeting design. (I Rather than lecture for an hour, I’ve been using an Ask Me Anything (aka AMA ) meeting format. A one-sentence distillation: learning is a process not an event.).

Hospitality 194

Hospitality Meeting Design Conference Event Planning 194

Conferences that Work

AUGUST 26, 2019

Here’s a teaser: the introduction to my new book Event Crowdsourcing: Creating Meetings People Actually Want and Need. The social and cultural differences that shaped our frequent meetings fascinated me. Heated discussions about how we should proceed and whose names should go on our journal articles flared and sputtered.

Consulting 195

Consulting Conference Travel Events 195

Conferences that Work

JANUARY 11, 2021

Peer conferences reduce problem solving limitations in the obvious domain, by allowing participants to influence the content and scope of meeting sessions in real time during the event. Evaluate event production company abilities for a game-changing event I’m planning? Complicated problems. Complex problems.

Conference 371

Conference 2010 2011 2014 371

Conferences that Work

JANUARY 25, 2021

Unless your constituency is bound to your event via a requirement to earn CEUs, members can withhold their attendance or avoid sessions at will. — Note that I’m not suggesting meeting professionals give up any attempt to control what happens at their events. Why are they event owners? The myth of control.

Meetings 345

Meetings 2010 2020 Conference 345

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 16, 2024

This approach benefits everyone—participants, sponsors, and organizers—because when attendees’ wants and needs are met, their satisfaction positively impacts all other event stakeholders. Design in flexibility. Often, I adopt new ideas and share them with the broader meeting design community, fostering collaboration and growth.

Conference 240

Conference 2012 Conference Design Government 240