Conferences that Work

SEPTEMBER 16, 2024

Rereading a 2012 post by Jeff Jarvis , I was struck by the parallels between his take on news organizations’ responsibilities to their platforms and the responsibilities of conferences. ” —Jeff Jarvis At conferences, the “users” are primarily participants. Design in flexibility. Give them power.

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Conference 2012 Conference Design Government 240

Velvet Chainsaw

JUNE 4, 2018

As conference organizers, why can’t we also have a fun, fulfilling, and collaborative experience planning and designing the conference? Six Ways To Design Your Experience Too. Here are six ways to focus on designing your team’s experience during your next conference planning process. (I confess: I have!).

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Conference Conference Planning Conference Design Meetings 271

Conferences that Work

DECEMBER 25, 2023

Here’s an independent review of my conference design work, published as a case study in Chapter 25—Designing and Developing Content for Collaborative Business Events—of the book The Routledge Handbook of Business Events. Tip: The hardback version is expensive, the ebook is a quarter of the hardback cost.)

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Conference 2009 Conference Design 2015 240

Velvet Chainsaw

JUNE 29, 2016

How your audience responds will have a direct impact on your conference’s brand image and credibility. From a conference design perspective, we believe the current best practice is to bookend your conference by opening with a strong-thought provoking speaker and closing with inspiration.

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Speakers Conference Food and Beverage Negotiating 278

Conferences that Work

AUGUST 6, 2018

Ah, the ubiquitous conference one-hour lecture. As an example I’ll use a three-day conference I’m currently designing. Here are three session formats we’re using for the middle of the conference arc. In my experience, each of them is far more effective than a traditional conference lecture.

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Conference 2010 2011 Conference Design 252

Conferences that Work

MARCH 3, 2025

Their status is publicly proclaimed on the pre-conference program, giving attendees no say in the decision. Status at traditional events follows a power-over model, rather than designs that support power-within and maximize power-with for participants. For more on how this works, check out this 2014 post. Improve all your meetings!

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Meetings 2014 Conference Design Fashion 156

Conferences that Work

FEBRUARY 26, 2018

Traditional conferences focus on a hodgepodge of pre-determined sessions punctuated with socials, surrounded by short welcomes and closings. Such conference designs treat openings and closings as perfunctory traditions, perhaps pumped up with a keynote or two, rather than key components of the conference design.

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Conference Conference Design Meeting Design Education 179

Velvet Chainsaw

JUNE 28, 2018

There is one debt every conference organizer must face and vanquish. It can cripple a conference. Organizational debt—the interest your conference pays when its structures, policies, procedures, practices, committees and leadership roles stay fixed and accumulate even as the world around it changes.* What is this debt?

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Conference Conference Planning Conference Design Speakers 186

Velvet Chainsaw

MAY 28, 2019

In the first , we looked at why it’s a smart conference strategy. In this post, we’ll explore how to design, promote and execute it for your next conference. Since our work culture is mostly team-based, it’s about time we reflected it in our conference design. Five Design Elements to Implement Now.

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Conference Conference Design Education Attendance Marketing 363

Conferences that Work

SEPTEMBER 26, 2022

Software testers do peer conferences right! They even call them a peer conference , rather than unconference , a term I don’t like.) As evidence of software tester conference awesomeness, I offer three examples below. a short history of the peer conference. The 2022 SoCraTes peer conference. But first…. …a

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Conference 2022 2004 Meeting Design 156

Conferences that Work

JUNE 22, 2020

I’m leading a free online workshop on Friday, June 26, 12 – 2 pm EDT, that will give you a unique opportunity to experience The Three Questions : in my opinion, the best way to open a conference designed for active learning, connection, and engagement. The workshop is limited to sixty people, and you must register to attend.

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Conference Design Conference Venues Events 263

Conferences that Work

JUNE 12, 2017

Clients invariably ask me to help design their meeting after they’ve chosen a venue! Read the full article at Conferences That Work. Face The Fear—Then Change Your Conference Design! Want to see my 6 minute 40 second Pecha Kucha presentation Face The Fear—Then Change Your Conference Design!

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Venues 2010 Meetings Conference Design 221

Conferences that Work

SEPTEMBER 23, 2024

I created a new Notebook, uploaded the text of my recent blog post titled “ How the Responsibilities of Conferences Mirror Those of Media Platforms ,” and waited for the tool to generate its insights. Audio track [link] Transcript Woman: Ever feel like you’re stuck in a conference rut? ” So far, so good.

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Conference Conference Design Technology Tech 359

Prestige Events Magazine

SEPTEMBER 2, 2024

The goal was to create an unforgettable celebration, marking the end of the conference with a high-energy, immersive experience. The reception had to inspire and engage the audience, ensuring the theme was at the forefront while providing a seamless transition from the conference’s formal proceedings into a fun, dynamic close.

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Conference Design Conference Entertainment Management 264

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. Here are (drum roll!)

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Meeting Design Conference Meetings Conference Design 120

Conferences that Work

DECEMBER 10, 2018

Can we overcome bias against truly creative event design? Though millions of meetings take place every year, thousands of meeting organizers know how to create truly create conference designs. The steady rise in popularity of participant-driven and participation-rich designs like Conferences That Work continues.

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Event Design Food and Beverage 2011 2012 267

Conferences that Work

JANUARY 28, 2019

Here’s the text version: Read the full article at Conferences That Work The post Making large scale change happen appeared first on Conferences That Work. Related posts: Face The Fear—Then Change Your Conference Design! given at EventCamp Twin Cities on September 9, 2010?

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2010 Conference Design Conference Management 180

Bizzabo

NOVEMBER 15, 2018

The most authoritative 2019 tech conferences directory on the web. Or looking to wrap up 2018 with an exceptional conference? This carefully curated conference directory features over 200 (and growing) 2019 tech conferences across multiple industries. In other instances, summits function exactly like conferences.

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Tech 2019 Conference Technology 168

Velvet Chainsaw

MARCH 17, 2017

I’ll admit that in 2011, when the Virtual Edge Institute (now called the Digital Experience Institute) first co-located its conference with the Professional Convention Management Association’s Convening Leaders, the experience fell flat for me. What obstacles are preventing you from live streaming your conference education?

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Meetings 2011 Speakers Education 264

Conferences that Work

AUGUST 19, 2024

Forged ahead and wrote what eventually became a series of three books on conference design. Consequently became a valued resource on meeting design and facilitation for thousands of people and organizations. license Read the full article at Conferences That Work The post Paying it forward!

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Conferences that Work

MARCH 12, 2018

Read the full article at Conferences That Work Related posts: A birthday present for you on the 21st anniversary of Conferences That Work What a long strange trip it’s been The first Conferences That Work event was held June 3–5, 1992, at Marlboro College, Vermont. Face The Fear—Then Change Your Conference Design!

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2010 2017 Conference Design Government 185

PCMA Convene

MAY 10, 2021

Hallway conversations are going to be even more highly valued in future conferences, Dave Lutz says, so planners should consider chopping 15 minutes off of concurrent sessions to create longer breaks. 5 Program Design Change Trends. Long-term traditions can deter next-generation conference participants. More white space: ?Hallway

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Conference Sponsorships Consulting Conference Design 125

Eventmobi

JULY 10, 2023

More than a decade ago, when EventMobi launched, mobile apps for conferences were a revolution. These days, they’re a prerequisite for a fantastic conference experience. With the right conference app, you can: Enhance communication Streamline event management Personalize attendees’ experience And so much more. Networking!

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Conference Event Apps Trade Shows Social Media 150

Conferences that Work

SEPTEMBER 11, 2023

Events and media consultant Julius Solaris shared at the Unforgettable Experience Design Summit that he was initially very enthusiastic about unconference format events. He thought conferences would eventually adopt unconference models. The solution to this is to design your unconference before choosing the venue.

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Conference Venues 2023 Consulting 280

Velvet Chainsaw

JULY 8, 2021

EDT for the Reston Herndon Meeting Planners, “Ready or Not, Here They Come: 5 Post-Pandemic Conference Design Changes.”. Dave will talk about his forecasts for future trends for association events at a virtual education session on July 15 at 10 a.m. He believes leadership will be more open to change after a live-event hiatus.

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Consulting Conference Design Education Conference 195

Conferences that Work

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

I’m indebted to Martin Sirk for sharing remarkable information about an 1828 conference designed by the German geographer, naturalist, and explorer Alexander von Humboldt. Read what follows to discover that Humboldt was also a meeting designer way ahead of his time! Martin Sirk Modern meeting design!

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Meeting Design Meetings Conference Conference Design 245

Conferences that Work

SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

Read the full article at Conferences That Work The post Facilitating change: The power of sharing our experience appeared first on Conferences That Work. Face The Fear—Then Change Your Conference Design! Want to see my 6 minute 40 second Pecha Kucha presentation Face The Fear—Then Change Your Conference Design!

2010 166

2010 Conference Design Conference Education 166

Conferences that Work

MAY 20, 2019

Just as good stories have a story arc , coherent events have a conference arc. Read the full article at Conferences That Work The post Events operate by stories appeared first on Conferences That Work. Related posts: Face The Fear—Then Change Your Conference Design!

2010 180

2010 Conference Design Conference Events 180

Conferences that Work

JULY 2, 2018

Recently, a client asked for help designing a new conference. The needs assessment trap Conference design clients who “know what they want” have already decided on their “ why? It’s an honor to work on a classic Conferences That. Conferences That Work goes to Japan!

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Meeting Design 2012 2014 Meetings 192

Conferences that Work

FEBRUARY 19, 2018

Read the full article at Conferences That Work Related posts: Participate! The key to successful 21st century conferences Attend Participate!, Face The Fear—Then Change Your Conference Design! Want to see my 6 minute 40 second Pecha Kucha presentation Face The Fear—Then Change Your Conference Design!

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Event Marketer

MAY 24, 2023

The flagship experience, launched in 2018 as part of a portfolio consolidation, marked a new chapter this month as it reconvened May 9-11 in Orlando as a smaller, targeted in-person conference designed to serve up content and networking experiences “that matter most to you.” Emphasis on the you. They’re our partners.

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2023 Conference Trade Shows Technology 246

Conferences that Work

JUNE 27, 2016

Although that opportunity had to be passed up—PCMA made me an offer I couldn’t refuse: facilitating the 2015 PCMA Education Conference —I made it to the 2016 workshop. After a three-day introductory workshop at BATS, I attended two four-day Applied Improvisation Network World Conferences (San Francisco 2012 and Montreal 2015).

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Conferences that Work

MARCH 25, 2024

And then in 2005, twenty-eight years later, I felt compelled to write a book about the new ways I’d developed to design and lead conferences that became what the participants wanted and needed. I would need every scrap of my conviction about the importance of peer conferences to persist in what followed. and the how?

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Smart Meetings

DECEMBER 28, 2023

How emerging AI and other technology will boost event humanity by putting attendee needs at the center of conference design Attendees expect more from events today and emerging technology is helping to deliver on those demands.

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2024 Event Technology Technology Social Media 277

Smart Meetings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2023

Bring in the Local Flavor Attendees often travel far and wide to conferences, and while a lot of their time might be spent inside an exhibit hall or hotel ballroom, many attendees want to feel connected and experience the local culture, cuisine, and entertainment.

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Food and Beverage Entertainment Sustainability Hotels 246

Conferences that Work

NOVEMBER 2, 2020

Traditional conference designs also adopt this model. Read the full article at Conferences That Work The post Some models of change are better than others appeared first on Conferences That Work. Somehow, the inspiring keynote will instantly change attendees’ lives for the better. No related posts.

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Consulting Conference Design Conference Management 257

Conferences that Work

AUGUST 29, 2016

3 — Conferences That Work. Re-imagining a conference as a participant-driven and participation-rich event , rather than a set of lectures, increases effective learning, participant connection, and individual and organizational change outcomes far above what’s possible at traditional passive broadcast-style meetings.

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