Smart Meetings

JANUARY 27, 2025

How can we make the next generation of attendees feel comfortable, not to mention the entry of young workers helping us create meeting magic? We asked Claire Lester, senior design strategist with Maritz Design Studio , for tips that will benefit everyone in the crowd. 1 Ditch the Labels Gen Z doesnt like labels.

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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!

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Conferences that Work

OCTOBER 21, 2024

I’ve not always agreed with Freeman’s Reports , but, if you’re in the meeting industry, Freeman’s Trends Report Q4 2024 is a must-read. Copyright Freeman 2024 Why you should read this Freeman report Read this report to discover if you’re doing what’s needed to improve your events for your attendees.

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Conferences that Work

APRIL 18, 2022

I’ve been writing about hybrid meetings for a long time; my first post was in February 2010. The COVID19 pandemic created an explosion of interest in hybrid meetings, and the marketplace and event professionals are still defining what “hybrid” means. (No, Want to read my other posts on hybrid meetings?

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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…. Flexibility.

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EventMB

DECEMBER 19, 2022

Skift Take: As people look for new reasons to attend events, some stand out by focusing more on the flow and less on the logistics. Andrea Doyle Read the Complete Story On Skift Meetings.

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Conferences that Work

SEPTEMBER 13, 2021

What is the mix of presentation versus interaction at your meetings? Traditional meetings focus heavily on presentation. Presentation versus interaction at meetings. But our meeting designs, in large part, haven’t changed to reflect this shift in cultural awareness. What should it be? The written word.

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EventMB

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023

Skift Take: Event attendees are younger than ever before. Now, planners have to find innovative ways of crafting engaging and impactful events. Andrea Doyle and Refugio Garcia Read the Complete Story On Skift Meetings

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Conferences that Work

JUNE 14, 2021

Why are our meetings still full of lectures? 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. It’s just the opposite. No related posts.

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Conferences that Work

OCTOBER 11, 2021

I think it’s also a meeting problem: “The real problem of humanity is the following: we have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and god-like technology.” And so it goes with meetings. It’s why businesses sponsor meetings. All meeting design needs to recognize this reality.

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EventMB

SEPTEMBER 10, 2022

Designing meetings that connect and transform people requires clear thinking and an unwavering focus on human needs. Skift Meetings Studio Team Read the Complete Story On Skift Meetings. Photo by gokhan polat on Unsplash Skift Take: Disruption and uncertainty in the business world brings new challenges for planners.

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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.

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Conferences that Work

NOVEMBER 8, 2021

What are the fairest rules to use when running meetings? ” I think it’s reasonable to concentrate on fairness to participants : the majority of those involved with the meeting. All meetings have rules, whether overt or covert, conscious or unconscious, that influence how they proceed. Status and power at meetings.

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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.

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Conferences that Work

JANUARY 25, 2021

How can we design the optimum balance between control versus freedom at meetings? Unless your constituency is bound to your event via a requirement to earn CEUs, members can withhold their attendance or avoid sessions at will. — ” —Adrian Segar, Who owns your event? You’ve been kidding yourself all these years.

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Conferences that Work

FEBRUARY 5, 2024

Many meetings still focus on creating audiences rather than community. And not just at meetings. Damon Kiesow , @dkiesow@social.kiesow.net, Mastodon toot on Nov 06, 2022, 10:37 Kiesow concisely sums up why the news business and the meeting industry concentrate on audience rather than community.

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Conferences that Work

APRIL 11, 2022

Over the years I’ve designed and facilitated hundreds of meetings. One of the most common issues I address that is rarely acknowledged openly is the tension between the wants and needs of suppliers and practitioners at meetings. But what happens when both suppliers and practitioners at meetings attend sessions ?

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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. Great — a client who doesn’t know what they want! From my perspective this is actually a great problem to have.

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EventMB

JULY 16, 2020

High production value — including quality event design — is incredibly important when it comes to matching live engagement online, which almost half of eventprofs struggle with when sourcing virtual tech. Here are 4 design ideas from recent online events to enhance the virtual experience.

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Conferences that Work

MAY 24, 2021

Are online meetings reducing our collective intelligence [CI] ? New research about online meetings. Translation: in the experimental setup used , the researchers found that online meeting participants were: better able to avoid interrupting each other; and. ” Artificial online meetings. I don’t think so.

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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! Here’s why they do it, and why it’s a mistake. Read the full article at Conferences That Work.

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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. But when we are fully engaged in a meeting, we are just there , immersed in and responding to what is happening. The rehearsal.

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Conferences that Work

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

Because good event design is about how a conference works. Participant-driven and participation-rich meeting designs incorporate a braindate’s purpose — one-to-one or small group connection around relevant content — organically into every session. Instead make your entire conference a braindate!

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Conferences that Work

AUGUST 29, 2016

Whenever I’ve had the pleasure of meeting David (not often enough!) However, one recurring theme in David’s magazine irritates me, because it perpetuates a common misconception in the events industry. The cover proclaims “What’s Next in Event Design?” 2 — Elementary Meetings.

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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.

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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.

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Conferences that Work

FEBRUARY 17, 2020

. ‘And the men [sic*] who had the same or similar problems to meet in the actual running of their employers’ businesses found that an exchange of views and ideas benefitted them without hurting their employers.'” Whether you’re a community of practice, a consultant, or a meeting designer, this simple aphorism applies!

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FEBRUARY 3, 2023

Skift Take: Having designed meetings since 1992, Eric de Groot is uniquely experienced in creating human gatherings. He believes that a collaborative approach is needed to create meetings that change behaviors and drive businesses forward. Skift Meetings Studio Team Read the Complete Story On Skift Meetings

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Conferences that Work

APRIL 1, 2024

Paul Nunesdea : And hello, hello, dear viewers, this is a soft start of our third episode in 2024 of Talk to Your Meeting Doctors. Lovely to meet you, Adrian. And it’s mostly about meeting design and facilitation, but I write about all kinds of things. Martin, welcome! Martin Duffy: Well, good afternoon.

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FEBRUARY 1, 2024

Skift Take: Intentional meeting design has emerged as a growing trend since the pandemic changed everything about our industry. Here are five areas where meeting planners can apply intentionality to build better, more meaningful events. Visit Seattle Read the Complete Story On Skift Meetings

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EventMB

MARCH 6, 2023

Skift Take: Well-designed meetings deliver results and satisfy one or more of the six reasons for holding a meeting. While meeting in person is preferred, it's not enough. Meetings are only effective if they adequately address business needs. Miguel Neves Read the Complete Story On Skift Meetings

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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.

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Conferences that Work

JUNE 28, 2021

Here’s my Powerful Panels interview with good friend and meeting panel doyen Kristin Arnold. 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. 0:00 Introduction.

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PCMA Convene

MAY 1, 2017

That observation is at the heart of a new study that Sperstad, program director of the meeting and event management degree at Madison College, is writing with Amanda Cecil, Ph.D., Our goal is to pique curiosity and to shed light in areas that [meeting professionals] wouldn’t normally think of.”. EVENT DESIGN. “My

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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.

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Conferences that Work

JUNE 18, 2018

Experienced meeting planners know that every meeting has its share of unexpected surprises. Minimizing surprises like CoffeeGate is default behavior for meeting planners. We do not want events to be poorly planned and/or executed, because the inevitable result will be unhappy attendees and chaos of one kind or another.

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EventMB

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

Skift Take: Meetings and events now play a pivotal role in reconnecting teams within a supportive, nurturing environment. Every element of meeting design needs to be carefully considered with delegate welfare in mind. Hilton Read the Complete Story On Skift Meetings .

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