How to…make your traditional conference transformational
Why do association conferences need to change?
Because the world has changed. People want something different from the conferences they attend – and it isn’t a copy-and-paste of last year (which was a copy-and-paste of the year before).
Change is happening in lots of ways, but I’ve identified four key trends that you’ll need to address if you want to produce a meeting that continues to captivate and inspire your audience.
And don’t worry if resources are tight: you don’t have to make drastic changes to every part of your event. Instead, introduce small changes that will create big impacts over time and help you increase delegate numbers.
...encourage attendees to play Lego when they're feeling restless...
Attention deficit
If it’s a battle between mediocre content and a smartphone, a smartphone will win, every time. Planners must take this harsh fact onboard when designing conference programmes.
If you need some hard data to back up your proposals, have a quick read of the QEII Centre Distracted Economy report, which reported that each year, it costs the UK economy £19.9 billion.
Another finding of the report was that speakers have just 11-20 minutes before attention starts to drift. We need to re-think our approach to programme design to keep attendees engaged.
Top tips:
1. Try 30-minute ‘bursts’ of content with a 10–15-minute activity or work breaks. During these breaks, you could run a stretch video, pump up the tunes and/or allow time to check emails before refocusing for the next content burst.
2. Run some tall bar tables along the back of the room and set them up with Play-doh, Lego, colouring books. Encourage attendees to use them when they feel restless.
3. It’s hard to stay focused when you’re looking at white walls or sitting in a dark room. Picture walking into what you think is going to be a traditional meeting room and instead finding a lush forest projected onto the walls, the sounds of birds and the smell of pine.
Work with your local guide dogs association to see if there are any puppies in training who need to experience being in a large group of people...
Experience matters
The pandemic taught us a few things: it’s easy to access a wealth of learning from the comfort of our own homes; we like being at home and spending time with our loved ones; travel, while fun, comes at a cost, both financial and physical. Conclusion: your conference needs to be worth it.
Top tips
1. Get outside. The research tells us, learning outdoors:
- Improves mental health and well-being.
- Enhances cognitive function.
- Increases our flexibility and adaptability.
2. Get immersive - What’s something those in your industry would get giddy about? How can you integrate this into your programme?
3. Puppies - work with your local guide dogs association to see if there are any puppies in training who need to experience being in a large group of people. What’s not transformational about cuddling guide dogs in training?
...reduce the amount of the food provided to attendees and instead have the venue donate to a local shelter or food bank on your behalf...
Sustainability
Once a nice-to-have, this is now a non-negotiable part of event design. We cannot leave delegates feeling their attendance at conference has done more harm than good.
In event design, we refer to four pillars of sustainability: environmental; social; financial; cultural. How you incorporate each of these into a conference programme is crucial.
Top tips:
1. Community connection – how can you connect the knowledge your attendees have to the community to give back? E.g. think free sessions or workshops on budgeting for school kids for those in finance.
2. Invite local makers and growers into your exhibition or foyer spaces to create a local market. They can sell their wares directly increasing your economic impact and giving your attendees a great time.
3. Food banks: could you reduce the amount of the food provided to attendees and instead have the venue donate to a local shelter or food bank on your behalf?
Gamification and not the online kind – try placing games like giant jenga, connect 4, chess, hacky sack or if your budget allows, some of the brilliant 80’s and 90’s games like frogger and pin ball machines...
Meaningful connections (not ‘networking’).
Our job as event planners is not to create the meaningful connections but to create the environment and opportunities that make it easier for strangers to interact. It’s about it being natural, seamless and meaningful rather than stale and forced.
Top tips:
1. Create places to connect – think lolly walls, marketplaces, quiet activation stations, relaxation zones, libraries.
2. Gamification and not the online kind – try placing games like giant jenga, connect 4, chess, hacky sack or if your budget allows, some of the brilliant 80’s and 90’s games like frogger and pin ball machines.
3. Puppies – because who won’t talk to a random stranger while patting a puppy.
About the author:
Paula is a passionate advocate for the power of business events to create long term economic and sustainable impact. As a leader within the business event and association/not-for-profit sectors, with more than 28 years’ experience, Paula works with associations, venues and organisations to develop strategies for business events, strategic & international alliances, that adapt to changing environments, generate revenue and increase the value of the organisation.
Built with Shorthand