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Alexander von Humboldt: A meeting designer way ahead of his time

Conferences that Work

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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Community versus audience in journalism and meetings

Conferences that Work

Community versus audience I began my first book with the research finding (and common observation) that people go to conferences to network and learn. My later books (and many posts on this site) have emphasized the superiority of active over passive learning. But, all too often, attendees are not the conference owners.

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Don’t keep me a secret!

Conferences that Work

I make conferences better by dramatically increasing attendee satisfaction. 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.

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Event design is not just visuals and logistics

Conferences that Work

The first time I met him—at the premier EventCamp in 2010 —he immediately purchased my just-published book, sight unseen. The following year, David was kind enough to honor me in his flagship publication BizBash as one of the most innovative event professionals. Whenever I’ve had the pleasure of meeting David (not often enough!)

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Lessons from Anguilla: What meeting designers can learn from religious services

Conferences that Work

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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Three ways to make it easier for attendees to participate

Conferences that Work

How do we get people to participate at meetings? We know that participants — people who are active learners — learn more, retain more, and retain more accurately than passive attendees. They are also far more likely to make valuable connections with their peers during the event. Here are three things we can do.

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Six reasons why unconferences aren’t more popular

Conferences that Work

I still believe that these events, when well-designed and facilitated, offer the best attendee experience for the majority of conferences that are held today. 2—Poor unconference design Half a century ago, as a lowly graduate student, I attended tons of traditional academic conferences. Here are my six reasons.