Today's Face-to-Face Conferences Demand More of Us--as Planners and as Attendees

This morning, Seth Godin set the new standard for meetings and conferences and it is a great supplement to my recent post on the airline industry and the need to rethink tomorrow's events.

In a world with increasing oil prices and decreasing airline reliability, Seth notes:

Here's what someone expects if they come to see you on an in-person sales call: that you'll be prepared, focused, enthusiastic and willing to engage honestly about the next steps. If you can't do that, don't have the meeting.

Here's what a speaker owes an audience that travels to engage in person: more than they could get by just reading the transcript.

And here's what a conference organizer owes the attendees: surprise, juxtaposition, drama, engagement, souvenirs and just possibly, excitement.

He's right. Luke warm coffee, windowless rooms and PowerPoint presentations read directly from the screen are no longer an acceptable standard if I can get the same effect sitting in my windowed office, sipping my favorite coffee, and watching it on my computer screen.

Live conferences and events should be about connecting people and ideas. If yours does not, you should consider taking it on line.

Comments

[John Wilker]

We had Seth beat by over a year :) I run 360|Flex, a developer conference, and we've been doing what Seth talks about since the start, and for less money than any other conference to boot!

He does have great points, and we're writing up our thoughts on the company blog now.

[Alli Gerkman]

John--thanks for your comment. I'm glad to have found your blog--looks like you guys do some interesting stuff.