(2 min read)
How many conferences have you attended in person or online and thought to yourself - or heard others say - “wow, that really helped me!”
Based on our experience, it appears it's sadly a rare occurrence.
However, we believe conferences can deliver a lot more value just by having a clearer purpose, and a greater focus on participant outcomes.
To be fair, it does depend on the subject matter. If the topic is a "shiny new thing", then yes, it's possible to be wowed and some benefit had, even when it's a dull PowerPoint fest.
When we talk about a conference’s purpose though, we’re talking about: what will participants walk away from the experience equipped with? In exchange for participants giving up their precious time and effort it should be something truly valuable, maybe even transformative.
So we’re talking about a conference that does more than just gather a community. And it involves more than just information transference.
A purposeful, transformative conference unleashes the value of participants' collective experiences, by having them collaborate, and discuss and debate issues. And the outcome should be a clear set of actions to follow through with.
With so many industries facing uncertain times ahead we believe such events are needed now more than ever. And irrespective of whether the gathering is virtual or in person, the formula for success doesn't change.
As our latest series of posts have touched on, there’s a confluence of factors that determines the best possible outcomes. It starts with answering the question WHY will this conference be of benefit to my community. Then it’s down to HOW that will be achieved.
Gathering a community is the easy part in some ways. Getting them sharing and working together to create clear pathways forward for themselves and their industry is whole different matter. Good thing we can help!
Like to know how? Then give us a buzz,
Team UC