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Captivating Conferences
By Dan Collins, January 2007
Synopsis/Abstract
With hotel prices climbing well ahead of inflation and time
being the most valued commodity of all, the company conference
is becoming one of the most significant investments in the
year. And, if after all that cash and effort the audience
are bored to sleep by the Finance Director's monotone, it
won't be the bean counters that take the rap. Dan Collins,
founder of leading team building, motivational activities
and event organisers Fresh Tracks, shares some of the tricks
of the trade.
Like me, I'm sure you've sat in what started out as a well
upholstered conference chair finding your mind drifting from
the speaker's words to thoughts of Deep Vein Thrombosis and
aching buttocks!
Even the greatest speakers struggle to keep an audience attentive
in a warm, dark room following a heavy lunch. It's no wonder
- our bodies are hard wired to divert blood from the brain
to the digestive system the moment we finish eating. If during
that time we keep very still, allowing the large leg muscles
that normally help the heart pump blood around our bodies
to relax, the critical organ at the top of our bodies - our
brain - is slowly starved of oxygenated blood resulting in
drowsiness and loss of concentration.
This is all basic biology, I know, so it amazes me that whilst
every workplace has more than its fair share of first aiders,
it's rare that anyone suggests a conference agenda that overcomes
the 'grave yard shift' that immediately follows lunch.
And it's not just the early afternoon slot that could benefit
from a makeover - from the choice of venue months beforehand
through to the follow up process after the event, there's
much we can do to squeeze more value from the dreaded corporate
conference.
Much like a bad party, all too often it's only the delegates
or guests that really know it was a disaster. The host or
conference organiser is often so busy throughout the event
that he or she is unable to see the boredom sweeping like
a cloud over the assembled crowd.
It's therefore vital that the organiser's first priority
is to delegate everything, leaving themselves free to monitor
and adapt the programme to accommodate the myriad of unforeseen
events that are bound to arise.
Having been nominated to this task, take a moment to visualise
how you would like to feel the moment the conference closes
- you should be hearing enthusiastic applause, fending off
rigorous hand shakes and pats on the back, as people make
a point of thanking you personally for a great day before
they head home.
If this is going to happen, and believe me it can, you are
going to need some expert help. You shouldn't even be the
one dimming the lights when the first slide show begins -
and you certainly shouldn't have to shift furniture or serve
refreshments.
Good planning will ensure the load is evenly spread across
a group of skilled professionals for whom preparing lunch
for 400 or changing a slide presentation with just two minutes
warning is a daily occurrence, not cause for a coronary attack.
The first task is to decide when the conference will take
place; without this information it's impossible to check the
availability of any of the services you will need to call
upon - the most important of which is the venue. Don't be
fooled into thinking that only the larger seaside towns used
by political parties can accommodate your conference or even
that you have to choose a respected hotel.
There really are no rules. I've run conferences in aircraft
hangers, sports stadiums and even in ancient woodlands. Not
that the venue should be gimmicky for the sake of it, but
it should help to reinforce your message.
Surprisingly most large hotels and conference centres fail
to do this; it's worth remembering that a hotel is little
different from any other landlord selling square feet to the
highest bidder. One day they could be accommodating a wedding,
the next an exhibition and the next a dinner dance. Sadly
this often results in rooms designed to serve all comers and
not the learning friendly environment demanded by a conference.
Look for a venue with good natural daylight, controllable
air conditioning and, most importantly of all, staff who are
determined to make your event a success. It's hard to check
this on a formal show 'round so I always turn up early and
take a peek at the bedrooms while the chambermaid is turning
them round, visit the public toilets to check their cleanliness
and order a club sandwich in the bar. This simple, three part
test has never failed to give me the true picture of a venue's
real capability and it's been fascinating to discover the
range of interpretations given to a club sandwich!
Equally varied from place to place are the numbers applied
to conference room capacities. One well known hotel group
clearly regard their guests as sardines to be crammed into
meeting rooms as their stated capacities are well in excess
of what is comfortable. Wherever possible avoid theatre style
seating - it stifles interaction between delegates and hastens
the road to drowsiness. A far better option is cabaret style
seating with groups of six spread around a round table with
a clear view of the stage. Refreshments and paperwork can
be put on the table and it's ideal for syndicate work. With
wide aisles between tables and a few mixing activities the
conference will take on a far more lively and interactive
feel. Support this with some well chosen music leading into
and out of breaks and you will see a transformation in the
attitude of the attendees.
The days of an overhead projector with some muddled handwritten
acetates being the main focus of a presentation are thankfully
behind us. PowerPoint and LCD projectors are fast becoming
standard issue in the better conference centres and, with
presenters increasingly incorporating sound and video clips
in their presentations, good quality and user friendly audio
visual equipment is essential. That's not to say that you
should automatically set aside £30,000 for an AV company
to build a branded stage set. Get the basics right first -
sounds people can hear which might require a hearing loop
and images people can see which will demand some guidelines
on font size and slide layout for those creating presentations.
It's important for delegates to be able to see the speakers
clearly so consider some stage lighting or, for events for
a thousand or more, a video camera relaying the action on
stage to video screens.
Having established the basics give some thought to how the
stage area will be used and decorate it accordingly. Try to
avoid the usual corporate felt backdrops and instead create
a set that itself reinforces the conference's message. A colleague
used traffic lights, road cones and men at work signs to create
a superb set on a minimal budget to support a conference entitled
'The Road Ahead.' The Chairman even walked on wearing a high
visibility jacket and a hard hat making jokes about 'builders'
bums', which got the programme off to a great start!
And the programme is, after all, what people are at a conference
to experience. Whilst PowerPoint can make our slides look
fantastic, it can't make an inexperienced speaker into a first
class presenter. Communicating to a large audience, like story
telling, is a craft learned through practice and attention
to the finest details. Skilled speakers will not only rehearse
their words, they'll even practice and perfect their pauses
because they know that the rhythm of their language is just
as important as their vocabulary. With this in mind, choose
your speakers carefully and, wherever possible, consider replacing
the conventional slide presentation with a film, team activity
or discussion session.
If you are caught in the all too familiar trap of having
to accommodate the contribution of a senior manager who, while
great at his day job, should never be left alone with a microphone,
then try an alternative approach like an interview or facilitated
question and answer session. Be sure to use a facilitatorwith an ability to reframe questions succinctly and, where
necessary, politely cut short a long winded answer.
As the programme begins to take shape, challenge every element
of it by asking yourself 'Is this as engaging as it possibly
could be?'. In the past we've scrapped pre-printed name badges
and instead opened the programme with an activity in which
each delegate decorates a large sticky label with illustrations
of the skills and interests of another delegate along with
his or her name. This simple exercise not only broke the ice
but also saved time and ensured nobody went without a name
badge - some were so good that their owners kept them long
after the event.
Pay particular attention to food and refreshments. This is
most vulnerable to criticism from participants and, sadly,
the area many hotels will skimp on to maximise profit. Yet
it's also the element of the conference that your delegates
will have most expertise in. Unless they go to several conferences
a year they might not be able to consciously critique the
stage set and lighting but, sure as eggs is eggs, they'll
know what a good lunch looks like. The food itself should
be energising and appropriate so, unless its mid-winter, avoid
heavy, greasy dishes like casseroles which lead to drowsiness.
Crisp clean salads with fish, poultry and cheese are a far
better option. Before the event give every delegate the opportunity
to let you know of any special dietary requirements and, unless
you know your audience well, it's wise to avoid pork-based
dishes altogether.
Extend this focus beyond lunch to the breaks as well - coffee
and biscuits are expected so I'd advise against replacing
these but instead suggest you add at least one alternative
item to each break. For instance, sliced fruit in the morning
and ice creams in the afternoon, with a range of chilled soft
drinks and smoothies available to grab on the conference tables.
Air conditioning will generate thirst so allow for at least
half a litre of water per delegate, more in summer.
So will this be enough to keep your delegates awake and attentive
during the 'grave yard shift'? I would hope so but if not
there is a guaranteed remedy. Just like the solution to the
terrifying slumber that threatens to engulf the driver who
is longing for the next motorway services, a few moments of
movement will overcome the drowsiness and reboot the system,
restoring concentration and bringing mind and body back to
the real world. It really doesn't matter how or even why the
delegates get off their seats and move, but the moment they
do, like the motorway driver they will be fully restored and
the 'grave yard shift' need not be feared.
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