With COVID leading to many conferences being moved online, here we take a look at physical events and how they can be improved once we get back to the normal events world!
Boring
Since our school days few of us spend our days sitting still, listening without being expected to contribute. Most of us are at our best when we can move, laugh and take part.
Embarrassing
The insincere CEO, ill prepared guest speaker or intoxicated accountant; there are numerous opportunities for conferences to create cringe worthy moments. Most of these can be mitigated with some careful planning and without compromising on fun.
Irrelevant
Whilst it’s good to have a CFO with an eye for detail, the conference presentation isn’t the time to share unintelligible data in a speech. A single, clear message is far more impactful than numerous strategic objectives.
Place
There’s a five star hotel in London with its primary conference space several levels below ground. Artificial light, air and sound creates a bunker mentality when an optimistic outlook is required. Often the best venues are quirky, more memorable and better value than hotels.
Posture
Our ancestors wouldn’t have ever considered sitting for hours on end, in fact our bodies haven’t evolved to do so. Movement helps to feed our minds whereas sitting still, rather like lying down signals the brain to shut down, inducing drowsiness.
Amateur
In a world in which people are used to slick TV shows hosted by polished presenters, skilled in making rehearsed lines appear to be off the cuff, it’s asking a lot of both the audience and those on stage to deliver several hours of material with the same humour and energy we’ve come to expect in our living rooms. This isn’t to say big budgets and celebrities are always required. The use of an experienced conference host both on the day and during planning can ensure that the programme is delivered in a natural and well-paced way.
Take a look at our 10 Tactics to Create a Captivating Conference or get in touch to hear how we’ve helped clients revolutionise their corporate meetings.
