‘In any event’: the 5 things that are true of any conference

We’ve all heard the phrase “in any event.” It means that no matter what, the proceeding thing will be true regardless of other contexts. Likewise, there are some certain “in any events” in the world of conferences, that regardless of what size, shape, or style, will always ring true.

1. People attend conferences because either the speakers are people they want to hear in person, or the community around the event are the type of person they want to be like, or their work pays for them to go because the content is very specific to the company. BUT...
2. What people take away from conferences are who they met, and the rare one or two aha! moments in the midst of all the content placed in front of them.
3. People will find ways to network and enjoy ‘corridor conversations’, even if that means missing sessions.
4. It’s the big speaker names that generally drive ticket sales, BUT the best speakers aren’t always the most well known ones – they are the authentic ones. (Consider the standing ovations at TED: they are for authenticity, not knowledge or fame.)
5. The smartest people in the room aren’t the people at the front, but sadly not many people will get to hear from them.

What shall we do in the light of this?

• Build networking into the conference
• Create room for delegates to share what they are learning
• Mix your speaker selection between those who draw a crowd and those who have something authentically helpful to say, even if they are utterly unknown