Elliot Masie’s Learning conference has been held in the same city every year for the last 21 years. Orlando is the city and more specifically, Walt Disney World is the destination. With 1,500-2,000 attendees each year, of which many are repeat offenders, doesn’t it make sense that Orlando would get old to both the event planning staff and the attendees? The resounding answer is: No!
So, given the fact that your meeting has to be at the same location, whether it is your office or a specific destination, how in the world do you spice it up?
Here are six tips you can do to keep your business meeting fresh as conveyed by Masie in a recent edition of The Meeting Professional magazine.
Six Fresh Business Meeting Tips
1). Hire Storytellers, not PowerPoint gurus.
This not to say your presenters can’t use PowerPoint; as long as it is a tool in their kit that delivers a story. Everyone loves a good story and if it is told well, we are definitely hooked.
2). Update Your Format by Seeking Counsel from Your Attendees.
Ask attendees what they want to learn and who they want to hear. If you rent a laptop in bulk quantities or use iPad rentals, you can ask them while they are at the conference. And then continue to survey attendees all year long for updates.
3). Use Different Spaces in the Venue.
Even if your meeting is held at the corporate facility, try these variations to the theme:
* Hold the event outside, especially in the summer season.
* Use a different floor.
* Go to the rooftop and hold it up there.
* Have the meeting in the reception area.
4). Try Different Formats.
At Masie’s Learning 2013 conference, they implemented the 99 second talk. He asked presenters to speak to their concept similar to a TV commercial; stressing that all great focused speakers can do this in 99 seconds or less.
Other popular concepts are:
– TED talks: Which are 18 minutes;
– Pecha Kucha: 6 minutes and 20 seconds and
– Ignite: 5 Minutes.
5). Change Content on a Real-Time Basis.
Masie says “pay attention to your attendee’s body language and listening signals.” You know when someone is fully engaged or not. If they are just thirsting for more information from the speaker, let that presenter go long. And someone who isn’t connecting with the audience needs to get the hook.
By watching body language, social feeds and general interactivity, you can make announcements that are sent to everyone’s mobile device as well as display announcements on a video wall rental.
6). Remember to have Enough Bandwidth.
“At our conference when we have 2,000 attendees, we probably have 4,000 communication devices working at any given time. It’s very important to have the ability to accommodate a speaker who may need to appear from the other side of the globe via broadband…so having plenty of bandwidth has become just as important as having enough electric or water,” stated Masie.
When choosing an audio visual rental organization, remember to ask them about their Wireless Internet Rental offering.
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