Rethinking the Corporate Conference Agenda
Your Roadmap to Success
In the ever-evolving landscape of corporate events, it's imperative for business leaders to stay ahead of the curve. Renowned meeting designers, Miguel Neves and Mike van der Vijver, have charted a new course for redefining conference agendas post-Covid, and their insights are nothing short of a game-changer.
Exploring the State of Meeting Design
Neves and van der Vijver embarked on a mission to dissect the state of meeting design in a post-pandemic world. Their journey led them through a series of enlightening book launch events, serving as a platform to delve into critical meeting design questions. During these events, they gathered diverse perspectives on the essence of in-person meetings and the optimal allocation of session/topic time at conferences. The conclusion? A pressing need for more interaction and a radical overhaul of agendas.
In-Person Meetings are Special
The heart of in-person meetings lies in their uniqueness. While this notion may vary from one individual to another, certain common traits emerge. Human proximity, depth of interaction, and non-verbal communication stand out as defining characteristics. Notably, participants draw a clear connection between these attributes and the crucial elements of relationship-building, high-quality dialogue, and emotional engagement.
However, in practice, this recognition of in-person meeting uniqueness often fails to translate into effective time allocation. Keynotes, in particular, frequently miss the opportunity to leverage human proximity, interaction, and non-verbal communication to their fullest potential.
Crafting the Ideal Conference Agenda
To reconstruct the ideal meeting design, De Groot and van der Vijver prompted participants to evaluate the allocation of time across six key meeting activities during an 8-hour conference day. The results are eye-opening:
One-directional presentations: Current: 2h 11m | Ideal: 1h 05m (-50%)
Exchanges: Current: 1h 32m | Ideal: 1h 54m (+25%)
Group work: Current: 1h 11m | Ideal: 1h 52m (+58%)
Relationship-building: Current: 1h 28m | Ideal: 1h 53m (+28%)
Logistics: Current: 56m | Ideal: 40m (-28%)
Unprogrammed activities: Current: 47m | Ideal: 40m (-14%)
This agenda diverges significantly from the current norm. It calls for a reduction in the time allocated to one-directional presentations, including keynotes, while advocating for a substantial increase in hours devoted to exchanges, group work, and relationship-building activities. This shift underscores the rising consensus that meaningful interactions are the backbone of successful conferences.
Practical Recommendations for Business Leaders
To translate these findings into actionable changes, Neves and va der Vijver offer the following recommendations:
Leverage Remote Information Sharing: Embrace remote information sharing to maximize interaction during in-person events.
Skilled Facilitators: Deploy skilled facilitators to lead group work sessions and guide participants in forging meaningful connections.
Transform Logistics into Networking Opportunities: Turn logistical aspects of events into valuable networking opportunities, ensuring every moment contributes to relationship-building.
For a more comprehensive understanding, delve into the full report here.
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