Comments on: ReThinking How We Do Conferences http://rhettsmith.com/2009/03/rethinking-how-we-do-conferences/ Thu, 10 May 2012 14:59:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: E L S U A ~ A KM Blog Thinking Outside The Inbox by Luis Suarez » The Future of Conference Events - Looking after the Health of Attendees http://rhettsmith.com/2009/03/rethinking-how-we-do-conferences/comment-page-1/#comment-6367 E L S U A ~ A KM Blog Thinking Outside The Inbox by Luis Suarez » The Future of Conference Events - Looking after the Health of Attendees Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:44:58 +0000 http://rhettsmith.com/?p=2062#comment-6367 [...] of you folks out there would be up to date with a good number of the discussions that have been going on around the subject of how to improve the overall experience of attendees to various different [...] [...] of you folks out there would be up to date with a good number of the discussions that have been going on around the subject of how to improve the overall experience of attendees to various different [...]

]]> By: Rhett Smith http://rhettsmith.com/2009/03/rethinking-how-we-do-conferences/comment-page-1/#comment-5689 Rhett Smith Fri, 13 Mar 2009 04:27:39 +0000 http://rhettsmith.com/?p=2062#comment-5689 Bonnie, Agree, agree, agree......thanks for posting on this topic. I think a lot of us are thinking like you are.... Andrew, Awesome. Who doesn't love TED? So true, you haven't forked over a dime and you get the highest quality of message possible sitting in front of your computer. It will be exciting to watch how online collaboration changes the face of conferences and gatherings even more in the near future. Jonathan, What's cool about that too, is that it's your community it looks like, meaning people within the denomination. So you have a direct investment back into that community that comes as a result of collaboration among its thought leaders. I like it. Thanks for sharing everyone, rhett Bonnie,

Agree, agree, agree……thanks for posting on this topic. I think a lot of us are thinking like you are….

Andrew,

Awesome. Who doesn’t love TED? So true, you haven’t forked over a dime and you get the highest quality of message possible sitting in front of your computer. It will be exciting to watch how online collaboration changes the face of conferences and gatherings even more in the near future.

Jonathan,

What’s cool about that too, is that it’s your community it looks like, meaning people within the denomination. So you have a direct investment back into that community that comes as a result of collaboration among its thought leaders. I like it.

Thanks for sharing everyone,

rhett

]]> By: Rhett Smith http://rhettsmith.com/2009/03/rethinking-how-we-do-conferences/comment-page-1/#comment-5681 Rhett Smith Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:48:06 +0000 http://rhettsmith.com/?p=2062#comment-5681 Cynthia, I do think it's both/and. And more hybrids is probably likely. What I don't see happening is the growth of larger and larger conferences, especially expensive ones that can be sustainable. I think people will start choosing just 1-2 or 2-3 a year to attend, and then take part in smaller/collaborative ones. So I think there is always a value in big conferences that can deliver great speakers, but there is a limit to how many of those can survive. Think of the same people we see at all the conferences. I think people will start having to become more choosy for various reasons. Rhett Cynthia,

I do think it’s both/and. And more hybrids is probably likely.

What I don’t see happening is the growth of larger and larger conferences, especially expensive ones that can be sustainable. I think people will start choosing just 1-2 or 2-3 a year to attend, and then take part in smaller/collaborative ones.

So I think there is always a value in big conferences that can deliver great speakers, but there is a limit to how many of those can survive. Think of the same people we see at all the conferences. I think people will start having to become more choosy for various reasons.

Rhett

]]> By: Jonathan http://rhettsmith.com/2009/03/rethinking-how-we-do-conferences/comment-page-1/#comment-5677 Jonathan Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:44:12 +0000 http://rhettsmith.com/?p=2062#comment-5677 The one conference I recently attended and will attend again this summer is the UMASCE Consultation. (United Methodist Association of Scholars in Christian Education). It is a group of scholars, church workers, and writers who come together to discuss education, community, and the future of the church. Each event there is a theme, usually with a keynote speaker who speaks briefly then the crowd breaks off into small groups to discuss, configure, and develop ideas around this topic for the future of the church. At the beginning it is stated that this is a dialogue and collaboration based event, not a sit idly event. I've found some good contacts and friends at this event. I really enjoyed meeting new people, and learning so much more from collaboration. I generally attend events more to network, be renewed, and learn new ideas from my peers anyway. Thanks for this. The one conference I recently attended and will attend again this summer is the UMASCE Consultation. (United Methodist Association of Scholars in Christian Education). It is a group of scholars, church workers, and writers who come together to discuss education, community, and the future of the church. Each event there is a theme, usually with a keynote speaker who speaks briefly then the crowd breaks off into small groups to discuss, configure, and develop ideas around this topic for the future of the church.

At the beginning it is stated that this is a dialogue and collaboration based event, not a sit idly event.

I’ve found some good contacts and friends at this event. I really enjoyed meeting new people, and learning so much more from collaboration.

I generally attend events more to network, be renewed, and learn new ideas from my peers anyway.

Thanks for this.

]]> By: andrewminchew http://rhettsmith.com/2009/03/rethinking-how-we-do-conferences/comment-page-1/#comment-5672 andrewminchew Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:20:50 +0000 http://rhettsmith.com/?p=2062#comment-5672 my favorite conference so far... TED. and i've never been, and never paid a shiny nickel for what I got from it. it seems to me that these conferences are about innovation, inspiration, and collaboration, but for the most part, all of that can happen via the web, and be accessible to an even wider group of people. my favorite conference so far… TED. and i’ve never been, and never paid a shiny nickel for what I got from it.
it seems to me that these conferences are about innovation, inspiration, and collaboration, but for the most part, all of that can happen via the web, and be accessible to an even wider group of people.

]]> By: Cynthia http://rhettsmith.com/2009/03/rethinking-how-we-do-conferences/comment-page-1/#comment-5668 Cynthia Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:18:19 +0000 http://rhettsmith.com/?p=2062#comment-5668 Hi Rhett... still pondering all of this. I'm wondering if there's a "both/and" application here. Large conferences do provide us with the opportunity to hear amazing speakers and we do have to pay in order to hear them. I wouldn't hesitate to pay to hear Donald Miller talk about "narrative" for example. It's worth the money to be so inspired. But, I also get inspired at collaboration (and I certainly couldn't collaborate with Donald, for example) so collaboration (and free or at least cheap) offers things I can't get other ways. Maybe we'll see more hybrids? Hi Rhett… still pondering all of this. I’m wondering if there’s a “both/and” application here. Large conferences do provide us with the opportunity to hear amazing speakers and we do have to pay in order to hear them. I wouldn’t hesitate to pay to hear Donald Miller talk about “narrative” for example. It’s worth the money to be so inspired.

But, I also get inspired at collaboration (and I certainly couldn’t collaborate with Donald, for example) so collaboration (and free or at least cheap) offers things I can’t get other ways.

Maybe we’ll see more hybrids?

]]> By: Bonnie http://rhettsmith.com/2009/03/rethinking-how-we-do-conferences/comment-page-1/#comment-5664 Bonnie Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:40:58 +0000 http://rhettsmith.com/?p=2062#comment-5664 I'm not a big conference-goer but I do really like the idea of one that fosters collaboration rather than merely sitting passively *or* speaking actively. "Cross-pollenation, dynamic conversational collaboration, elevating innovation, celebrating creativity, participating, dreaming, designing, doing" -- all sound fantastic! And yes, "low-cost" is also nice for those of us with small budgets for this type of thing :-) I’m not a big conference-goer but I do really like the idea of one that fosters collaboration rather than merely sitting passively *or* speaking actively. “Cross-pollenation, dynamic conversational collaboration, elevating innovation, celebrating creativity, participating, dreaming, designing, doing” — all sound fantastic!

And yes, “low-cost” is also nice for those of us with small budgets for this type of thing :-)

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