What are some innovative conference program design ideas that you can implement?

Due to the inherent nature of humans, conferences are generally challenging events. This is because within the short duration of conferences, all information needs to be effectively communicated to the participants. Since sitting continuously is not aligned with human nature, entertaining activities must be organized during these short events to boost participants' motivation, open their minds, and provide relaxation. Conference design should be conceptually made more enjoyable, and conferences should venture outside the traditional venue. During conference breaks, engaging activities that excite both male and female participants, reducing their stress, should be implemented to elevate motivation levels.

I recently led and organized a successful hybrid international conference. These conferences attract a diverse set of audiences. The audiences who are far away but are interested in the conferences can easily get access to them through digital mediums. Another important thing is the capacity of the seats doesn't restrict the capacity of the audience that can join the conference. It also helps the audience who aren't much social and wouldn't want to engage in social gatherings or conferences with lots of audience. They may want to get the contents of the conference just by being comfortable and sitting at home. So, the hybrid mode helps both the audiences who want to attend in person and also those who don't.

I think you have to decide what you want your online engagement to be like before you decide it will be a hybrid conference. If the intent is to just deliver information, then live streaming content is sufficient (as opposed to a virtual event platform with all of the engagement bells and whistles). But even in a world of digital exhaustion, online participants still enjoy being active in the chat and often enjoy breakout conversations. In person, make sure your event has plenty of opportunities for peer-to-peer conversations. No one is flying to your event to sit in a dark room and have someone talk at them all day. My favorite hybrid events live stream content, and have a news desk format for virtual attendees between sessions.

I heard a unique perspective recently that gamification doesn't necessarily mean you are rewarding people for their engagement or activity. Instead it means making the content more gamified like escape rooms, game shows, etc. I loved that perspective.

Personalized pathways also facilitate an organic cohort effect. It is rare that a single individual has so unique of a path that they don’t run into the same handful of faces along their experience. After seeing those same particular faces a handful of times through out the day increases the likelihood of conversations to spark and social engagement to occur.

Implementar caminhos personalizados é uma abordagem inovadora para aumentar a satisfação e o envolvimento dos participantes. Inclua sessões interativas e workshops que incentivem a colaboração. Utilize tecnologia de beacon para personalizar a experiência com base na localização dos participantes para enviar notificações personalizadas. Inclua sessões Ignite, onde os participantes podem apresentar suas ideias de maneira objetiva e envolvente. Use tecnologias como realidade virtual para criar experiências imersivas para a sua audiência. Disponibilize conteúdo para que os participantes possam acessar informações após o evento. Inclua sessões de Lightning Talk, apresentações curtas e dinâmicas que abordam assuntos diferentes e forma curta.

Understand that everyone processes information differently, and that includes social situations. Especially after the pandemic, people's appetite for in-person socialization has increased overall, but I have found that there is a greater need for breaks during the day, times where attendees can be self-guided in exploring the hotel or destination, and designated times to network. Just as we think about dietary restrictions and lifestyles, we should think about introverts vs extroverts and ways to ensure both are comfortable throughout the conference experience.

A incorporação de experiências imersivas em seu evento engaja sua audiência. Crie ambientes virtuais interativos relacionados ao tema da conferência. Os participantes podem explorar digitalmente cenários específicos, participar de simulações ou interagir com conteúdos 3D. Utilize tecnologia de realidade aumentada para sobrepor informações digitais ao ambiente físico. Desenvolva simulações interativas que permitam aos participantes aplicar conceitos aprendidos em um ambiente prático e controlado. Desenvolva atividades de team building imersivas que envolvam os participantes em desafios práticos e colaborativos. Explore experiências sensoriais para promover experiências significativas e impactantes.

Immersive experiences don't have to be about super expensive technology and fully immersive environments. We just hosted an online event last week where the immersive experience was that our participants had to role play famous CEOs (Oprah, Elon, Steve Jobs, etc) and solve a problem as that character. It's incredible how well people get into the character and push beyond their normal self-limiting beliefs when they are immersed in being a character.

I completely disagree with the article's premise that a panel discussion is peer-to-peer learning. I think they were originally intended to bring perspectives to an audience, but it has been years since I've seen a panel that really did that. Mostly it's four people on stage agreeing with each other. My go-to format is a Spontaneous Think Tank where participants share their challenges and solutions with each other in small groups. This facilitated session leverages crowdsourcing and then an organized way of creating the peer sessions where participants with expertise lead conversations spontaneously. It is true peer learning.

Round table discussions with a chair and mentoring sessions. It’s important to facilitate networking and interactional learning throughout the conference to help all attendees experience informal learning. Depending on conference, topic based workshops for educators can also help them experience more practical professional development.

Integrate wellness breaks, mindfulness sessions, or virtual fitness classes into the conference schedule to promote well-being and reduce stress👌🏻