A day in the life……

Making a case for role-rotation. An all-day role rotation. On every platform.

For better hybrid events.

We all heard about job rotation. In a company, people from cleaning and sales, procurement and security, catering and traffic – you name it - change responsibilities for a day and get a better understanding of the challenges, perks, needs and gains of  a certain role within an organization.

How would this translate to events? Given the fact that we have organizers AND delegates in the same “company”? And, to make it even more challenging: given the fact that we have participants online?

I know that organizers participate in events as delegates and that delegates can be caterers in their day-to-day job – but that is not what I mean. I mean a deliberate change of roles for a day. For a specific new stakeholder group: the hybrid event organizers. 

Do we really know how a virtual delegate spends its “event day”? 

The thing is: we don’t see them at the event. So how can we “get” their involvement? I think that there is still a gap we need to close.

How can we close it? By stepping in the shoes of our virtual attendees. Totally. Change places. Learn about their knowledge of programs and tech. Their workload and anticipation. Their knowledge and expectations about virtual events…and invite them to step into our shoes.

So if you would participate virtually instead of organize.. realistically? Take it from someone who’s been there:

- you are working partly during the event and missing some sessions

- you often do not know beforehand which platform you will be required to have

- you will miss the first moments because of tech hick-ups – yours.

- you will not know beforehand which gaming aspect is used and what you need to do for it. ( Let alone how much time you are required to spend on it)

- you will not know beforehand who else is participating and how to get to know them

Would that change your perspective?  Working away and stopping to dowload programs, finding a way to follow a schedule that requires an all day involvement in between meetings and lunch?  Would it make you design "light" hybrids?  

I'd love to hear....

The ROI of 5000 tweets

Once in a while I need a momentum to reflect on time spent, and to see if it was time spent well.

So there it is: almost 5000 tweets, not much for some, a lot for others.

How did I do on spending my time? And why did I start tweeting in the first place? Have to say, that ROI was not top of mind at first. Experimenting and learning was…

I started in the second half of 2009 wanting to find out if there were any conference and exhibition people out there, people I might know. Had no idea what to expect. Well, there were not many in the Netherlands but as soon as I found out how to search and navigate and who to follow things went their own way.

Investment:

Only time, but lots of it. There is no way I can say that it only took minutes. Evenings spent reading, looking at hashtags, following conversations, looking up links and searching for old and new friends. I did not document the spent time that well but at least an hour every single day might be right. Maybe more. And much more, if you count the time reading blogs and links.

Return:

A network of great people around the globe that are working in the events industry, sharing their ideas and views, giving an insight into their worlds and bringing up topics that are worth discussing in tweetchats or blogs. A world of knowledge that unfolds and presents itself, only if you are willing to participate. Communicate. And share as well.

Learning of events related initiatives, new events, organizers, networks, research, reports, all the trends in the meetings industry on a day-to-day basis. Sometimes by just asking. Often in a tweetchat.

New friends and a better understanding of old ones, finding it easier to start conversations with complete strangers.

Re-connecting in other networks by linking my tweets

The phrase “just do it” for a non sportsperson finally making sense: the start of this blog, encouraged by @jenisefryatt, and the start of a tweetchat for #euventprofs. The results are not always encouraging (last chats were pretty low on people) but the fact that you can just start something and see where it goes was a great revelation. Know what you want and see if it works. Just do it, dare to fail. And that is a pretty big lesson.

So was it worth it?   Personally? Oh yes. Professionally? Oh yes. Ready for my next 5000!

Electric dreams

We’ll always be together, however far it seems. We’ll always be together, together in electric dreams.  –   

This oldie keeps creeping into my mind lately.  Maybe a sign that I have been attending too many hybrid events as a virtual attendee? (or a sign that I have a longing for 80’s songs, plus the tons of make-up and big plastic earrings that went with them)

Actually it is wishful thinking. Even though organizers are making a lot of effort to include virtual attendees in a face to face event, we are still lacking in contact. We are not together.

2 things that I might help:

Better timing: Give us enough time to plan and prepare. Often a virtual ticket is offered at the last moment.  As an afterthought or on purpose?  I understand that you want people in real life in the real conference room, but when a virtual ticket is presented a few days  before the event, I cannot plan a day for it. Least of all connect with other (real live) attendees before the event.  It leaves me with only bits of content and a few new tweeps to follow,  and you with a lack of ROI –we both lose.

More tools: give us the chance to network, let us connect through Hangouts or Skype .… I would love to see a Hangout Corner at an event, where the f2f delegates can get to meet the virtual ones. Surely we could try something here? Add to all your learning lounges?

Just imagine: an event where ALL  delegates are visually present in the room. Looking at each other, and knowing that they are part of the same audience. No more awkward pauses after the speaker asks : “any questions from the virtual audience?” …not knowing if they are present at all.

As a virtual attendee I know how to be engaged . Now I need to be seen.  For now, it is an electric dream.

Grow your own meeting

This spring my son, who is 10 years old,  started with gardening in school:  his class has a plot and they grow all kinds of things:  beetroot, onions, broad beans, fennel, potatoes, garlic – you name it.

A variety of vegetables that is nurtured with care and eaten with joy – even the things he usually avoids. It seems that being in charge of a vegetable makes all the difference. It is mine, I grew it, I will eat it. All of it. It is good stuff.

For a boy who lives in the city, growing his own food is really magical. And I guess it is true: you are much more likely to try new things if you have some influcence over them.  Participate, engage, facilitate, care.

That made me think: doesn't this apply to events as well? Where attendees are able to plant their own seeds, have a say about the content and then take some of that content back home? An event made by audience participation with attendees as stakeholders, owners almost, instead of buyers who can shop in any store. 

Just wondering: how many events are made this way? With true community participation? And more important: a willingness of the organizer to let attendees look after their own specific part of the overall schedule? Trust them to make it work. To water the plants if needed, so to say, harvest them when it is time, and maybe start new varieties.Crowdsource-style. All in the same plot, at the same event. Watch it grow.

When all participants get a sense of ownership,  an event will have a much bigger part in their professional lives. They made it; they will attend it. Organicly grown, sustainable meetings: what more can you ask for?

Maybe a drop of rain, now and then.