Conferences

Groundswell: The Network is the Conference

Conferences are difficult to plan and overwhelming to attend. Organizers want to provide value and become a "must-attend" event, but there is no generally no way to know how well the conference is going once it starts - there's simply too much to do just to feed the machine that there's no time to pause and reflect. Attendees face a similar challenge - so much is said in so short a time that it can be difficult to synthesize the new information into a gallery of core truths. Flustered, unclear attendees are not repeat attendees. Really, it's the same struggle that organizations face when they're facing down disruptions in their industry or culture. The difference is that - if all goes according to plan - the conference itself is the disruption, and the outcome is positive change for all attendees, as they re-enter their work lives armed with new knowledge.

Groundswell provides your conference with agile, reflective messaging and feedback in real time. Our consultants roam the halls, capturing learning outcomes as they happen, interviewing attendees, speakers, and organizers, and creating media pieces that capture the excitement and energy of the conference. All this content is presented in a participatory closing session that spells out the "Eureka!" moments, the big insights, generated from the sessions and keynotes. By creating the learning space for attendees to process and synthesize what they've seen and heard, you create enduring belief in the lessons learned.

The value to organizers doesn't end there, however. By being on the ground, we are also able to suggest course corrections, up to and including creating breakout sessions for particular attendee groups that have, for whatever reason, lost the thread.

It's difficult to know what this looks like without seeing it in action. We unveiled the concept at the 2009 Oregon Governor's Conference on Travel & Tourism in Salem, Oregon, this spring. As soon as we have footage, we will provide it here. Until then, you can contact Kelly about leveraging the power of live consultants run amok.