Conferences are Not for Learning

As the head of marketing for a software company responsible for hosting conferences, this title will likely get me flak. But it's a true statement.

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One of the biggest fallacies of a conference is that you'll walk away knowing how to do x, y, and z. I walked into my most recent conference as an attendee with that mindset, only to be disappointed, as did a few other attendees I met.

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Learning in and of itself is an involved process—often filled with trial and error—that leads to change and performance improvement. Sometimes we are fooled into thinking that ingesting an excellent quote or business advice from a book or podcast is learning. I would argue that this is simply a teaching mechanism. The learning doesn't occur unless the recipient takes the direction, absorbs the lesson, and embraces a moment of growth.

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All this being said, I wholeheartedly believe?conferences are incredibly valuable; we just need to reframe our expectations around these events. Move away from expecting to learn something and instead?expect to walk away with actionable ideas. Coming away from a conference with ideas is a more realistic goal and provides attendees with a wider opportunity for action and growth.

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With a?conference-should-spark-ideas?mindset, every element in an event experience becomes a potential inspiration catalyst. As an attendee, your conference value exponentially increases if you apply these ideas to every attribute of your life. In other words, lean into the event experience to find inspiration for your business and extracurriculars.

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Let me exemplify this approach using my recent experience at a 10,000+ attendee conference:

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Spark #1?

Ask more interesting questions.?

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Having just sat through two days of content sessions that included panel discussions, it was noticeable what questions were planned with an agenda and what was asked out of genuine curiosity.

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As a moderator of panels in my events, I fully believe in preparation for any discussion. But let's be honest: everyone would much rather hear the dialogue from questions asked in a moment of genuine curiosity. So, why don't we start there?

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Idea:?Skip to the human part of conversations by asking questions that deliver new perspectives your audience has yet to hear.

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Action:?Instead of asking, "Martha, you have XX followers on Instagram. That is so great! Does that make you feel like a trendsetter?"

Sidebar: Who cares whether she thinks she is a trendsetter? Her publicist has trained her to answer questions, so let's avoid fluff questions that waste our time.?

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Ask questions that deliver behind-the-scene stories into Martha's life, like:

• How do you do it [your role] better than anyone else?
• What are the top 3 things you want to solve?
• What's on your bucket list?
• What's left that you still need to achieve?

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For your next panel discussion or happy hour, get beyond surface-level questions to get something meaty from a conversation. And remember to follow up with them to share how much you enjoyed the valuable dialogue.

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Spark #2??

Providing meaning is 10x more valuable for everyone.

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This sounds so much like "no duh," but I keep experiencing this daily. A keynote presents a bunch of data but never shares what to do with it, how it should change the audience's thinking, or suggests solutions to the problem presented by the data.

In the workplace, this experience might come as a Slack message with just a link to an article; no context provided, and the blatant assumption that your audience cares as much about that article as you.

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Idea:?Stop making your audience work. Deliver the why, the meaning, the context, and the recommendation in your communication. Every. Time.

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Action:?Whenever you share content with anyone, regardless of format and channel, communicate what the content means to the audience.

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Without providing context—why?you're sending the content, the level of urgency, and any actions expected—you should expect your audience to ignore you.?

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Spark #3

Go all-in.?

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After funny-man Ryan Reynolds canceled his conference talk at the last minute because of a positive COVID test (at this announcement by the emcee, all 10,000 attendees shed a tear and let out a sigh), the conference organizers brought in a surprise replacement guest. He was amazing.??

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Shaun White joined the stage and delivered the most authentic and heartfelt talk about rising to GOAT status in snowboarding. He strategized and calculated each step in his life because of his passion for rising to the next level. He shared his story behind the path to?winning the Gold Medal in Pyeongchang 2018, which included recovering after a severe fall, sizing up his competition, seeing the stars literally align in front of him, and going for it in the moment.?

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The marketer in me then got choked up hearing about how he named his new winter clothing line and snowboards: Whitespace.

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"Whitespace is obviously a play on my name, but also it means opportunity, a gap in the market, a blank canvas waiting for something new and creative. Snowboarding is one of the only sports where I can invent a new trick and be the best in the world. I love that opportunity and openness about the sport."

If you're going to do anything, do it right, with purpose and meaning.?

Idea:?Honestly, I have so many ideas spearheading off his go-all-in talk that I cannot list them all here. So, I'm including the simplest example.

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Five years ago, I ran my first marathon ever in the Leadville Race Series. It was the most physically challenging accomplishment of my life. I cried numerous times on the course because I wanted to quit. I even cried at the finish line…happy tears because I made it.

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This year, I'm conquering the Leadville mountains again with the marathon in June and the 50-mile run in July. To say the latter race intimidates me is an understatement.??

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Here are my options:

1. Be a weak little bitch by putting in a few miles each week, likely during the one hour of free time I can carve out each day. This approach may have been how I trained for the first marathon, and I finished, so it technically worked.
2. Go all in by putting the long miles in every single week, plus the weights, plus the diet. It requires dedication and carving out more time in the day.?

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If I'm going to survive a 50-mile run, I have no option but to go all in.

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Action:?I've adjusted my daily schedule to accomplish more work during my?peak brain power hours?(very early morning) and use my?dead brain hours?(mid-afternoon) for runs. With a shift in how I plan my day, I can train and recharge my mind with new ideas and solutions to whatever problem is on my mind.?

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Sidebar: While I will never become the female version of Scott Jurek, I am rethinking the fuel I put into my body by switching to a plant-based diet (except for the lattes and ice cream, of course, because I'm not a monster). For all you readers out there, Scott's?Eat & Run?book is in my Top 5 Best Books of All Time. Worth checking out if you're looking to go all in.

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Spark #4?

Music makes everything better.?

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All right, this one isn't new to me, but a reminder to reinforce music in my interactions with others. One of the things I love most about my job is working from home. This introvert does her best work alone, in sweatpants, amped up on coffee while blasting music.

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Sometimes music serves as background noise to help me concentrate.

(favorite Spotify concentration playlist:?Arabic Hits)

Sometimes music gets me to work faster.?

(favorite Spotify accelerator playlist:?This is Major Lazer)

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Sometimes music just makes me happier doing my work.?

(favorite Spotify Emily-is-working playlist:?Poolside in Your Mind)

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Idea:?Incorporate music into every experience of my life as a means to set a vibe in a room and introduce others to new sounds and perspectives.

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Action:?Music becomes the backdrop for car rides with my kids, downtime at home, when writing LinkedIn articles, Sunday mornings reading?The New York Times, every event hosted in the future that I have a finger on, and during Troop meetings with my Girl Scouts.

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Spark #5

?I have to learn how to dance.?

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The conference I recently attended had an evening dedicated to professional dancers giving the audience a show. Tik Tok phenoms.?Dancing with the Stars?winners. And my personal favorite, a glow-in-the-dark dance troupe that reminded me of those Christmas lights set to a local radio station during the holidays.

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Every single performance was a celebration of the human body and a commitment to practice.

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Idea:?For months, I have been trying to find a local high school dance team to perform a flash mob at our upcoming Girl Scout Sock Hop. As the last father/daughter event for our Scouts, I am committed to putting our Troop's stamp on it to make it memorable. Thus far, I have yet to be successful in this quest.

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Sometimes if you want something done, you have to do it yourself. I've decided our Troop is doing our own flash mob at this year's sock hop.

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Action:?We have 30 days to create and perfect a dance. I am confident that a dozen 12-year-old girls will have no problem getting on board with this. My task is to build their confidence to perform in a room of hundreds. Good thing our event is in a dimly lit gymnasium. It will be dark for this performance, except for our glow-in-dark costumes.??

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Here's how the rest of this plays out for you and me.

As a conference host, you now have a glimpse into what I'm preparing for you as a future event attendee.

Don't expect to learn anything.

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Expect to be presented with opportunities to take away actionable ideas.

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It's up to you to do something with them.

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Emily Elizabeth is a marketer, entrepreneur, teacher, Girl Scout troop leader, marathoner, and aspiring ultra-runner. Send her a message on LinkedIn to trade ideas or share what made your Top 5 Best Books of All Time list. She believes in her brain power and wrote this independently, without ChatGPT.?