Planning a conference? This British inspiration is too good to stay hidden

Ten minutes ago, Chris Wyard and I had never heard of each other. Now, we're sipping coffee and chatting up a storm. We're enjoying break time at a leadership/innovation conference in the English countryside. And as our banter continues, I notice something unusual.

The time bell isn't ringing. We aren't being herded back into the main seating area after a mere 10- or 15-minute pause in the programming. Instead, we're enjoying the unimaginable luxury of a full, 30-minute break, in which we can strike up real conversations with our fellow attendees.

It's an open secret that the official program is only half the reason why people attend conferences. An equally valuable second mission springs to life in the hallways and break areas. That's where we reconnect with old friends and strike up rapport with new acquaintances.

Break time (or lunch) is also where we explore, dispute and refine the big ideas that we've just heard on stage. That way, we can reassemble a presenter's talk into customized insights that become more relevant for our needs.

Over the years, I've grudgingly accepted the fact that most conference organizers treat breaks as an afterthought. Instead, everyone's planning energy focuses on booking the right presenters and configuring the main speaking hall just so. As the speaking roster expands -- or as individual speakers overshoot their allotted time -- the break intervals become painfully compressed.

So it was a happy surprise last week, visiting the UK as a speaker in Wavelength's Connect program, to discover the delights of a break-friendly structure. Let people linger a little longer, and there's time for strangers to do more than hurriedly exchange business cards, without much expectation of ever speaking again. We can share stories about our favorite interests, on topics ranging from adventure travel to the cost of taking care of pets. A little banter improves the odds that we'll stay in touch.

Even better, there's time to debate the conference's big ideas. At the Connect event, we hear early on from Antonia Hock, a Ritz-Carlton executive, about her company's approach to customer service. It's intriguing but not obvious how those methods could be applied to other industries. During the next break session, I could hear attendees from banks, media companies and more, exploring this issue.

That spirited debate was even more evident after eye surgeon Arivand Srinivasan delivered a presentation about the ways that career success (platform) interact with social goals (purpose). His panoramic view invited attendees to test those ideas in their own lives. Break time provided the perfect chance to do so.

It's worth noting that Wavelength's conference took place deep in the English countryside, on an organic farm without automatic access to wi-fi. High marks for cunning on that one! Sometimes being disconnected is an asset, not a flaw. When we break the habit of checking our smartphones all the time, it's much easier for new ideas -- and new ways of thinking -- to take hold.

Toward the end of the conference, I delivered a talk in the "Personal Leadership" track, focusing on ways to have a larger social impact while still working at a profit-minded business. My closing example highlighted the success of LinkedIn's Women[in]Tech program. Walking through the conference venue a little while later, I discovered that attendees from several large UK organizations were discussing whether they could create something similar.

Let the breaks begin!