The Way We Gather: Your Perspectives!

A huge thank you to everyone that took the time to respond to my Gatherings survey a couple of weeks ago. The fact that so many of you took the time out to reply in deep and thoughtful terms reminds me of the importance of community and how the best solutions are built through collaboration and cooperation.

If you haven’t yet responded to the survey, there’s still time! I’m always open to more input.

In the meantime, there are some clear themes and common perspectives emerging, which I’ll summarise below.?

Finding #1: We’re craving connection, but it has to feel purposeful.

Overwhelmingly, we value events and gatherings for the social bonds and sense of connection they can provide. This comes with a little dopamine hit of happiness that comes with feeling like you’re part of a moment and a community.?

There’s a heightened desire to get back together after the pandemic pulled us apart, but the togetherness must be purposeful. This means knowing and telegraphing in clear and singular terms WHY the event is taking place, then building a whole set of experiences around that— brand building, community engagement, celebration, sharing knowledge, and social connection. The more interactive the better.

Many see the post-pandemic world as one in which the old rules can be remade and where more active, rather than passive, participation is possible.

Finding #2: We’re galvanised by inspiring experience, but many events lack imagination.

About two-thirds of you felt we strongly need to rethink the way we gather. The rest felt less strongly but nonetheless saw improvements as being needed.?

There is a general sense that many events, particularly in a corporate context, work to a set formula. Formats are seen as “traditional”, “routine”, “prescriptive”, lack diversity, and sometimes present barriers (physical, financial, and intersectional) to access. More imagination, flexibility, and dynamism are needed to create more people-focused events. And not everything needs to be speaker focused.?

Finding #3: Less monologue, more dialogue

Speaking of speakers, a strong theme emerged of people wanting fewer gatherings where they are being talked at and more where they are being talked with. Some suggested gatherings try to cram less in so as to create more time for networking, reflection, roundtable discussions, and interactive learning.?

"The time is ripe to focus on the internal knowledge our communities hold - not focus on 'experts' who speak from a podium"

We need to be more cognisant of the different ways that people learn and be more creative in the way that information is presented. A comment that was striking to me was that if we don’t evolve the way many corporate events are structured, the young and up-and-coming generations simply won’t attend them.

Finding #4: We vastly prefer in-person, but virtual gathering isn’t going away.

This one is really no surprise. After two years of ‘gathering’ from your spare bedroom or kitchen table, most people have had enough of virtual conferences and meetings. With that said, most of you saw technology’s role in gatherings as growing in influence, not abating. The real value is bolstering accessibility and inclusivity, breaking down geographical barriers, and creating efficient means to learn.?

What struck me is that we’ve been using technology as an either/or to in-person, when perhaps the biggest opportunity is to create complementary or contiguous experiences.?

Finding #5: Events are a way post on the way to a destination, not the destination itself.

Having a clear purpose and theme for a gathering is one thing. It’s equally as important to know what you want the post-event experience to be as well. Some people felt that the ephemeral nature of a gathering means that pre- and post-event goals are important to define upfront, and that contact and connection doesn’t end when the event does. Gatherings need to be seen as one part of a larger plan.

"We waste a lot of time, effort and resources and get little in return"

Finding #6: We have a lot of opinions about food!

Even though the word ‘food’ did not appear in a single survey question, it sure did come up a lot in your answers! Over and over, you said that the difference between a so-so and memorable gathering was the quality of the food and hospitality. As someone who has worked in this space for a long time, I can’t tell you how wonderful that is to hear and how it’s got me thinking about how we can better use food’s power to bring people together.?

As Guy Fieri says: “Food is maybe the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together. No matter what culture, everywhere around the world, people eat together."

More to come…

All of this has been wonderful insight and input into the new venture I hinted about in my last post. I’m feeling incredibly motivated and inspired to be a useful contributor in this quest to rethink and reinvigorate the way we gather. Stay tuned for news to drop soon!

Signing off with enthusiasm and gratitude,

Kate