I’m aware that recently I’ve been writing a lot about the importance of “experience” at conferences. That delegates require a good experience to return, to reinvest, and to some extend this has growing importance over content. However, that of course doesn’t mean that content has a reduced value at conferences, if anything it reinforces the idea that content is still king, it’s just got to be brilliant!
Conferences need to be transformational both in terms of experience and content. And when I write “transformational” I mean just that. As a process where a delegate enters a conference at the beginning, they should experience a change, or some sort of evolution, once they come out at the other end.
Many associations choose to deliver a content strategy themselves, and many do this well going out to their wider industry and related fields, as well as covering skills development. However, many are only sourcing speakers from within their own communities, limiting development.
Enter the conference producer. Although sometimes confused with a technical producer, this role has direct responsibility for curating a programme that is both engaging and forward thinking. Many conference producers work on a freelance basis and are experts in absorbing and researching a new topic. I know it sounds odd, but a conference producer can often do a better job of securing a rounded programme than a subject matter expert, simply because the latter understandably tends to have blinkered vision around the topic.
Associations cannot afford inert conferences. Your annual event is not just a gathering. It is your shop window, your community moment, and often your largest commercial engine. It should move something forward, whether that is policy, professional standards, member capability, or commercial growth.
So perhaps the better question for any association board is not, “Do we have good speakers?” It is, “Who is producing the change we want this conference to create?”
If you cannot answer that clearly, the event may be busy, but it may also be strategically adrift. And that is an expensive place to be.