Everything You Did to Make Your Conference Better Actually Made it Worse
“Lots of the things conferences do are worse than doing nothing.”
Read on SubstackHello, Works in Progress reader.
The ad said you could read my writing here and get in touch. Both are true.
The ad you just read
I love Works in Progress magazine. When they offered me the opportunity to collaborate with them to create a custom full-page ad in the magazine, I jumped at the chance.
Three essays from my Substack
The three levels of conference: a report from the Progress Conference in Berkeley
Level 1: get people together, create obstacles to connection. Level 2: get out of the way, to allow serendipitous connection. Level 3: intentionally design for the connections you want to create.
Read on Substack
The Reason Most Conferences are Bad is That Running a Conference is Scary
If you run a forgettable conference, nobody blames you. Doing something different feels risky. This story talks about one client who made brave choices and had great outcomes.
Read on SubstackMy four principles of conference design
Most of my advice on running conferences boils down to four principles. They are:
- Have goals.
- Do things that support your goals.
- Don’t do things that undermine your goals.
- Periodically ask “what would I do if I thought my participants were competent adults?”
Do you have an event you need help with? I’d love to talk!
These calls are often fun and interesting for both of us, even if we don’t end up working together.