Why Do Conferences Suck?

by Jason Keath
November 30, 2009

Boredom

I absolutely crave face to face time with people. I see offline relationships as the heart of marketing.

This is why I keep going to conferences despite the face that most conferences suck. I am in the heart of this world now since creating my own social media conference series, Social Fresh. Here are just a few of the things that encouraged me to find my own solution.

The Four Horsemen of the Conference Apocalypse

Too much hyperbole there?

  1. No Networking – Many conferences just cram as much content in as possible and lose track of encouraging conversations. Provide physical space that encourages connecting. Provide time in the day that allows connecting. Create reason for people to connect.
  2. Bad Speakers – Where to begin… Unreadable slides, reading from slides verbatim, simply boring, no examples, no case studies, and please, I do not need your life story as an intro. Cut to the meat.
  3. Too Big – Don’t get me wrong, I love SXSW and Blogworld, and Web 2.0 for the shear scale of what they do. And they fill a need. But at some point, finding good content, relevant connections, and just navigating these events successfully takes too much effort.
  4. Too Serious – Yes we are there to learn. No, I don’t need an all day happy hour. But, please lighten up a bit. Throw some spice into the recipe. People like getting away from their desks. Make the day a little more than just instruction. Make it an experience.

Complaints that don’t bother me so much

  1. No Wifi – I get it, we all want to tweet about an event. It is worth complaining about, but let’s face it, there are plenty of venues and cities that just have crappy cell and wifi capabilities. Wifi does not make an event. And I can attend a great event with no wifi and get just as much out of it.
  2. Bad Food – Again, I am not there for the food.
  3. Too Expensive – It is business. Charge what you want. I either think it is worth it or I don’t. Conferences can be expensive endeavors. This value equation is completely different for each person.

Over the last year I have shifted from spending most of my professional time on social media consulting to spending most of my time working on Social Fresh. It is much more rewarding. But it is also not for everyone.

Social Fresh is simple. It is specifically for marketers that want to see the full potential of social media. We bring big brands and smart people in the social media space to a city near you. Big event content, small event networking and discussion.

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  • http://www.NathanRichie.com Nathan Richie

    Jason – kudos to you for constantly questioning and refining what a good conference should be.

    So far, I’ve been bothered by the use of “panels”.

    What often happens is a panel of too much of the same – panelists who end up answering each other’s questions to the point where none of them have anything to add. Worse yet, they come ill-prepared, don’t know how to be both brief and informative, or they end up grandstanding instead of contributing.

    From a presentation standpoint, another thing to remember is you MUST engage the attendees (a serious offense at a SOCIAL event). I’ve seen panels become an “inside discussion” amongst each other and the moderator as if they’re the only ones in the room. You’re there for the audience.

    Lastly, don’t get too deep and techie above the rooms level (another important thing to gauge). Tell the attendee(s) that asked the question to see you after the session (you may even close some business because of it).

    Keep keepin’ on.

  • http://www.NathanRichie.com Nathan Richie

    Jason – kudos to you for constantly questioning and refining what a good conference should be.

    So far, I’ve been bothered by the use of “panels”.

    What often happens is a panel of too much of the same – panelists who end up answering each other’s questions to the point where none of them have anything to add. Worse yet, they come ill-prepared, don’t know how to be both brief and informative, or they end up grandstanding instead of contributing.

    From a presentation standpoint, another thing to remember is you MUST engage the attendees (a serious offense at a SOCIAL event). I’ve seen panels become an “inside discussion” amongst each other and the moderator as if they’re the only ones in the room. You’re there for the audience.

    Lastly, don’t get too deep and techie above the rooms level (another important thing to gauge). Tell the attendee(s) that asked the question to see you after the session (you may even close some business because of it).

    Keep keepin’ on.

  • http://www.shannonwrites.wordpress.com/ Shannon

    I like handouts – even though I understand we're going green and all – I need something to take notes on as someone speaks, to take home with me and look at and use.

    I also think conferences sell themselves short when they forget to mention key amenities – like shuttles from the hotel to the conference site or having parties, etc. planned after conference hours for those who are interested. Tell me about this stuff – those value-added items justify the registration price.

    I also would LOVE to have a list of attendees ahead of time (as much as possible, anyway) – that way I can make plans with people for while I'm there, find a roommate or whatever. Granted, I attend non-profit related conferences as opposed to social media conferences, but I don't think they are all that different.

    Last one – having a range of hotel options close to the conference site, if at all possible.

    Thanks! :)

  • http://www.simplyzesty.com Lauren Fisher

    Good post – at Simply Zesty we've started putting on conferences (we call them camps) and we've done two this year.

    We started them for the same reason – we wanted to take the things that we loved about the good conferences and bring them all together. We like to inject a bit of originality as well – at our Winter Camp last week, which looked forward to the future of social media, we had an avatar stand. This was just a simple screen where a professional photographer took clean shots that people could use for their avatar.

    I think conferences should constantly evolve, expand on the good bits and get rid of whatever doesn't work.

  • http://jasonkeath.com jakrose

    The avatar shots is a great idea. Have done that at a few events. And
    you are right on with constantly evolving. Always working to improve
    is never a bad thing.

    jak

    Tickets on sale for Social Fresh Nashville Jan 11 http://sofreshnash.eventbrite.com
    and Tampa Feb 8 http://sofreshtampa.eventbrite.com

    704-402-6696
    http://JasonKeath.com
    http://SocialFresh.com
    @jakrose

  • keithschoch

    I'm with you on that “life history” rant. I've sat in workshops where, twenty minutes in, the expert is still telling us about his awesomeness. Content first! As that rolls, I'll begin to care more about you, although the content itself, and your delivery of it, will tell me all that I probably care to know.