While
meeting professionals instinctively know that bringing people face-to-face
creates conversations and sparks innovation, one could argue the meetings
industry itself really hasn't evolved all that much since business events
became more popular.
Sure,
we've had innovations with technology, enabling better audiovisual
presentations, and even hybrid meetings. But have meeting professionals truly
been able to change the way meetings are conducted, beyond the traditional
lecture models and tradeshow formats we have known for the last 40-50 years?
The
organizers of the first PCMA
Canadian Innovation Conference (#PCMACIC13), held in Niagara Falls November 10-12, tried to explore that very issue. It
was my first time attending any PCMA event. Like many in attendance, I
wasn't really sure what form innovation would take at this particular
event.
What
I saw at this conference was a lot of what we have all seen in the past. Elegant
staging, beautifully decorated rooms, keynote speakers and breakout sessions.
What was different about this conference is that the organizers really wanted
to push the envelope about how we can innovate in our business. And for this they
must be commended.
I've always felt that the true test of a great conference is what stays with you long after the event has passed. Was this event truly innovative enough to make people think differently and behave differently?
At this conference, it was the keynote speakers that did it for me.
The
opening keynote speaker, Randy Cass, was probably not the favorite speaker of
the conference. Many people I spoke to, who aren't entrepreneurs, felt that he
wasn't speaking to them. One association said to me, “he didn't really
have anything to say that applies to me because I work for not-for-profit.” That was odd to me because Cass gave me one
of the best “nuggets” I could walk away with…
And
that was to be innovative, you have to take risks. You cannot be afraid of failure, because
failure itself can be a huge learning experience. He quoted Sir Richard Branson, founder of the
Virgin empire, as saying, “Screw it – just DO it!” (with apologies to
Nike). Unfortunately too many meeting
professionals are judged only by their latest gig. Few can afford to look at failures
as necessary and valuable outcomes to learn from.
 |
| Yours truly with PCMA CIC closing Keynote Speaker, Amanda Lindhout |
Similarly
the closing speaker gave me another precious “ah-ha” moment. There probably wasn’t a dry eye in the room
after Amanda Lindhout recounted her story of survival and compassion from her 15-month
ordeal as a captive of Somali insurgents. Standing behind a lectern with only a
hand-held microphone, she did not use any fancy visuals. Her words and remarkable poise were enough for
the audience to imagine all that they needed to understand her poignant message.
And
from this I understood the power of storytelling. Not to take anything away from the wonderful
work that my AV friends do in the business, but human beings sharing stories
can be more powerful than any production.
So
how could PCMA organizers kick it up a notch for next year’s conference in
Montreal? Here are a few ideas to start the conversation:
-
Allow people to discuss the issues that they care about in a non-structured
format. Have an unconference!
We have a few experts in this industry that could lead us through a discussion
like this such as Adrian Segar, Jeff Hurt or Chris Brogan, to name a few;
–
Enable people to experience peer-to-peer coaching. This involves having
individuals share with their problems are and having the group offer potential
ideas to remedy the situation. Sometimes the best solutions are not from so
called experts but rather our own peers!
-
Instead of traditional lecture formats, let’s have learning labs and hands-on
workshops where people can design an actual conference program, marketing
program, or other components of a conference.
–
Bring experts who are not from the meetings industry. I love professional
speakers (and clearly the above two keynotes are amongst the best from NSB),
but maybe we need to hear from adult learning experts, sociologists or brain
scientists so we can learn how face-to-face interaction truly leads to
innovation.
This
PCMA event helped open my eyes to the need for more innovation and story-telling
in the meetings industry. Congratulations to the host venue, the Niagara Falls Scotiabank Convention Centre, co-chairs Chuck Schouwerwou and Heidi Welker, and the entire Organizing Committee!
P.S. I look forward to lending a hand next year
for the conference which is planned for Montreal in late November.
