Inspiration Hub

If you hire speakers for corporate events, you know that choosing the right one for your audience is just the first step. As a 30-year veteran of the podium, working as a corporate put-on comedian, I’ve learned plenty of lessons about the what can go right and wrong on stage. Here is some of my favorite advice for ensuring that speakers have the best chance to succeed.

Speakers are at the heart of business events and fundraisers. A solid lineup can mean the difference between “wow” and “meh” for your attendees. After all, they come for a great experience, quality networking, and actionable advice — all things speakers contribute to.

If you’re planning a corporate meeting or special event for your company, your choice of professional keynote speaker to kick off the itinerary can be every bit as important as the venue, theme and timing for the occasion. While not every conference may call for the services of these individuals, who typically take the form of subject matter experts, thought leaders or bestselling authors, many promise to enhance team-building exercises, training programs and executive summits.

Speakers have an important role at conferences because they not only need to share learning, we need them to connect, interact and engage with attendees to make a strong impact. Traditional presentations and slide decks can cause attendees to switch off and we can do much better. There are many alternatives to speakers and there are also lots of ways to mix up the presentation style. Hack your keynote and support your speaker to enhance audience participation, with some of these ideas.  

“We founded The Op-Ed Project in part out of recognition that good ideas, best ideas, best content is very important and people who are creating things, whether it’s a conference or a media outlet or a company, need that best talent, best idea, best content,”  Orenstein said.  “And at the same time we want to make sure that we’re providing that best content from the full range of human voices.”

Music can have a positive impact on your events, in terms of participation, engagement and making your event memorable. Here are five free and low-cost ideas to incorporate music from Andy Sharpe, CEO of SongDivision.

Although I have good reasons to champion meeting designs where the participants get to choose what they want and need to discuss and learn rather than a program committee, there is invariably a place for some predetermined presentations at conferences. Unfortunately, most program committees use a flawed process to select session content.

Trade shows are significant investments, both in terms of budget and time. While client needs vary, what do you want your visitors to think, feel and – more importantly – do when proposing your booth design? At this stage of the process, it is important to ask the right questions, for putting your exhibit on the right track for success. What are the key characteristics of the product or service you want to showcase? Are you aiming at your attendees to perform a specific action or demonstrate a certain type of behavior after visiting your booth?

If you know anything at all about improvisation, it’s likely to be the phrase “Yes, and….” Those two words — shorthand for acknowledging an idea and then adding to it — are the cornerstone of improvisation, according to Bob Kulhan, founder and CEO of the consulting company Business Improv.

The way we engage and how we qualify event attendees is shifting because potential buyers are savvy and have more control of the buying cycle. They are well on their way through the buying journey before they even get contacted by sales or visit your booth space. A well-organized event can be a great opportunity for attendees to learn and connect while enjoying the process.

There’s no arguing that the adult learning environment has changed dramatically. With the answer to almost any question a quick Google search away, people don’t need to go to a meeting to learn—at least, not the traditional one-way information exchange model of meeting that is still the most-offered option. Today’s professionals need learning more than ever as they compete in an increasingly competency-based marketplace, and they’re learning on their own through gamified, infotainment-based, just-in-time experiences.

The Meetology Lab's Jonathan Bradshaw explores why behavioural science suggests that pausing once in a while can be very powerful when socially interacting.

If you’ve ever taken a college philosophy class, you’ve probably heard of Aristotle and his modes of persuasion. He believed that there are three key strategies, the modes of persuasion, that can provide any speaker the power to influence others to understand their personal perspective. Since we believe one of the biggest challenges with effective marketing is establishing a real connection with your audience, we thought that we could all take a brief lesson from Aristotle. Take a look at each technique to see how you can best persuade potential members to join your association.

Technology and the internet have made telecommuting a convenient choice for today’s businesses and workers. The incentives are clear: for employers, lowered office expense; for employees, flexible work location. Businesses that utilize virtual teams know personal connections are important for team engagement and productivity. Several tactics can help virtual groups create the needed human connection.

As the audience expectations shift, speakers incorporate energizing elements and conversational activities into their presentations. Our meeting designer Juraj Holub shared his thoughts on conversational presenting and the trends in the event design.

Objectively, events are proven to be a valuable marketing channel. Subjectively, they're magic. It's not just a matter of the face-to-face, offline experience (although that's very important). It's a matter of the lighting, the design, the presentations, the speakers, the connections made, the lessons learned, the activities and (lest we forget) the food. There's a lot to love about events. We asked 24 event marketers, speakers, designers, organizers and attendees why they love live events. Specifically, we asked them about that magic moment of success that happens at events—that experience that is truly the most rewarding and impactful.

A good introduction can get your audience excited about what they’re about to listen to. So if you’re ever in a position to introduce someone, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Everyone loses when speakers run long. It’s up to you to rein them in.

Here are some tactics you may use as a parent that you can also apply to your management style to inspire employees to step up and lead.

Announcing an event opens you up to all sorts of mishaps. Try these ideas to avoid something going terribly wrong at your event.

Speakers are the core of your meeting or conference. Carefully select a speaker to ensure they will engage participants and boost the quality of your event. Here are some tips to developing a positive, mutually beneficial relationship with your speakers.

In our recent brand experience study, one of the interesting findings was that Asia is by far an early adopter of technology for deeper personalization and immersion. When it comes to tapping into sensory interaction as a way to personalize brand experience, 42 percent of Asian marketers use these interactive technologies compared to 28 percent in North America and 13 percent in Western Europe. 

We all know that running a conference takes a lot of time, money, and energy. But running your conference so that you’ll get maximum engagement is a whole other level. So, what’s the trick? You need to remember to tailor your conference so it’s not a “one-size-fits-all” for your attendees!