Meeting sound tracks?
Ann Oliveri now has posted twice about creating a distinctive soundtrack for your meeting as a way to engage people in a multisensory way. I like the idea of creating your own song and using it as people filter into general sessions, etc., rather than a playlist of popular songs (that you’d have to pay royalties on, as one Acronym commenter noted). Something distinctive that would brand your conference as much as the logo, maybe.
Then again, conferences often are kind of aural overload already, at least for me. Between the background noise of hundreds or thousands of people chatting, to (usually way too loud) musical acts and keynote speakers, to the general city noise–hey, I’m a country girl and all those sirens and horns beeping make me edgy–I don’t know if adding more tunes would give me a positive vibe or not.
Then again (again), I loved the musical spoofs ASAE did last year, and Jason Alexander’s opening number at PCMA could become an anthem for meeting planners everywhere. So, I guess mark me down as ambivalent. I know the one time I brought in tunes to set the mood for our regular editorial meeting, it went over like a lead balloon, but maybe they just didn’t groove to Krosfyah the way I do.
January 25th, 2008 at 9:39 am
You’ve got to be careful with those entertaining background filler materials while people are gathering. I’m reminded of two conference experiences that remain firmly stuck in my mind.
As an attendee at one conference, I found myself entering the large presentation ballroom and taking a seat in the audience. Others filtered in and began sitting to either side. Suddenly I became aware that the jaunty music playing over the loudspeaker featured the chorus: “Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am stuck in the middle with you.” I’m still not sure if it was happenstance or a conscious statement by a cynical meeting organizer.
At another meeting I was working on the staff. The organizers had decided to roll old Warner Brothers cartoons on the big screen at the front of the room while people came in and got seated. We had a large European contingent with plenty of German attendees. I found myself sprinting for the back of the room and frantically trying to slap the projector off when I realized the cartoon on display was a WWII-era propaganda piece that had caricatures of an evil cartoon Hitler goose stepping back and forth.
Vet your materials carefully!
January 25th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Ken, your first example made me laugh, the second gasp in astonishment. Oh yeah, put a lot of thought into this area!
January 25th, 2008 at 10:03 am
I too laughed at Ken’s first example. And when I read your post, Sue, for some reason I kept hearing the “Rocky” theme in my head!
We disallow silence at meetings - believing that music will fill in the blanks and create comfort or create noise that allows participants to more openly talk. On one hand, I like the idea - a themed conference .. and on the other .. I like classical or other gentle music used so that we CAN talk above it. With hotels doing scents and if music is to be the next sensory experience, I fear I’ll stay away. Too much. — Joan
January 25th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Kens first example is now stuck in my head just from reading this morning (makes for lots of chuckles in the office)..Thanks…… In my experience we have used song tracks blasting as the attendees file in ( typically with sales type conferences) that were to promote high energy and wake them up- interesting that so many programs don’t have the high energy opener to follow, so it ends up really just promoting noise. I lean toward soft and subtle for most clients.
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