Is your conference “insanely cool”?
Your attendees might say it was a great learning experience, or excellent for networking, but would they say it’s “insanely cool”? I didn’t think so. I’ve been to some great conferences, but insanely cool? Nope. I’m not even sure what would be involved in an insanely cool conference, because for me some of what would push it over the top would be the unexpected, the surprise, the thing that I don’t know about yet, but it’s something that will rock my world.
Jeff at Principled Innovation recently asked what would make a conference insanely cool, and got a few interesting responses. He also came up with three principles of insanely cool conferences. I think his second principle, “violate the participant’s expectations,” comes closest to my main criteria, but all three are essential. I’d add “surprise and delight” to his list, along with the other nine of my 10 reasons to attend. What would you add?
P.S. On a semi-related note, you could have the most insanely cool conference ever conceived, but if you don’t market it as such, forget about it. Check out Jim Carroll’s thoughts on the subject.
P.P.S. While it may not give your event the IC factor (I’m getting tired of typing “insanely cool”), Seth has some good ideas on how to organize the room to give your participants the vibe you want them to get.
