Active participatory model is an innovative way to plan the conferences that centralizes on two main reasons to why people attend meetings: networking and learning. The gist is to build the most engaging experience for the attendees while accomplishing the major goal for the meeting. Personalization and the gist are the main trends in the meetings industry, but this can be accomplished by integrating technology or costly experiential activations that are chaotic, out of reach or just ineffective. Everyone wants to discuss engagement but nobody wants to discuss the tangible way to make it happen. Here are the most low tech and effective ways to create active participation in the conference venue in Miami.
- Begin from storytelling
Set the tone for the entire event by integrating an interactive welcome event that articulates the story in a unique way. The gist is to engage, connect and interact with people and the brand right from the moment they register. The gist should be focused on experiential design, emotions and introducing the purpose in an exceptional way. In other words, you can skip headlining the acts and décor and rather invest your efforts on an event that evokes team building and group engagement.
- Use a learning coach
Cancel your costly celeb speaker and invest in a Conference MC or Learning coach who has a knack for priming your participants with the best experience. The opening note of your MC must include themes of mindfulness and intention setting for the event. This will build the tone for the conference and help the guests to make the most of your planning. No matter if it is retaining new info, network better or getting inspiration, everyone will experience a shift in their mindset.
- Make use of peer to peer learning methods
The best way to lock in learning is to integrate small group discussions and peer to peer discussions. Your guests must be able to articulate new info and repeat it back in their own words. This comes in handy for their memory and long term retention as well. Another way is to encourage active learning by having your speaker ask questions and let the guests find the answer themselves before they present a solution. Planning team building activities, social events, and CSR programs that evoke learning are amazing alternatives to let people have fun and you accomplish your goals at the same time. Such a win win!
