Conference Season - get the most out of your day
We are quickly heading into the main conference season where companies will be laying out their forthcoming strategy for the coming year as well as re-visiting the past year.
This generally means a number of speakers taking to the stage and going through their powerpoint presentation. Generally, the information is of high importance but how do you ensure the audience is still engaged?
One thing not to do is to run a barrage of back-to-back sessions where delegates are overloaded with information and it's all flowing in one direction - from the stage to the audience.
It's impossible to hold peoples attention and expect them to retain information without breaking up the session. We highly recommend building in a number of small 'activities' to get delegates to have a mental rest so that they can absorb information from subsequent sessions.
These can take a number of forms - from energising activities to interactive quizzes - anything will do as long as it takes the mind off powerpoint!
It's also a great opportunity for a larger teambuilding activity - all the company/department are all together so no additional time away from work will be lost as they are already out of the office! Picking the right activity will also allow participants an opportunity to meet people and give them all something to talk about later. Having that shared experience is a great way to break down barriers and encourage a flow of conversation that may not happen otherwise.
Our Countdown activity is a great example of how a team activity can generate some great shared memories. It combines both team and individual activities that are fun and effective.
Whatever you decide to do, always make sure that enough thought is given to the delegates and how to keep them as engaged as possible. Conferences can be a substantial investment - make sure you get the most out of it!
