pre-determined

Aside from my first book, I haven’t written much about the effects of attendee status — attendees’ “relative rank in a hierarchy of prestige” — at events. It’s time to revisit this important topic because you can improve your meetings by making attendee status a real-time construct.

Traditional event attendee status is pre-determined

Traditional, broadcast-style events assign attendee status in advance. A person’s status is determined before the event by whether they’re speaking and the context. For example, keynoting is of higher status than leading a breakout session. The program committee bestows status on certain attendees. Their status is publicly proclaimed on the pre-conference program, giving attendees no say in the decision.

Status at traditional events follows a power-over model, rather than designs that support power-within and maximize power-with for participants.

Peer conference event attendee status is real-time

At peer conferences (and some traditional events), attendee status is dynamic, shifting from moment to moment. Here’s how pre-determined and real-time attendee status compare:
Notice that events designed to support flexible, real-time attendee status:

• Empower all attendees — not just a chosen few — to contribute and engage; and
  
• Support inclusive, active learning by providing a participatory environment.

Minimizing assumptions about attendee status at traditional events

With careful design, even traditional events can minimize assumptions about attendee status.