Some testimonials about Adrian Segar’s conferences, facilitation, designs, and writing provided by participants, clients, and fans over the last 13 years:
I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about The Solution Room! Thanks so much for speaking at NE/SAE’s Annual Meeting! If educators gave copies of [Mark Jeffries book “Creating the Perfect Event”] and Adrian Segar’s “Conferences that Work” to all of their students, the world of meetings and conferences would be a much better place. I truly felt like I was with my peers, who face the same problems that I face, or could face in the future. I was beginning to feel that I was shouting into a vacuum and this conference proved that I’m not alone. The mechanics of this conference pretty much guarantee that the topics covered will be of interest to a large spectrum of the attendees. This is THE most valuable conference I could imagine attending each year. This conference is the best professional development I attend (and have ever attended). I said it at the session and I’ll say it here. I would pay my own way to this conference (and next year it looks like I might be contributing a portion). Peer-led is a great method for practical learning. No agenda, no “axe to grind”, nothing to sell. This allows the conversation to steer toward useful information sharing. And, there were excellent folks leading these sessions. If it weren’t for the acceptance of well entrenched traditional conferences, I would think that peer conferences would be the only thing that people would consider attending—that is if they really cared about getting the most from the event. What I like about your approach is that you bring structure to the peer-conference format in a way that respects people, yet doesn’t allow so loose of a structure that the conference risks failure for most attendees. Your book answers a lot of questions I had about design – it saved me lots of time and energy trying to figure out some answers through trial and error. So thank you! The key was that our REAL issues were being discussed. I had a real management issue that I was trying to resolve in many ways, with no success until now. With over 100 years of management experience at my table, we came to a solution that seems very reasonable and worth trying. So congrats again for giving me a real value and contribution to my daily work. (Testimonial for Adrian’s “Solution Room” held at the MPI Chapter Business Summit, Dallas, September 28, 2012) Sat in on Adrian Segar’s course on participant driven events at Affordable Meetings this morning – Excellent course! Adrian-I saw your presentation at the Bavarian Inn for an MMPI meeting earlier this year. You were awesome! Your workshop was a breath of fresh air. I heard many good comments after your sessions and personally found especially your first session to be extremely helpful. The Solution Room was the perfect way to kick off our conference. We rearranged the meeting space for our sharing session so we were all in a big circle. Our conversation flowed much more smoothly than it would have in the traditional rounds setting. I saw Adrian facilitating today, he’s a wizard, amazing :-). Conferences That Work is one of the best books ever written on new generation of organising meetings and conferences. It is brilliant, very well organised and easy to read as well as being really enjoyable. This book, not only helped me during my studies, but also is helping me for my professional life to organise better events. I cannot wait to prove anyone who still would like to stick to traditional conferences that they need to adapt to the changes and innovate. I was particularly aware of your calm demeanor, your thoroughness and attention to every detail. The way you organized the spective to fit our needs was excellent. It was great to be able to experience your open approach in action…….to see its power……and the positive response of the participants. Thank you…….for all you gave to make the conference such a success. …signficant small steps are being mirrored in the event industry by the brilliant work of Eric and Mike (whose book is already in my pile), Adrian Segar, Harrison Owen, Juanita Brown, and many others. In general, Mr. Segar has so much information that I feel will help me, not just in event management, but also life. Anyone who is interested in Conference Events follow this man, @ASegar and read his books!! Awesome. Your book has helped make @TEDxCanberra what it is. Thanks for your time today—I was painfully aware I went over our agreed time, but will try to make it up to you on the follow up. I feel very energized, and am reworking elements of our program based on our conversation. You, sir, are magnificent. Thanks for your awesome skill and professionalism. Bar none, the best conference I’ve ever been to. I was tired of the big conference. I found what I needed here. The best conference I’ve ever attended. Adrian Segar’s Conferences that Work gives an excellent overview of the session – so there is no need to rehash here. But having been through [The Solution Room], I can say that it was one of the most effective networking events I’ve seen. Conferences That Work provides solid information on how to plan meetings that will engage groups and drive discussions that lead to innovation, solution, and high level peer networking. I have read more than my share of conference textbooks through obtaining a diploma in Event Management, teaching Event Management and seeking the perfect tools, and finishing a degree in Hospitality Management. Many are good, some even great. This is one of them. If you are a meeting host, a must read.