Unquestioned traditional conference assumption #3: Supporting meaningful connections with other attendees is not the conference organizers’ job.

Are your conferences in the business of supporting meaningful connections between participants?

At peer conferences, on arrival, attendees immediately receive a printed face book (that’s face book: small f, two words) that includes photographs, names and contact data, and additional pertinent information about each participant.

They tell me that it’s rare to receive such a document at conferences. How sad that conference organizers don’t bother to provide this basic tool for learning about fellow attendees. (Perhaps it’s not too surprising, since no books on conference management mention providing an attendee face book.) The absence speaks volumes about the lack of support for participant interaction at traditional conferences.

Typically, conventional conferences solely provide opportunities to mingle at meals and social events. Attendees have to initiate learning who else is at the conference, seeking out interesting people, and introducing themselves to others. They must surmount these barriers before conversations and discussions can occur. Consequently, attendees who are new to a conference are disadvantaged compared to the old-timers who already know other participants, reinforcing the formation of cliques.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Actively supporting meaningful connections is an integral part of every peer conference. When the information, openings, and opportunities needed to meet like-minded attendees are provided, not only during session breaks but also as part of the formal conference structure, it becomes attendee-centered rather than session-centered, greatly increasing the intimacy and enjoyment of the event.