Simon on: ITCM - Conference content & curation

Conference organisers are missing a trick - when it comes to content, the curating of digital assets post-presentation offers a multitude of benefits.

If compelling content has been delivered, it's only common sense to utilise it (as we all know content of such a high calibre can be quite the rarity).

Don't let the age-old fear of giving everything away for nothing get in the way - Monty Python sure didn't.

Find out just what Monty Python did by reading the whole article featured on ITCM, by clicking here.

Simon on: M&IT - Big data, again

The predictions are in - 'big data is the one to watch in the meetings industry in 2015.'

*Sigh*

The term 'big data' is one that continues to wind me up as it is brandished by those who either don't understand it or choose to deliberately misuse it.

So what's the real definition?

Big data is an all-encompassing term for sets of data which are so large and complex that traditional processing methods are rendered inadequate.

To see big data put into perspective when it comes to meetings, read the whole article featured on M&IT, by clicking here.

Simon on: Distractions vs. Content

In our lives today we are constantly surrounded by distractions with the majority of them being digital. It’s begun to impact on everything else we do and, quite frankly, we need to learn how to disconnect.

At a conference, phones pinging or even just being available to Google something can easily claim our attention. We should really be focusing on what’s being said, but having our phones, tablets or laptops out can make it difficult.

Whether it’s instant messaging and email, or silly games and web pages, our digital devices have numerous ways to distract us with new methods coming at us all the time - but it’s not all our fault though.

Conference content needs to be gripping – probably more so than ever before – and that would make it easier to stay engaged. If someone gets bored by the session that they’re in then distractions will rule.

Delivering content that people can get excited about should enable organisers to have disconnected attendees. Yet it’s also important to help your attendees choose the right sessions so they don’t sit there wishing they’d gone to a different one and start looking for tweets from attendees of that session!

Originally published in Conference News