--- title: "Tuesday Buzz: What CDs and Conferences Have in Common" id: "28331" type: "post" slug: "tuesday-buzz-what-cds-and-conferences-have-in-common" published_at: "2015-05-05T18:33:21+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T13:56:42+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/05/05/tuesday-buzz-what-cds-and-conferences-have-in-common/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/05/05/tuesday-buzz-what-cds-and-conferences-have-in-common.md" excerpt: "Don't sell your attendees warmed-over conference ideas in a world where everything fits neatly into a playlist. Here's why. Also: Before you can rely on word-of-mouth marketing, you need a base." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "conferences" - "Live Events" - "meeting strategy" - "Meetings" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Tuesday Buzz: What CDs and Conferences Have in Common Is the old conference dying out like the CD? Maybe that’s a bold statement, but in an age [where streaming music outsells discs (opens in a new tab)](http://www.techhive.com/article/2899697/it-took-until-2014-surprisingly-but-music-streaming-services-have-finally-outsold-cds.html) , perhaps it’s a good question to ask. That’s the mindset Adrian Segar, author of *Conferences That Work*, has to offer. In his most recent blog post, Segar suggests the problem may be that, like hot singles in an age of albums with no coherent flow, [individual sessions may be worth more than full conferences (opens in a new tab)](http://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/event-design/2015/05/why-traditional-conferences-are-dying-like-music-albums/) to some people. “Traditional meetings are also collections of disembodied sessions. But they have not changed in the same way,” Segar explains. “With rare exceptions, we still buy a conference album: a rigid set of predetermined sessions and speakers. Yes, you can skip a session you don’t like, but you still have to pay for the whole thing. Attendees are interested in, at most, the content of less than half the sessions offered, and often the worthwhile percentage is much lower.” Segar’s thought process here suggests, however, that the solution is not to split up sessions into tiny pieces but to create interactive experiences that are focused on participation. “Peer conferences offer anyone the opportunity to create events that truly meet participants’ wants and needs,” Segar says. “The good news is that they still need all the logistical support of traditional meetings, together with a few new requirements: competent facilitation, different room sets, and new marketing approaches. So there are still just as many opportunities for meeting business; only *the rules have changed*.” Maybe that’s not a problem if your conference is [the event equivalent of Taylor Swift](http://associationsnow.com/2014/07/albums-future-taylor-swift-riaa-see-eye-eye/) . But odds are that you probably need to do some rethinking to ensure that you’re creating a truly engaging experience. ### Build Your Base First > 3 Tactics to Drive Your Association’s Word of Mouth Strategy – [http://t.co/6vfuBfk98H (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/6vfuBfk98H) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#smassn (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/smassn?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — MemberClicks (@MemberClicks) [May 5, 2015 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/MemberClicks/status/595619098094116864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **The secret to word-of-mouth marketing** is that you have to actually build the network that drives the word of mouth. And that requires you to build trust with your readers and users alike. [Over on MemberClicks’ blog (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.memberclicks.com/3-tactics-to-build-up-your-associations-word-of-mouth-strategy) , Callie Walker explains exactly what that means. “Word of mouth marketing only works when people trust your organization,” she writes. “If you want to become a topic worthy of conversation, you must build a relationship with your members and maintain integrity in everything that you do. That includes posting on social media, sending out emails, managing your website, etc.” So are you building those relationships or letting them crumble? *(ht @[MemberClicks (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/MemberClicks/) )* ### Other Links of Note **Trying to develop the best possible email campaign?** Be sure to [check out these tips from The Next Web (opens in a new tab)](http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2015/05/05/the-6-rules-for-creating-killer-email-campaigns/) . **Had any event fails lately?** They probably weren’t as bad as [these lowlights featured on the Event Manager Blog (opens in a new tab)](http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/events-dont-go-as-planned) . **Google+ may not be able to beat Facebook,** but can it beat Pinterest? That appears to be [the gamble the network is taking (opens in a new tab)](http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2483694,00.asp) with its new Collections feature. (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#conferences](https://associationsnow.com/tag/conferences/) [#Live Events](https://associationsnow.com/tag/live-events/) [#meeting strategy](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meeting-strategy/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoAshley Cobb Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/ashley-cobb-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoJenny Teeson, CHSE Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/jenny-teeson-chse-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoLakisha Woods, CAE Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/lakisha-woods-cae-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoKevin Hesser Shares His Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/kevin-hesser-shares-his-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2015%2F05%2F05%2Ftuesday-buzz-what-cds-and-conferences-have-in-common%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !