Social Media Roundup: The Science of Conference Layouts

Tired of the same old stage? Move things around to increase effectiveness. Your attendees will thank you.

Some ways to improve your meeting layouts, and more, in today’s Social Media Roundup:

What’s in a layout?

Is you room layout hurting the success of your meeting? #eventprofs  (opens in a new tab)
http://t.co/oL3jfrcYai  (opens in a new tab)

— Apella (@ApellaNY) March 15, 2013  (opens in a new tab)

If you’re in a conference and you can’t see the stage, how can you focus on what the speaker is saying? Every meeting and conference has its own qualities and priorities. When it comes to educational or media conferences for instance, your attendees may need a table for note-taking or for their mobile devices. Seating may be an issue depending on the size of your session. Mitra Sorrells, associate editor for BizBash, Jeff Hurt, executive vice president of Velvet Chainsaw Consulting, and Joan Eisenstodt, owner of Eisenstodt Associates, reveal some secrets for designing an effective space for your next conference  (opens in a new tab). “Most conferences are about efficiency of transfer of information. They are not about effectiveness of learning,” Hurt said. “So if it’s just about the information leaving the speaker’s mouth and hitting the attendees’ ears, do what you’ve always done. But if you want learning to occur, if you want improvement in attitude, behaviors, and skills, then you must change the way you do things.” (ht @ApellaNY  (opens in a new tab))

Face-To-Face

Can Social Media Be A Bridge To Real Meaningful Relationships? http://t.co/NneHXNVxvU  (opens in a new tab) #speaking  (opens in a new tab) #cmp  (opens in a new tab) #mpi  (opens in a new tab) #eventprofs  (opens in a new tab) #socialmedia  (opens in a new tab)

— allankarl (@allankarl) March 15, 2013  (opens in a new tab)

As videoconferencing and communication technologies improve, meeting others in your industry has become easier, but only in the virtual sphere. How much can you connect with others if you’ve never met them face-to-face? Speaker and entrepreneur Allan Karl thinks it can get pretty hard to rely on social media and other technologies for building relationships.  (opens in a new tab) “While I am a huge fan and user of technology and have embraced and followed social media trends and technology since 2001, I can’t help but think that in a business where professional speakers, trainers and coaches are hired to connect with people—to help them lead, think, sell, grow and be more inspired, motivated and productive—is moving further and further away from truly connecting,” Karl writes. (ht @allankarl  (opens in a new tab))

What cool things have you been sharing today? Let us know in the comments.

(Photodisc/Thinkstock)