Acronym

Hi Lisa

Insanely cool implies celebrity sitings, hip product introductions,invitations to exclusive events and all things that trigger the jealousy factor, e.g., I was trapped in an elevator with Tiger Woods and he helped me with my swing.

Memorable meetings are those that provided a support group in a time of crisis; answered questions we weren't even asking; connected us with people who proved to be a lifeline.

I am writing this from an event that delivered on both dimensions and I am betting it will be legendary in the business.

Cheer
Ann O.

That's an interesting perspective, Ann--thank you very much for sharing it. The comments over at the Principled Innovation blog actually never mention celebrities at all; they all seem to be defining "insanely cool" the way you define "memorable."

But that definitely points to the importance of terminology! Maybe the associations I was asking about in my original post, which would balk at the term "insanely cool," would accept the exact same things under the term "memorable."

I'd love to hear more about the event you just attended. It sounds like the kind of experience that associations need to offer their members!

Lisa, thanks for sharing your thoughts on insanely cool conferences. I appreciate your post, and I wanted to share a new post I've just written on "three principles of insanely cool conferences," which can be found at http://tinyurl.com/4aq6a4

It is easy to make certain inferences about the meaning of a phrase like "insanely cool," as Ann does in her comment. My original post does not focus on celebrities, products or getting swing tips from Tiger in a broken-down elevator, although that last part certainly would be ridiculously cool too! :>)

You know what would be insanely cool?

A welcoming environment that supports community; interesting and engaging presenters; engaging and varied learning formats; an interesting space/environment that has some artistic element to engage our right brains; a thoughtful meeting design that is attentive to the details and flows appropriately; some element of surprise; and healthy, nutritious, tasty food.

In other words, all the stuff that should be the hallmark of ANY conference but is still far too infrequently encountered.

Cross-post from Principled Innovation blog:

Another dimension that is necessary for an "insaningly cool conference" for me would be mechanisms for social networking before, during and after the conference itself.

Conferences should leverage the interpersonal communications that can only take place with face-to-face meetings. So that means maximizing opportunities for rich conversations with individuals and small groups. There are many ways to listen to good speeches and some are even better than traveling to an expensive location. It's the Q&A that follows or follow-up discussion that does it for me.

I really liked the IntroNetworks tool that ASAE and the Center used for its Annual Meetings for a couple of years. I met several people in Boston, had some great conversations, and have maintained contact with some of them. This would not have been possible had I not filled out my profile and discovered others who shared similar interests. ASAE dropped IntroNetworks because only a relatively small percentage of attendees participated. Had more been done to promote and support this tool, it could have been an invaluable resource to enhance the meeting experience.

There are many conferences that have "cool" elements and DigitalNow still comes the closest to "insanely cool" but I am still waiting for a better way to connect people who show up (and perhaps those who don't). It needs to be simple, easy to use, and yet robust enough to be effective.

Hi Lisa,

I've had similar conversations with chapter leaders. The ones who get it tend to grow their organizations.

The other chapter leaders (who may be from the same national association as some very hip ones) have told me on too many occassions, they are "professionals" and do not want to be "hip" or fun.

When I pull my Dr. Phil and ask how it's working for them - I usually learn they are struggling wtih attendance and attracting volunteers.

My takeaway has been learning how to position what we might call a more hip experience into language the volunteer leaders can embrace - both from the stand point of not being scary and in a way that lets them save face for needing such a change.

Jeffrey: Great point, and an important one. In the original discussion on the PI blog, several people pointed out that they hadn't been to many conferences that they would classify as "insanely cool"--I think we can all strive to do better for our attendees.

Rick: Thanks so much for bringing that up! I especially like your point about facilitating connections after the conference ends. "Insanely cool" shouldn't stop when you get on the plane to go home ...

Cynthia: I really appreciate you sharing what you've heard from the chapter leaders you've worked with. The terminology we use can be such a make or break element in the success of any effort to change!