Acronym

Two Idea Labs into this year's Great Ideas Conference, and there's already one phrase that I've heard in both of my sessions: "That's a great idea. I'm going to steal it." Sound familiar to any other attendees?

In my first session "15 Great Ideas to Re-Energize Your Meetings," facilitator Marsha Egan turned the table on attendees, telling them she wasn't going to stand up front and list off 15 things they could do to make their meetings remarkable. Instead, she was going to ask everyone to talk about what they think are the elements of a remarkable meeting and to discuss what made previous meetings they attended or hosted remarkable, so everyone could compile their his or her own list. I can't tell you how many times I heard, "Wow, that's one to copy," or "I have to try that" both at my table and across the room.

The same is true for my second Idea Lab, "Unlocking the Potential of Your E-Communications." During group activity time, my tablemates talked about what's working and what's challenging when it comes to sending their members emails and e-newsletters. Again I heard, "That's great. I'm going to have to try that when I get back."

Personally, as an editor, I can't tell you how many times I've been inspired by an article I've read or a layout I looked at and gone back and used that for something I was working on at Associations Now. So the next time you're stuck on a project or not sure how to solve the problem your facing, think back to what you learned from your colleagues here. They just may have the answer. After all, as the saying goes, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."