How to Create a Shared Experience – Connecting at MPI WEC 19
Shared Event Experience
As event professionals, one of our favorite parts of the industry is attending conferences where we are inspired by presentations from world-class keynote speakers and our peers. One of the challenges we face once we’re back in the office is translating what we’ve experienced into valuable content to share or affect positive change. We’re confident you’ve felt the same way.
We are eagerly looking forward to Meeting Professional International’s (MPI) World Education Conference 2019 (WEC19) this June and took some time to prepare for how we can get the most out of the conference both personally and professionally. The answer was, as MPI suggests, to create a shared experience with our fellow attendees.
MPI completely revamped their conference last year, prioritizing engagement, interactivity, and innovation, which makes it one of the best conferences to attend for event planners. MPI has already announced some amazing presentations including Jade Simmons and Vinh Giang who we know how to put on a show! Event professionals, if you’re attending this year, prepare to connect with the people around you, and not just in a “can you pass the salt” kind of way.
In order to reap all the personal benefits of these amazing presentations as well as the professional benefits of experiencing them with our colleagues, we’ve got some tips for you to make the most of MPI WEC. Use these techniques to connect, share and learn from the presenters and your fellow attendees at MPI WEC 19!
Capture and Translate
The keynote speakers you will have the opportunity to hear from at MPI WEC 19 are some of the best and most esteemed voices in the event world, chosen specifically as experts from a pool of beyond qualified candidates who regularly inspire and engage international audiences of all sizes.
But, if you’re like us, you’ve come out of one of these sessions completely inspired but unable to communicate the finer points to your teammates the next day. How do you capture all the amazing tidbits and revelations you experienced during the presentation without spending the whole time huddled over your phone or notepad?
Use A Notetaking Template
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves; this post from Medium on conference note taking tips has a great diagram for quickly capturing the main ideas of a presentation. This particular template is called the Cornell Note Taking Method. If you see us scribbling away during one of the keynotes, it will look something like this!
Connect and Share
This isn’t rocket science or seating chart strategy; if you find something valuable, entertaining or thought provoking, there is a good chance your peers will benefit from it as well. One of the easiest ways to connect with other attendees (aka social networking 101) is to actively participate in the digital conversation happening at the conference.
In order to ensure your efforts have the greatest impact, we’d suggest a bit of homework before you hit the conference floor.
- Check out the conference agenda & follow the speakers that interest you (including the sessions you’re attending)
- Add @MPI and @MPITO on twitter, @meetingprofessionalsintl on Instagram and any other platforms you regularly use.
- Follow event AND industry hashtags, we suggest: #eventprofs, #keynotespeaker, #MPI #WEC19 #MPITO
Now, you are set up to be a part of the social conversation. You can connect & share the new ideas and perspectives that you encounter. By using the conference hashtags and finding the speakers social handles, you can begin a conversation about what resonated with you that will reach the eyes and ears of those around you.
#Sharefies
Everyone loves a good selfie and, while we encourage you to share your experiences (including cool backgrounds), why not supercharge what you’re sharing with more than an #OOTD?
We coined the term #sharefie to capture the idea that you should add your own layer of experience (reaction) to what you see, hear and learn at the conference. You can do this by:
- Adding your reactions to presentations or experiences “Love this idea from X, it really resonates with me because of Y”
- Sharing your excitement to learn more about a subject, “Can’t wait to get a better understanding of X which I use every day!”
- Giving feedback on your conference experience, “So glad I dragged myself out of bed this morning, X was worth the 3 coffees!”
Here’s a great example from our CEO:
Give and Take Notes
One way to create a valuable experience at MPI WEC 19 is to become a source of information yourself. With all the mainstage, concurrent, workshops and in-booth experiences – you won’t be able to see everything you want to, unless you can clone yourself. Until that technology becomes more widely available, we suggest using the same channels or even the conference app to share all you’re learning, and ask for insights on anything you missed (aka social networking 102).
Protip: Share notes and ask for notes from presentations you can’t make:
“Here @ WEC 19, didn’t make [speaker name/social handle]’s presentation, would love to hear what I missed! Let’s connect @ the reception tonight”
“For all my fellow attendees or those who couldn’t make it, Here’s a quick summary of X’s presentation, DM me if you want more, one of my favourite speeches of the conference!”
Are you attending MPI WEC 19? We’ll be there and would love to connect!
Let’s exchange notes, you can find us online @global_speakers (Twitter).
Don’t Miss: Marc & Craig Kielburger @ MPI WEC 19
Learn how the Marc & Craig Kielburger evolved a single WE Day event into an annual series of 19 filled stadiums across the U.S., Canada, UK and the Caribbean, where tickets aren’t sold, they’re earned. WE Day supports an international social enterprise committed to empowering young people. How did they do it? The brothers explain their vision and unique approach to global engagement and empowerment.
Session Title: From Event to Movement: The Power of WE (June 17th, 2019)
Want to learn more about how the Kielburgers have revolutionized youth engagement and social entrepreneurship? Get in touch to learn more about Marc & Craig’s insights on unconventional leadership – from taking big risks, to accountability, emotional intelligence and being shameless idealists.
