Photo on Flickr by Lars Plougmann
Attending conferences is always a mixed bag. We LOVE the other attendees and the idea we get from each other. The sessions are usually decent. They keynotes can be a mixed bag, but hopefully they are spectacular.
What is missing? More of you.
And me. During the Enterprise 2.0 conference, my favorite part was talking to others about each others’ issues, concerns, questions. That is where I gained the most value. Monday night we had a Barcamp. It was deep and tactical and answered questions. The dialogue was excellent.
Yet when we go to conferences we sit in (usually) non-interactive sessions in what is termed as a ‘participant’ or rather a listener who might ask a question every now and then.
When more of the value comes from interaction, why don’t we do more of those? Why not dedicate a day to Barcamp style sessions? Get in deep and dirty.
Do that the last day and I guarantee people will stick around and not leave early. Not only that, but it will be the last thing they remember. Give them a BANG to go out on. It’s risky, but the rewards, I believe, are worth it.
