Kelly at Conventions - Redefined, 2024
Topics: Blog Overview, Blog Goals, Conference Rating Categories Explained, Blog Template, Bullet Point Notes Explanation, and Final Thoughts
Overview: I’d like to make more structured approach to this blog from here on out. I aim to make it a bit more engaging. This blog will host my notes from each event so I can share the information with others as I’m learning from industry experts. It’s also a good place for me to store notes & memories for myself!
Also, I’ll give my opinion on how the event was hosted as a whole. We’ll discuss the venue choice, food offerings, speaker content, networking opportunites, and likeliness to return. I’ll review what worked well and share any ideas for and small efforts that could lead to big improvements for the attendee.
My opinion will also chime in throughout when there are things that come up that relate to bigger theories I have. Mostly about business, finance, media, and macroeconomics. These I’ve defined as “Conference Confessions”. Patterns reinforcing theories.
Blog Goals: This blog’s purpose is a mix of interesting and useful for people with similar interest as myself. I want to inform and reflect/evaluable.
I want to provide insights from the events
These quick breaks/rants among my notes explain thoughts I don’t want to keep to myself in this context. These often relate, but are not limited, to: Macro/ Microeconomics, Business Plans & Management, Investing & Valuations, Current Events, World History and Sociology, Transportation and City Infrastructure, Education, Media, and Innovation.
I want to help review the logistics of conferences and events. From venue choices, speaker content, structure… helping others understand what works and what doesn’t in event planning and execution.
Conference Rating Categories Explained: Rated out of five. (5/5= fantastic, 1/5=needs some help)
Venue: How pleasant is the venue? Was it enjoyable and functional? Is it a nice place to be for the duration of this event? We’ll discuss these types of things to figure out what works well.
Food: How was the food experience? Did the food and drinks meet expectations for the event type and budget? Food and drinks are a good tool in event planning, too! They break up the experience and gives a change of pace. Something to look forward to. If this is done well, it can really enhance the experience (or a disappointment). We’ll talk about what worked and what stood out.
Speaker Content: Typically I’m not an expert in the topics. With that in mind, I like to note if these speeches kept my interest and taught me some new things. Did the speakers provide me with new knowledge and understanding? Did they present things in context enough times to start making more sense? Did I leave with better understanding?
Networking Opportunities: It’s a challenge to meet others when you don’t have much time. When time is limited, each interaction is a risk, an investment. There’s a lot of value in events prioritizing “networking” time and making networking accessible and approachable. Give others a chance to discuss their industry.
Likeliness to Return: Would I go back again? Would it be a valuable use of my time and money so soon? Would I recommend it to others? That depends. We can evaluate convention-by-convention to decide.
Bullet Point Notes from Conference :
Expect many bullet points in this section of my blog that may last for pages and pages. This part will be the longest, outlining all of the notes I learned from each event.
This is a place to share the notes and useful information I learned while listening to industry expert speakers at events. Both the speaker content (key takeaways and expertise) and the event experience as a whole (logistical elements like room layout or audio quality) which impact your ability to focus or engage fully.
To be honest, not all events have interesting speakers, or even many speakers at all.
Sometimes other things seem way more interesting.
Sometimes the audio is terrible
Sometime the room layout is so unideal, I just can’t stay focused.
The point is… this section may not always be lengthy with notes from speaker presentations.
You may also often find notes in this section on my reflections of the experience, logistics, and production of the event overall. Its features and qualities.
We can learn and find trends in what works well for events. And brainstorm on how to get more attendees to join.
Final Thoughts:
This blog should be a useful place to store useful information and feedback. It’s a way to organize and reflect on the experiences and knowledge gained from attending conventions. I’m excited and will really enjoy helping to promote things that impress me, while also offering constructive feedback. I am pretty picky and expect a lot from myself and others around me. I hope my feedback is helpful and useful for people wanting to attend conferences, host events, or learn more about niche updates from their interest-specific events I attend.
Until next time, I wish you the motivation and success to search for opportunities around your area. Search and explore: Who is out there giving talks? There are new things happening all of the time
Find relatable or interesting topics you like and check them out! Maybe even something hosted at a cool venue, if there’s no other reason to go. Let’s see what you can learn and discover not too far from home. 😊