Posts Tagged ‘Speaking’
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012
Let’s end this month with one more study, this time from the IMEX survey at their trade show last October. Yes, they had all the usual trends — do more with less, shorter meetings, going green. But this finding about associations and educational content got my attention.
According to attendee responses, associations are more firmly planted in the education business. Using content from the conferences before and after the event is pretty standard now. What’s new: the format is diversifying into interactive experiences and, yes, even — gasp — gaming!
I’ve preached for years that we experts need to “gamify” our content for corporate segments. Now it looks like we have a new group of customers coming up. My predictions: look for these formats to be underwritten by industry sponsors. This is a great way to be a guru to a community — you can go from being the expert in (fill in the blank) to being the creator of blah-blah game that is taking the industry by storm. See the difference?
Let’s put that on our resolution list. As for the IMEX study, click here to see the rest of the findings.
Tags: associations, events, experts, meetings, positioning, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, January 26th, 2012
Want to use public speaking to get more clients? Good news: you will have more opportunities this year, according to the latest study out by American Express Meetings and Events Global Meetings forecast.
Interesting news: companies are more focused on “value” (translation: cost cutting). Another bummer: attendance is expected to decline. Meetings will also be shorter.
Prediction: there will be a rush for low-cost speakers, using smaller groups as an excuse not to pay more. My advice: choose your opportunities wisely.
Other cool findings are in the report. Click here for the highlights from Meetings and Conventions magazine.
Tags: experts, meetings, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, January 19th, 2012
Like everything else, the structure of meetings and conferences is being overhauled. And that’s a good thing. In the good old days, structure stayed the same, then content was plugged in. What’s happening now and in the future: the structure will be designed around learning and experience. The buzzword you’ll hear more of: meeting architecture.
Yes, the economy is driving these shifts. But so is a belief we all need to be aware of: buyers believe that everything they need to know is online. Yep, our content isn’t ours anymore. It’s out there and anyone can take it. So the emphasis is now on interaction and learning. And we’re not talking about using Twitter and text to ask questions. Think: 30-minute presentations followed by 30-minute breaks.
This provocative article in Meetings and Conventions explores a variety of opinions. For those who speak at conferences and conventions, we need to be ready for any format.
Tags: experts, meetings, positioning, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012
Whew! The holidays were a blast and it’s time to get back to work. Predictions for this year are still coming in fast and furious. Here are a few of mine:
- The new “A” list speakers: traditional “I’ve been on the circuit for years” speakers are in for a wake-up call. Speakers with less experience are getting the big fees. Who are they? CEOs of cool companies. Public speaking is now the favorite way to get your ideas out there. As more CEOs write books, speaking is sure to follow. Their experience changing the world trumps delivery style. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride for many speakers.
- Those with the most followers win: want to be famous? Start on social media and rack up those followers. It used to popular authors who got the attention. Look for popular bloggers with big followings to be courted by publishers and media. And, yes, they’ll get on the speaking circuit, too.
- Meetings are not going away. Some say that virtual communities will replace conventions and conferences. Not so fast. As long as business is being conducted face-to-face, meetings are here for a while. My prediction: the movers and shakers will show up. The less interested or low-price folks will stay in the bleachers. Remember, meetings are not just about the information. Folks go to meet people.
That’s what I see out there. What are your predictions?
Tags: 2012, experts, speakers, Speaking, strategy, trends, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
The newest crop of speakers hitting the circuit come from the executive suite in Silicon Valley, according to this recent article in The Wall Street Journal. Speaker Bureaus are jumping into the fray quickly, including the celebrity agent powerhouse, Creative Artists Agency.
These folks are not only hitting the association conferences, but also sharing ideas in the corporate sector. Their fees are not cheap — easily running into the five figures. Combined with what I’m hearing out there, here’s what I took away from the article:
- Bad news: if you’ve done nothing but speak in the last ten years…be very afraid. The cool entrepreneur with a big success has become your biggest competitor for big-fee speaking. They are more visible with a more compelling story. And they are willing to speak for free in certain venues.
- Worse news: buyers are giving these folks a pass on compelling content. Call it the halo effect for speakers. If you are cool, you can read from the phone book and be inspiring. But don’t call them boring. Some of these execs are passionate and eloquent, too. Sigh…
- The best news: death of the $10,000 plus speaking engagements has been exaggerated. Buyers will pay good fees for speakers — but only for those they think are worth it.
Click here to read the article for yourself. Many thanks to Al McCree and SpeakerNet News for passing this along.
Tags: experts, positioning, speakers, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, December 8th, 2011
Less talk and more interaction is in store for many conferences, according to a recent study on meeting trends presented at IMEX America event in October. Bottom line: shorter keynotes (15 to 20 minutes) followed by opportunities for personal interaction. My theory: the emphasis on access to the experts themselves rather than riveting information is a response to content marketing and all that other free stuff on the Internet. My prediction: your personal brand will become even more important. Your story will be just as relevant as your message.
Something else to consider: speaker previews are on the horizon, as more attendees want to choose which session to join. Watch for more requests for video clips to post on conference websites. Why do you care? This means that folks have to fall in love with you before the speech, not during it.
So ask yourself (honestly): why would attendees want personal access to you? Platitudes have become obsolete here. Creators or developers behind big cool projects are getting the inside track now.
See for yourself — here’s the article outlining the findings.
Tags: experts, Marketing, meetings, positioning, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, November 17th, 2011
Last week, I ranted here about how buyers define thought leaders by their current work and how that work can be translated into a message the audience needs to hear. I’m not done. Here’s another example of this trend at work: Fast Company magazine’s Innovation Uncensored held on November 2nd in San Franciso.
First thing I noticed about the agenda: the topics. We experts have great content on this stuff, too. But look at who they chose instead. Folks on the front lines, speaking from experience. Here’s the playbook: get a bunch of cool people who do cool things and learn from them. Attendees not only get access to these folks, but also content connected to big results.
My take: our content is not enough. We need to connect our content to a cause that gets buzz. No worries, I’m on this. Stay tuned…
Tags: branding, consultants, experts, positioning, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, November 10th, 2011
Want to know what the most influential folks in healthcare are pondering? Check out Mayo Clinic’s Center for Innovation’s annual Transform Conference. Given the slate of speakers, I see this event as the health care version of TED. A great combo of innovators on the front lines, academia and those not even in the healthcare industry. My favorite part: they save five 5-minute slots (called iSpot) on the main stage for the public. (That’s us folks.)
Another similarity to TED: every speaker is doing “cool projects”, things that don’t involve a stage of audience. They were invited to speak or share their views on what’s next. My guess: they were chosen not only because of their backgrounds, but also because of their current work.
Why do you care? Two reasons: if you’re going to speak for free, these are the venues to do it. Anyone can apply for the iSpot slots. And second, this is how the marketplace defines thought leaders. Brand yourself accordingly.
Tags: branding, consultants, experts, Health, speakers, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, September 22nd, 2011
Another train leaving the station: apps for specific meetings. Conference planners are getting deluged with requests for these, so watch apps explode on the scene. Why do you care? This will be a game-changer for speakers on the convention circuit. Here’s what apps mean to us:
- Instant attendee feedback on your presentation. Planners hope for higher response rates and specificity in attendee comments.
- Instant buzz for your presentation. Apps will aggregate social networking tools, spreading the word fast on your presentation. This is a double-edged sword. Bring your “A” game and be prepared for quick responses.
- Longer lead times. Approval from Apple can take up to three weeks; current thinking is to create and launch the app at least three months in advance. Prediction: this will force speaker selection decisions to be made far in advance, as planners will use programming to promote the event. This is good news for those of us who customize our talks.
Our next best step: start strategizing now about how you are going to participate with apps — what info can you contribute and how you will immediately respond to the inquiries and buzz. Build a timeline and tactics to promote your presentation and add value via apps. Experts predict apps will be standard within a year or so. Don’t wait on this one…
Tags: branding, experts, Marketing, positioning, speakers, Speaking, strategy, technology, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, September 20th, 2011
There’s a debate going on via LinkedIn about how your “stories” differentiate us as speakers. Two schools of thought: (1) just be authentic and keep the story strong; and, (2) great stories create great experiences but you need something more. You can guess which camp I’m in.
Last month’s article in Association Conventions and Facilities about trends in speaker selections has a cautionary tale for many speakers still arguing about the branding value of their stories. The call out quote on page one from Susan Farrell, senior director of Education and Learning Services at SmithBucklin: ”People are no longer willing to travel halfway across the country just to hear stories. But they will travel to hear visionaries or economists, or people who can speak about the impact of legislation or reform on their businesses.”
Yes, I know this is one person’s opinion. Keep in mind that SmithBucklin is the largest association management firm in the world. Here’s the link to the article on page 16. Great reinforcement for what many of us see going on out there.
Tags: branding, experts, Marketing, positioning, speakers, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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