Lora asked yesterday of online information competes with conferences. I think she implicitly asks if the day of people gathering at conferences has peaked, at least for now?
Here’s how I answered her question.
No, I don’t think it has peaked. Rather, I suspect that masses of people have too many conferences to attend while also making a living in part to pay for conferences to attend, except those who make money through conferences for others to attend. Conferences are a social event, a reason for a party, a time to visit someplace besides your office or shop. Have you noticed how many people strut around at conferences?
So, I suspect that sophisticated programmers, ISVs and technicians select and attend the fewest number of conferences they think might benefit them the most. Conference attendance is a cost center that business people try to convert to an investment. They look for those few conferences and meetings they can turn into a profit for themselves.
It’s expensive to attend conferences. Even conferences with no registration fee costs more in lost production time and out of pocket meal, travel, and lodging than small business people can recover from information or contacts gained at the meeting. Even by prorating attendance costs across the number of potential clients you collect, or other potential money makers, most small business people are hard pressed to make any conference attendance pay for itself.
So, what should a conference organizer do to gather more people in attendance? Pay cash to attendees for registering and staying through the last good-bye of the last speaker. Forget the give-away posters, candy, balloons, dolls, and drawings. Give a check or coupon useful for purchasing the sponsoring corporations’ products. Better yet, give a useful corporate product, such as a software program, memory stick, hard drive, etc. to everyone who attends.
Ten years ago, computer industry corporations generously gave away their products to resellers and other product opinion makers attending conferences and meetings. They followed the adage that you must advertise your weakness to compete successfully. They considered these give-aways a necessary advertising cost. It pumped up sales and drove positive opinions of products that were not necessarily the best or newest. I’m guessing that strategy will work today.
Lora also asked if too much information exists for masses of people to attend conferences, I add except as entertainment? Her question makes a good point. Yet, I think that too much information exists for people to understand [I]how[/I] to use it all. Isn’t that great!
So, conferences might give priority to demonstrating how to use products, vs. relying on introducing new sizzle. Yes, I’ve dozed off during some of these demonstrations. But that was because of my ignorance and impatience, not because of the product or the demonstrator. I’ve yet to attend a demonstration that I have not learned at least one useful thing.
Maybe Microsoft could sponsor conferences about how their products have contributed to increasing student performances in the United States, Asia, and elsewhere. I understand that corporations have moved successfully into schools where parents willingly buy a Tablet PC for each of their children, because they see increased learning rates follow.
Maybe Microsoft could sponsor conferences about using Tablet PCs in elementary schools, high schools, and higher education. As well as in hospitals, retirement centers, etc.
If any of this is so, then I’m guessing that people would attend conferences with speakers and demonstrations suggesting how more schools and health care facilities can initiate such programs.
I’m tempted to speculate that advanced technology has moved beyond the creative understanding and use by masses of people, but I won’t. That’s too easy.
I know too many talented, good people developing new uses for Tablet PCs and their descendents. They see the glass half full. They work hard to fill the glass more. I like their optimism at conferences. It’s refreshing and necessary to show others of us what else we may do with tools we think we understand and know how to use.
Good points, Dad.Actually, I hadn’t considered many of the points you outline. I was thinking of it more along the lines of competition. Now that people can get information so rapidly, how do conferences have to adjust to be valuable?
I agree that online information provides one form of competition. But, the personal, face-to-face contact with people at conferences, especially those who create information or tangible products enhances an educator’s confidence during instruction more than just reading the information or using the product. Most important at conferences is time for an educator to ask questions of someone who will support their curiosity. Maybe teachers’ curiosity is a key variable to consider further in planning conferences. I’m not sure how to address it more than already happens. Maybe make a conference setting more of an exploratorium for adults than a carnival. I’ll think about curiosity more. Curiosity is a major reason many teachers enter teaching. Bureaucratic requirements get in the way of teachers exploiting their curiosity. Maybe technology conferences can encourage teachers to use their curiosity more.