I’m back in the West Des Moines Marriott. We’re down here for our grandson’s first birthday (yes, he’s adorable, thank you).
Just like last time, I’m getting a little contemplative about the idea of meeting with people. Last time I was here, it was a Shriner’s group. This time, it’s the Iowa Association of County Medical Examiners – a bunch of doctors who figure out how people died, I guess?
They’re in general session right now, but before they went in, they were networking over breakfast. You get the feeling that this might be the only time a year when they see each other. (There are 99 counties in Iowa – why they didn’t round off at an even hundred, I’ll never know.)
I’ve been to a number of events since I last time I was here. This week, I was at Storybook’s event in NYC. And last week, I ran a Customer Advisory Board meeting in Chicago. And there were a half-dozen others that I’m forgetting.
I’m still looking for the magic pixie dust. What causes a professional event to be revelatory for someone? I’m sure it has a lot to do with where a specific person is in their career trajectory, but I’m equally sure there are ideal event parameters that increase the odds it will really connect with someone and meet them at the exact right angle to make a difference.
Is it the size of event? The location? The tone? The expectations that were set? The actual content? The social vibe? The association with a larger entity? All of that?
Think back to seminal events in your career. What was it that made them that way? What was that magic?
I was talking with a friend about some of my disillusionment about the conference/event landscape. He said:
Human audience is a rare gift and opportunity.
He’s right. At this moment in history, especially, the ability to occupy the same physical space as someone else is more and more rare. How do we maximize that? How do we not waste that “rare gift.” How do we send people back to the airport with the feeling that they just experienced an inflection point in their careers?
Props to some of the great event managers I’ve worked with over the years. Lindsay Stuebe, CMP, Rachel McGrew, Annie Orzechowska, Samantha Terry, MSc, Morgan Butterfield, Karla Santi (not an event manager, but still managed a lot of events…). Hats off to you all. The world needs you now more than ever.
Signing off until my next trip to the Marriot in West Des Moines when I will no-doubt get overly pensive and reflective yet again.