The life of an event: event day.
[second in a series of three.]
Because of my slightly OCD tendency for alliteration, I'd previously named this "during the event" portion of event planning and execution, the part that's traditionally considered "the event," the "peri-event" period.
"Peri" is a prefix which means "around-" or "surrounding" the actual event, which is precisely what an event organizer will be managing during the event itself.
However, that's perhaps not really accurate. Having set the stage for great content and conversations, there is not much to be actively done to promote these aspects. The organizer is therefore focused on orchestrating minute-by-minute, making sure that attendees and presenters are ready to get the most out of the presentations and their peers.
With a long lead-up to the conference and long follow-on after the conference, the organizer is faced with a time-limited moment for impact during the conference.
Participants are present, with a large number of potentially useful, enlightening contacts, but only a very limited amount of time with which to meet them. Without help and prior work to identify the right contacts, attendees may be spending their time suboptimally.
As I have written before on this blog, these interactions are not just a "nice-to-have" element of the experience, like a goodie bag or nice hors d'oeuvres. Interactions are central to the conference, the reason why participants participate, particularly in several conferences on the same topic every year. There is new material to be learned, absolutely. But connections can super-charge learning and doing like no amount of lecture material.
Peri-conference interactions are special because they are a very accelerated way to form a social bond. This occurs due to three factors. Participants are in liminal states, which describes the openness to new bonds that characterizes participants - they are there to see and be seen, to hand out and receive cards, to share light talk and light food. During a conference - unlike a bus ride - it's perfectly acceptable to talk to someone to whom you do not have a prior connection. A clear objective for forming connections predominates; it's a time for socializing, explicitly at times and implicitly for the entire event. Finally, the limited time available for meeting attendees creates scarcity and encourages interaction in the here and now.
Peri-conference work for the conference planner centers around these factors and focuses on how to maximize and leverage them for a memorable, useful event.
Liminal states: This is perhaps the most important work that a conference organizer can do in the peri-conference period. A key consideration for liminal states, following research from Victor Turner, is the creation and projection of new identities. Creating opportunities for participants to define themselves to the group - creating and spreading profiles, biographies, photos, etc. - can create an identity specific to the experience of this particular conference. Participants will feel attuned to the subject material and ready to meet others who share their interests.
Clear objective: This objective will mostly take care of itself - most repeat conference-goers understand conferences as a key networking opportunity. However, planners can further this objective by facilitating networking as the defining conference experience. Creating spaces for organic networking with comfortable couches, refreshments, etc. away from the presentations can help. So too can facilitating followup - sending contact and social media information for the group to every attendee after the conference, to ensure that participants can contact each other to continue conversations. The "holy grail" you might say, though, is to match attendees with similar experiences and goals to one another then ensure that they meet. This what true power-events like the World Economic Forum are all about, and technologies are slowly emerging to tackle this problem; nothing great has emerged as of yet, however.
Limited time: If I suggested that the "objective" would take care of itself, time limitations will truly make themselves felt without any of your assistance. Your role, however, is to mitigate the actual limitations without affecting the networking-focus such constraints put on networking. Make time for free-form conversation and networking the priority of your event; give it more than half the time, if you can, between meals, excursions/activities, and free time.
Two things are sure about peri-event work: it's crucial, and the moment will pass quickly. Make the most of the moment by planning your event to emphasize connections, make sure your logistics are airtight to avoid distractions, and let the conversations happen.