Isabel Van Waveren’s Post

One of my best post conference tips is this. It's called the Golden 24 Hour Rule. That's when you intentionally plan an extra day after any event or conference. To go back through your notes. Process what you learned. And prioritize what you will take action on. Most people don't do this. That why most conferences are a waste of time and money. If you're like me and have a bias for action. Without the Golden 24 hours, you've just been entertained. Nothing wrong with that. But Ruckus Makers play the game of exponential improvement. To do that you need to get to work. Read this post and more on my Typeshare Social Blog: https://lnkd.in/eS6KicpZ

What is your strategy in attending NAPA or any industry conference?  Here are some suggestions: Schedule appointments ahead of the conference - Identify who you want to see and schedule appointments onsite now! Don't just hope you'll run into each other among 2,600 attendees. Map out your personal agenda - Attend sessions that stretch your comfort zone, address emerging challenges or cutting-edge solutions. Visit Exhibit Hall to gather intelligence and build relationships. If attending with a colleague, divide and conquer.  Choose invitations thoughtfully - Most advisors at NAPA receive multiple social invitations from fund companies and other industry players. All likely offer good food, drink and fun. But which offer your best opportunity to nurture important long-term relationships? Spend your time there. Be ready with questions - Rather than just chat about the weather or March Madness, come prepared with a few meaningful questions to ask other advisors and industry players. Talk to advisors who have explored other paths. Take this opportunity to pick their brain! Make good notes real-time - Capture important learnings, ideas, names, phone numbers, open questions and agreed-upon next steps. Voice notes work well. Coming back to the office with inspiration and a lot of "to do's" means it was a successful conference.

My client, let’s call him Mr Jones, is the MD of the company he’s spent years building up. And he’s anxious. Really anxious. His company’s annual conference, TechForward, is only a month away. It is supposed to be a pivotal event, showcasing his company’s groundbreaking products to a global audience of investors, partners, and tech enthusiasts. But Mr Jones fears it might turn out to be a disaster. The previous year’s conference had been plagued by technical glitches, a lacklustre turnout, and underwhelming presentations. Determined to avoid a repeat, Mr Jones has invested heavily in cutting-edge technology, but the looming fear of failure kept him awake at night. The thing he really needs to invest in is an MC. I’m able to offer: • Experience and Professionalism • Thorough Preparation • Clear Communication Channels • Detailed Briefing Sessions • Contingency Planning • Real-Time Coordination Mr Jones soon realised that his initial anxiety had pushed him into investing a small sum, to ensure every detail was meticulously planned. The dedication and the hard work of his MC had transformed TechForward into a benchmark for industry conferences. Make sure your event is still being talked about for all the right reasons. Speak to me for industry insights and easy tips to make sure your conference is a success.

Here are the five most powerful ways to end your conference talk. ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ PSA: You can also mix and match these ingredients. Check out the infographic for some power combos. 1️⃣ "YOU CAN DO IT BETTER" → Tell the audience they can go even further than you have by standing on your shoulders. → At INBOUND, some of my absolute favorite clients, Daniel & Ari Murray, said, "Some of you will take this content and build businesses even bigger than we have." → There's incredible power in empowering people! 2️⃣ UNEXPECTED PERSONAL BENEFIT → Close with an unexpected non-work-related benefit from applying your talk. → Ekwy Chukwuji (another one of my favorite clients) shared how her AI assistant boosted web conversions on her e-commerce store, allowing her to enjoy time with her daughter on vacation. It was a beautiful & moving story. → Humanizing a technical topic is a great way to tie it all together. 3️⃣ "THIS CONTENT REALLY WORKS" → Share a case study about someone who applied your talk and succeeded. → Another one of my favorite people I've ever gotten to work with, Lashay Lewis, gave a talk with a four-step process on niching down a solo business. (Also, can all my clients be my favorite client??) → She closed with a story about how her friend, Tas, used the same process to build her own business... and Lashay got a standing ovation. This close works! 4️⃣ RAISE THE STAKES → Highlight the positives of action and ESPECIALLY the negatives of inaction. → Make the stakes life and death, mountain or valley, success or failure. → Give tangible examples of what can go right... or wrong. 5️⃣ "I SOLEMNLY SWEAR" → Challenge the audience to take a single action step. → Have them raise their hands & solemnly swear—repeating the words after you. → This can be cheesy, but you can also make it very fun and engaging. ________ BOTTOM LINE: Don’t throw together your close. Give it thought and intentionality. 90% of what people remember is how you start and how you finish. Don’t waste 45% of your talk! P.S. I love how Eva Rose Daniel says not to close with Q&A. That's such a smart insight! Ending with a Q&A is basically a way to bring all the energy DOWN... and then leave. If you’re going to do a Q&A, do it earlier. Make sure to end with a bang!

As i start to wind down the year's events and look back on all of the places i have presented, the people that i have reached, i can't help but ask myself these questions? How many people found the “Leaving a Safety Legacy” presentation useful, informative, or beneficial? How many of you heard things that you wrote down and will take back with you? How many of you will go back to your place of business and within the next two to three weeks forget a great deal of what we learned at these conferences? Ok, maybe not forget but more so lose focus or get distracted by the daily grind that’s waiting for us when we get back? That’s the problem with going to conferences...we learn so much and absorb so much useful information that we often don’t even know where to start. And from there we get distracted by everything that we missed being gone for a few days and often all of those amazing things that we just wrote down get lost on a note pad, buried under a thousand other things and you’re lucky if you even find it in six months…and then, you read your notes and wonder what the heck does that even mean???? “Don’t make me call your momma?" "Whose momma!?!” Well, I can’t speak for everyone that presented at these conferences, but I can speak for myself when I say…I’m here to help! Folks, what we talked about during my presentation is really no different than what you say to your team each and every day of the year, it’s just how we say it. I’ll use this example to prove my point. When we were kids our parents would give us all kinds of advice, and for the most part we were like “ok, mom, got it” or “ok dad, I understand”, but it would often just roll off our backs…but when the neighbor or family friend or uncle said the same thing, suddenly it made sense! Folks, I’m the neighbor, the family friend, the uncle…and sometimes it’s not what we say, but it’s how we say it… I mean we’re all playing the same song, I’m may be just at a slightly higher RPM than you! So, if you think that your team could use a charge to an existing program or might want to change up the record just a bit, please reach out or give me a call. Take care, stay safe, and continue to be legendary! Wylie #LeavingaSafetyLegacy #BeLegendary #SafetyEvent #Conference

All about conferences When planning an event, it’s easy to get caught up in the details, but what truly matters are the powerful moments that resonate with attendees long after the event is over. People may not recall every detail of a session, but they will remember the connections they made, how they felt, and the environment where they gained valuable insights. Unfortunately, many events miss the mark by not allowing space for these moments to sink in. I recall attending a conference where, after an inspiring keynote, I was flooded with ideas but had no time to reflect before being rushed into the next activity. By the end of the event, much of that inspiration was lost. As event professionals, it’s crucial to create moments that matter—spaces for reflection, time for meaningful interactions, and opportunities for genuine learning. Ask yourself: ⁉️ Where do you carve out time for reflection in your event schedule? ⁉️ What are the most powerful moments your attendees will take away? #EventPlanning #MeetingDesign #ExperienceJourney

A few weeks ago, I turned a speaker’s unexpected absence at a conference into success. Five minutes before start time, the speaker who was supposed to join the conference remotely was unaccounted for. They asked me to step in before my scheduled time while they tried to contact them, and I was more than happy to help. After I completed my session and with the other speaker still unavailable, they planned an extended break which would have deflated the morning. Instead, I offered a second session free of charge. Fortunately, I had a wealth of topics ready to share. This taught me two big things: 1. Always be ready to share your knowledge 2. I try to do everything I can to delight my client and be the easiest person to work with What started as an uncertain situation turned into one of my proudest moments. Interested if I am a fit for your upcoming event? Let's connect and chat about it. 

Unconference: Or, Where’s the Agenda? Ever felt trapped in a traditional conference with a rigid agenda and passive participation? Welcome to the world of unconferences, where the agenda is as flexible as your creativity! After attending several Unconferences (or Open Spaces) this year, I've realized that many people are still unfamiliar with this format. So, I’ve put together a quick overview to explain what an unconference is and why it’s worth trying. OK, but where’s the Agenda? Well, there isn't one—at least not until the day of the event! Each morning, attendees gather for a kickoff. After a few words from the organizers, it’s time for everyone to pitch their ideas. The Four Principles of Open Space Technology. These four principles are the philosophical backbone of any unconference. I love them for they are zen and accepting: 👉 Whoever comes is the right people The people who show up are the ones who are meant to be there. Their presence is all you need to make things happen. 👉 Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened Let go of expectations. What unfolds is exactly what was supposed to unfold. 👉 Whenever it starts is the right time Creativity doesn’t punch a time clock. The best ideas happen when they’re ready to happen. 👉 When it’s over, it’s over If a session reaches a natural conclusion early, that’s fine—move on and keep the momentum going. What do you think about this format for a conference? Would you pitch a session if you were at one? 👉 Curious to know more? Subscribe to my Substack and I'll share a full guide in a PDF with you!

Our first user’s conference (Part 22a of a series about fun projects) We had grown a bit, both in the number of Bay Bridge Decision Technologies employees and in the number of customers on board. A regular management topic was whether we should have a user’s conference. There were all sorts of solid reasons not to: it was expensive (and we still felt poor), it was a bit risky (Could the vibe turn negative? Would anybody show up?), it took a lot of time and effort, and the upsides were vague. But it was what the big guys do, so Dean Papadopoulos, John Soderlund, and I finally decided to give it a shot. After asking a few of our customers, Dean decided on Vegas, and we booked at the brand-new Red Rock Hotel away from the strip. There was a ton of coordinating, asking customers to do presentations, writing some ourselves, planning for fun evening events, and getting all the conference signage and brochures. We decided then that we would have a fun T-shirt made, which later became our thing. It was a lot of work for us. And by ‘us’ I meant Cheryl Cook and Jennifer Dziekan. They did most of the work but seemed to have a lot of fun doing it (although it was stressful). A funny thing happened. The last week before the conference, we were reasonably stressed, making sure everything was just so. Cheryl had boxed all of the agendas, signage, T-shirts, etc..  and had it shipped to arrive two days before the conference. We would meet her and Jen in Las Vegas the day before the conference and get everything together. Daniel Mahon and I flew to San Diego to pick up his father-in-law’s car to drive back to the East Coast after the conference. So we were driving to Las Vegas from California the evening before we were to meet Cheryl and Jen. Late that night, Cheryl called my cell. I am paraphrasing: “Ric, there has been a problem. The train that was carrying all of our stuff has derailed…” and then the phone cut out. No cell service in the desert. I remember three things. 1) My stress-dialing Cheryl over and over trying to get cell service, and 2) Dan laughing at me the whole time. He said, “It will all work out.” 3) Trains Derail? Who Knew? Dan was right. Lessons: ·        Know that things will go wrong. As a wise man told me, it will all work out. ·        Not a fan of Vegas for conference engagement (some very late-night poker made early-morning sessions difficult. Right Kelly Witherspoon and Duke Witte?). ·        You have to actively make it as positive as possible. Earlier, we had gone to another company’s user conference where the users actively turned on the company’s founder. He had promised enhancements were not yet started.  ·        Speaking of, if you promise something will be built, build it. In the next sessions, I’ll write more about these early user conferences. There was a lot for me to learn. #ContactCenterPlanning #WFM #WorkforceManagement #WorkforcePlanning #CallCenter #ContactCenter #RealNumbers

Are you ready to go to a conference and need to persuade your boss to spend the money on your development goal? We all know budgets are tight; each expenditure requires justification to make it worth investing in employees. Follow these steps to provide a rationale: 1. Identify your at-work challenges: Identify the most significant challenges your organization faces that relate to your position and align with the company's objectives. Ensure the relevance of the conference topics. 2. Draw Up a Conference Agenda: You can research the conference and explore the conference program, exhibits, and the key vendors/contacts that offer solutions to your needs. 3. Create a Proposal for Your Boss: Professional Development opportunities require effort, dedication, and self-advocacy. Attending conferences is a great way to keep up with the latest trends and best practices in your field. Hearing the success stories can avoid tackling issues without context. 4. Send a Formal Request to your Boss: Your boss may need a written request. Write an approval request letter; a casual mention of a conference in a meeting may not get your ticket. 5. Apply Lessons Learned into Action: Sharing the information you learned with your teammates is essential to sharing the experience. Develop a strategy for putting the knowledge learned into action, including any gross-margin improvements to your actions, and you will have more opportunities to attend more conferences! Have a great and productive week, my friends!