Quit with the Keynote Commercials

I recently attended an influential industry conference where I joined a few hundred others crammed into a toasty ballroom to listen to a series of keynotes presented by a cadre of luminaries for the purpose of gleaning insight to the state of the industry including emerging megatrends and their broad impacts. However, one of the executives whose company has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to “peer around the corner” used the opportunity and platform not to educate but, rather, for a commercial. How disappointing.

Unfortunately, this happens all too frequently at events large and small and in-between. And the bad behavior typically goes unchecked by conference organizers because they’re beholden to top sponsors who in-turn are bestowed the keynotes and promoted to draw attendees.

I suppose the organizations that write the big checks figure they can do whatever they want with the time allotted for their keynote. And with a captive audience, it must be tempting to drive the marketing message.

Although there is no “Thou shalt not shill” rule for keynotes, I believe there’s a tacit and understood obligation for keynote presenters to provide value to not only the conference organizer but, more importantly, to the audience who paid to attend and turned up to listen. As I wrote a few years ago in the article Beware of Noise Masquerading as Thought Leadership:

Don't Shill. Remember, your role is to educate and spark ideas. Assuming your content aligns with what you / your company does, buyers will view you as a trusted resource, and consider your products / services.

Now, not all keynotes are commercials. Mobile World Congress 2017 served up an all-star lineup for the “Next Element” keynotes which featured Mats Granryd (GSMA), Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete Lopez (Telefonica), Masayoshi Son (SoftBank), Chang-Gyu Hwang (KT) and Sunil Bharti Mittal (Bharti). The executives checked all the boxes – state of the industry, big ideas, societal impact – and did it commercial-free. (Read my trip report here)

So, what should attendees do when a keynote becomes a commercial? Well, a lot of attendees are looking at their phones and probably not paying attention anyway to the stage. But for me, I get up and leave. Which is what I did at the recent event. And it freed me up jump into my busy schedule a bit earlier.

Of course, I doubt the conference organizers even noticed me or others who bailed. But I do recall a conference I attended a couple lifetimes ago where the keynote turned political, and attendees left in droves. That, I bet, registered with the event organizers.

When I coach executives on presenting, I advise them that they get to give a 30-second commercial, and the rest of the time is about thought leadership. Because by providing value, they’ll reap greater rewards from attendees than any impact a commercial has.

What’s your opinion on keynote commercials?

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