When most companies plan an event, they’re focused on the ‘how?‘ rather than the ‘why?‘

So there are endless meetings about what brand of wine to serve, and whether the delegates should be arranged theatre style or classroom style. Where should the off-site dinner be?

These are all important questions, but few people actually give much thought to why they’re having the meeting in the first place. Exactly what results are your organisation expecting, other than a feel-good round of applause at the end?

Giving thought to the ‘why’ has profound effects on the style of your meeting. Is the standard ’speeches & lunch’ model of meeting the right way to reach your communication goals?

Here’s an article I wrote on the subject for the latest issue of MICE.net magazine. It uses one of those clever virtual magazine viewers, so go here, then go to page 18.

“There’s an invisible underworld of delegates in your audience hooked on Twitter: commenting on the presenter, the food, themselves, and their favorite character from Star Wars.”

I’m writing a monthly column now for MICE.net magazine. This month it’s about social media invading the world of conferences and presentations.

View the on-line version here. It’s one of those screen-magazine style viewers, so when you get there, ask it to go to page 82.