Social Times - Latest Comments in The Collapse of the Conference Bubble

Re: The Collapse of the Conference Bubble

Brian — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:16:00 -0000

I agree with most of the comments. As social media continues to get pounded into our heads, more and more people think they are true professionals in the space. So, like you said, you get conferences popping up that maybe shouldn't. Or maybe people are just getting their info via other means and conferences are suffering? Look at E3... biggest event of its kind and it went through a huge collapse.

Brian
http://www.konnects.com

Re: The Collapse of the Conference Bubble

dbrowell — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:09:11 -0000

It doesn't help that 40% of the conference attendees think of themselves as potential speakers. :)

But it's also worth noting that companies are paying for fewer people to attend fewer conferences in general as the economy tanks.

-Dean

Re: The Collapse of the Conference Bubble

Martin Ringlein — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:40:00 -0000

I like that you polled your audience, I think, like speaking at a conference, hosting a conference is about knowing your audience. Position yourself accordingly, set expectations and success will come from that.

Re: The Collapse of the Conference Bubble

Nick O'Neill — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:49:18 -0000

That's a good question. At my conference I polled attendees after and their primary reason for attending was to network. That doesn't mean the content can be crap, it just means some conferences are about connecting and others are more about learning. I hope for ones with both.

Re: The Collapse of the Conference Bubble

Martin Ringlein — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:41:05 -0000

I think the conference collapse is only in relation to this "social media"; which is proving to be less and less of a sustainable business model for these "social media experts" ... An Event Apart in Chicago just sold out; in record time.

When you have events like InterAct2008 hosted and presented by individuals who don't yet understand the industry their conference appeals too; failure is imminent. When conferences are more about being social and networking and less about learning and education; is it even a conference anymore?