The Human Side of Conference Season
An open letter to event organizers.
It’s “conference season” in the industry I work in; it seems like there is an event each week. Check out this excellent curated list from
. This is both exciting and exhausting; it’s great to connect with peers and learn about their work and priorities. For me, this is the best part about an event. The travel, the lack of sleep, the exhaustion from 12+ hour days … that’s the unglamorous part. It’s still very much worth it. On my most recent trip, each one of my four flights experienced delays; I missed two connecting flights due to weather and mechanicals. To top it off, my Airbnb completely flaked, and I booked a hotel late at night. Despite all that, the event I attended was absolutely fantastic!With a packed season of conferences and events on the horizon, I recently shared a few personal observations, quirks, and hopes for organizers—principles I believe could make events more rewarding for everyone. The response on LinkedIn was amazing, with several great comments adding even more wisdom worth sharing, so I thought I’d memorialize it in a blog post. Consider this an “open letter” for conference organizers. Let me qualify by saying that organizing conferences is tough work! It’s an industry unto itself! I have done it, and I can empathize with all the many challenges. (but I still stand by these principles). Here’s a summary of my original post and some of the best ideas from the community.
My initial core thoughts on conferences:
Prioritize Networking Time.
Panels and talks are great, but the true value of conferences is often in the hallway chats, coffee breaks, and shared laughter at happy hour. You cannot have too many opportunities for organic connection.Never Schedule on Weekends.
Let’s respect attendees’ time outside of work. Weekends are for recharging, exercising, spending time with loved ones, and taking a mental health break. Conferences are work—they shouldn’t eat into recovery time. Don’t make attendees sacrifice valuable personal time for your conference. Furthermore, don’t put them in the shitty position of being a “team player” and sacrificing their personal time for the company.Pick the Right Venues.
Give us light, give us space, give us comfortable seats! Natural lighting, open spaces, and fresh air matter. Nobody enjoys being stuck in a dim, windowless box all day.
Comments from peers that made the post even better:
“Panels need a theme and diverse views.”
Too many panels consist of agreeable folks rehashing safe ideas. Bring us differing viewpoints, real friction, and relevant debate. Let’s have panels that aren't just commercials for the companies represented on the panel. Attendees want real discussions! Use more Q&A or AMA time for panels, keynotes, or other sessions. Engage audiences and actually answer questions. Last, we need to ban “manels”.“Avoid having only sponsor speakers.”
It’s disheartening when an agenda is a thinly veiled sales pitch. Value comes from thought leadership, not marketing monologues.“Don’t start too early or run too long.”
Starting before 9 am or dragging late into the day/evening burns people out, especially those flying in from different time zones. Also, be strict about punctuality! Keep sessions on time and be stringent about cutting speakers off who go overtime.“Set high standards for presentations and slide decks.”
No one wants to sit through a presentation that is a sales pitch, nor do we want to listen to someone read their slides. Less is WAY more! Empower storytelling, where we almost forget about the tools but become inspired to tell and share our unique narratives. We work hard to capture data -- it deserves your story.
“Wayfinding can make or break an event.”
If people are getting lost in a venue for two straight days, the experience suffers. Clear signage and staff help everyone stay focused on content, not logistics.“Please, no pastries and bagels for breakfast.”
Delicious, yes—but a sugar crash isn’t how we want to start the day. Fuel us well if we’re expected to engage and think. Give us fruit, protein bars, and nutritious snacks, and while we are on this topic, invest in high-quality coffee, tea, and other beverages.“Sunday kickoffs are a no.”
Echoing point #2 above, Sunday starts are rough. Let’s reserve weekends for rest.
What’s next?
This topic clearly resonated with my peers; it’s great to see all these suggestions to improve the experience and make events more human-centered. If you have your own additions or are planning an event and want to exchange ideas, let me know.
