Are Conferences Really Necessary?
I did not go to the SHRM conference in NOLA but it’s ad nauseam coverage by bloggers and tweeters got me thinking. Are these big national and state conferences really necessary anymore?
There are limitless webinars targeting every aspect of every topic one may need or want. Most of them are free or very affordable added to the fact that you can ‘attend’ with no travel or conference expense and no time out of the office make them the best bet for education right now. There are a plethora of podcasts, lunch-and-learns at local attorneys or consultant offices, one day seminars for a fraction of the total cost of a national or state conferences, monthly educational meetings of local associations, e-zines, e-newsletters, magazines, blogs, etc.  I can pinpoint what I need, buy what I can afford and attend when and where it’s convenient for me and my employer.  Alternatively, at a conference, I’d have to pick and choose from the topics/sessions they had to offer.  I don’t know about everyone else but I know I have just settled on sessions to attend something because I felt guilty going to the café and skipping.  I just don’t believe National or State conferences are as relevant as they once were.
What about the ‘green’ aspect of these events too? Sure they are all trying to be green and that is commendable but, come on, you have hundreds or thousands of people traveling, printing, drinking, eating, etc….the green expense is huge. Using webinars or even local one day events must be much more ecologically friendly.
Okay, so what do you miss if you don’t attend a big conference? Some would say the networking.  I think it’s awfully hard to get in meaningful networking with 15,000 people in attendance or even 7,000 as was at SHRM last week. The smaller venue is much better for mingling, mixing and developing relationships.  I am not a social butterfly either so I may be off base….but I think more people are like me than are not (don’t we all think that?).
What else do you miss? The vendors!  I have been a vendor at conferences and the majority of people that come by are there for the goodies or to get their card stamped or some other foolish ‘fun’ thing and not to have a meaningful conversation about our products or services. I don’t blame them. If they don’t need what we have to offer, why would they spend the time? I understand completely. As an attendee, yes, the swag was always fun to take home to the kids or the office. But I have to say that when I need a vendor I can research on the internet and find pretty much anything and everything in the world I could ever want….except for the personal relationships with them. That is a loss but is that worth the time and expense to justify a conference attendance? I think not.
It’s interesting that some of these techie-type bloggers/tweeters on the cutting edge of communications are really pushing this out-dated mode of information delivery. I’ve even seen some bloggers chastising others for not attending conferences and drawing the conclusion that if one didn’t attend the conference they weren’t staying abreast of their industry and not taking their personal development seriously. Huh?  That’s a leap.
In the interest of full disclosure, my partner, Barry Brown, speaks at national and state events regularly and we have been vendors as well. I’m not trying to shoot him/us or any other speaker/vendor in the foot. I just believe there are more economical and ecological means of staying abreast of trends in one’s industry than attending conferences.
I’m with you. I’ve attended state and national conferences as an attendee, volunteer or vendor for about 15 yrs.
I’ve stamped the backs of hands, punched holes in treasure maps, and collected business cards for drawing prizes. I’ve given out
iPods, cruise tickets, etc.
This is the first national conference I’ve missed in years. However with all the tweets, linkedin and facebook entries, I’m okay with it.
It’s good to hear from conference attendees.
I have a confession. I’m a conference and event professional that plans conferences, meetings and events for a living.
The question you raise is an important one and one that I think many veteran attendees like yourself and Angela are asking. I’m in the same boat myself if and when I choose to attend a conference. I’m typically not there for the content, most of which I can find online. I’m not there for the vendors, which having been in the industry for a while, I know most of them any way.
However, I do attend to network with all those people that I’ve made relationships with online. I actually think my online relationships drive me to attend a face-to-face event so I can meet, discuss and network with like-minded peers.
As a matter of fact, many of the technology conferences have a widget on their registration page so that a potential attendee can see if anyone else from their social network is registered. Those conference organizers have discovered that “people” are the motivating factor for others to attend.
Sounds like we are in the days of disruptive innovation for conferences and events.
It is a tough and good debate and as much as I understand the apparent wastefulness of conferences I agree with Jeff that ‘people’ are the motivating factor. Here is the link to a PCMA article which demonstrates the importance of f2f meetings. ‘Recognizing and motivating achievers’ – that’s a biggie! http://www.pcma.org/x9905.xml?thirdparty=%22http://www.meetingnews.com/mimegasite/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=10040290
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The link does not open (sorry about that) – here is the content of the article
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Obama Demonstrates Firsthand the Benefits of Business Travel, Meetings
October 21, 2009
President Barack Obama so far has visited more countries in his first year in office than any other U.S. president before him, McClatchy Newspapers recently reported, prompting the meetings industry to hold him up as an example, citing his busy travel schedule as proof of the power of business travel and face-to-face meetings.
“It is obvious by the president’s actions that he sees the importance of personally meeting with other leaders to advance the objectives and business of the U.S.,” Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) President and CEO David Gabri said in a statement released yesterday. “In other words, he and his team of specialists opted to personally meet, rather than teleconference, e-mail or simply call. Shouldn’t American businesses and organizations be following these same sound business practices? After all, that is how business works.”
According to the McClatchy Newspapers’ Washington Bureau, which published its report about Obama’s travels on Oct. 7, the president has visited 16 countries since taking office on Jan. 20, 2009, surpassing the 15 nations visited by Presidents George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford during their first years in office.
“Many of [Obama's] overseas trips have centered on international meetings, such as the G-20 economic summit,” author Steven Thomma wrote in his report. “Others have included Obama’s attempts to rebuild international support for the U.S.”
Continued Gabri, “The president’s actions visibly reinforce the importance and effectiveness of meeting together face-to-face to advance your agendas and objectives, to enhance important relationships, to recognize and motivate achievers, and to provide direction and leadership. It shows that ‘Meetings Really Do Mean Business’ and are critical to keeping businesses and organizations viable.”