While a theme can go a long way toward giving a meeting greater appeal and impact, it’s also important to not let things get too scripted or contrived.
“You have to approach a theme in the way you would perfume,” said Renee Radabaugh, president and managing director of Paragon Events, headquartered in Delray Beach, Fla. “You want to just sprinkle it throughout event. If it’s too heavy, people will turn away.”
When it comes to educational content, making it too structured and tethered to certain topics will defeat the purpose, she added.
“Spontaneous learning is important—you need to allow for unscripted brainstorming sessions and panel discussions with lots of time for audience interaction,” Radabaugh said. “People want to feel like they own their own environment and that it’s not just a lot of talking heads speaking to them.”
Carol Hamilton, senior associate of the Institute for Conservation Leadership, based in Takoma Park, Md., has also learned through the years to not go overboard with themes.
“When a planning group spends too much time working to bring a theme into the meeting, things can seem too forced,” she said. “Most people coming to conferences are thinking of if as a buffet where they can select from a variety of items. If the agenda is too focused, it can backfire.”
Hamilton’s preference is to mix up traditional speaker-driven content with “open space” pop-up sessions where attendees can put the topics forward that are important to them.
“It lets attendees bring their own experience and knowledge to the table, capturing those kinds of conversations that happen outside in the hall,” Hamilton said. “All you need is a room, a circle of chairs and a facilitator who can guide things along. You can start with a hot-topic question or let people submit their own. It’s about letting attendees drive the agenda.”
