Meeting Design is fluid. Just when you are sure that you have the best possible session format for your content someone (and maybe that someone is you!) comes up with a new format. The other thing about Meeting Design is that it is much more commonly used than many event planners think. Most conferences and larger meetings use more than one different format, but just how many options are there?
Meeting Design Formats
Before we reveal 30 different types of sessions, why don’t you take a few minutes to write down all the different types of sessions you have seen being used at a conference? What do you think: will you get to 10? 15? or maybe even 20?
In the last couple of years during the various Meeting Design training workshops and the consultancy sessions we’ve asked our attendees to list all of the different types of formats they have used or seen being used at events. And without fail we very quickly fly to 20 different types of sessions! We normally add ten or more sessions to the crowd sourced list to complete a list like this:
Normally not too hard to get to 20 formats.
And with a bit of help you can get to 30 different formats!
Options A LOT of options
So in just thirty or so minutes any group of event planners (and actually any group of regular conference attendees) with a bit of support, will come up with a massive list of options for their content. The choices are out there. You can easily move away from the boring, regular formats and add much more creativity and invention to your programme. Now you have your list and a a crowd sourced one, you certainly have options. Why not drop one into your next meeting?
