Business meetings & conferences matter New thinking on ROI

Business meetings & conferences matter New thinking on ROI Ed Bernacki - The Idea Factory Seven Rules for Designing More innovative Conferences www.InnovativeConferences.com www.WowGreatIdea.com info@wowgreatidea.com

Do people think alike? Seeing cognitive diversity

Innovation PerspectiveNew Questions for business meetings • Why do we need to bring people together? • What do participants need to know to be more successful? • What’s possible when people and ideas come together? • How can we prompt people to find more ideas and act on them?

Traditional view of ROI ‘Chain of impact’ • 1 Learn • 2 Apply • 3 Change • 4 Impact

Traditional view of ROI • Learn • Apply • Change • Impact ➀ Reaction: measure the participant’s reaction and satisfaction with the program. • conference feedback • few events measure individual workshops and presentations. ➁ Learning: measure changes in knowledge, skills and attitudes. ➂ Application & implementation: measure the changes in ‘on the job behaviours’ and progress with action plans. ➃ Business impact: measure the financial impact on the business.

➀ Reaction: measure the participant’s reaction and satisfaction with the program. Conference feedback on the: • experience, • ambiance, • content and • Value Should not be negative 100% of events use some form for reaction feedback

➁ Learning: measure changes in knowledge, skills and attitudes using self assessments, checklists, role plays or group evaluations. • Did participants absorb the content for the event • Did professional events lead to strengthen of personal contacts? • About 10-20 % of events measure learning

➂ Application & implementation: measure the changes in ‘on the job behaviours’ and progress with action plans. • Did people act on their ideas? • Did people use new skills?

➃ Business impact: measure the financial impact on the business. • What is the result of people using their new skills • Results – sales, changes in quality, time issues, • Measurable business impact

1 2 ROI from logistics: Did the event provide good value? This reassures the client that the event is efficient. • Where do we invest to organize an event? • Including salary / time costs of participants. ROI from learning and innovation: Did the event work? This ensures that the event is effective in producing results for the organization. • What can you measure? • How can you increase the return?

Filling a 30-minute gap with ideas • What’s one idea to make this a better company to work for? • What’s one problem facing our business that we could solve quickly? • What’s your biggest challenge next year? • What’s the most important issue you will face next year? The problem …… My idea / solution …….. ……..

New Ideas – New Approaches: Supporting Innovation in Services & Supports to People with Intellectual Disability • How can we work together creatively? • How can we help people have their say? • How can we respond creatively to what we hear? • How do we promote best value? • How can we promote health and well-being? • How can technology assist? • How can managing risks create opportunities? • How can people get their money? Issue one: Why do we need to bring people together? We want to improve our services for the mentally handicapped in Ireland.

Define a specific challenge to focus each workshop – eight. • Open with Thought Provocateurs to define the challenge. • 2-3 short keynotes add new ideas and perspectives. • Time to define solutions. • A ‘scribe’ captures the discussion, insights and solutions.

PARALLEL WORKSHOP 4How do we promote best value • This session will consider how resources are deployed most effectively to achieve person-centered supports. • 2.00 pm - Thought Provocateurs • Mr. Seamus McNulty, Health Service Executive • 2.15 pm – 1. From Institutional to Community Settings. • 2.35 pm – 2. Are Value for Money and Common Sense Enough? • 2.55 pm – 3. Reaching Out: a flexible approach to services in the • community. • 3.15 pm – Coffee / Networking • 3.45 pm - Generating Solutions • 5.00 pm - Close

1 2 ROI from logistics: Did this design add to the costs of the event? ROI from learning • Ideas, insights • Contacts, actions ROI from ideas & innovation • Old – 2 of 8 workshops • New – 8 idea factories

Design Thinking for business meetings • Core motives or needs of an event • Conference design elements

Core motives or needs of business events How can the meeting help... • Develop and share ideas • Educate and inform • Launch new strategies • Network / socialise • Change attitudes and behaviours • Increase sales • Improve performance • Solve problems

Conference design elements • Collaborating on new product or service ideas • Problem-solving to focus on the key challenges of the organization or industry • Team building to focus on team effectiveness • Work skills training for creative thinking • Improved organizational and individual performance

Human Resource Institute New Zealand Working Through Values Social Values Corporate Values Personal Values Developing Values

Working Through ValuesWhy Values? Why Now? Fully developed theme and objectives

HR meeting: Values Why Values, Why Now? “We received a record number of applications from experts in their field who wanted to speak out about their experiences and lessons they’d learned when working with (and sometimes without) clearly defined and aligned values. We’ve never attracted this much interest before around a conference theme, nor this much controversy.” • Give speakers written objectives before they submit proposals. • Judge speakers on their contribution to the objectives of the event.

ROI from ideas & innovation • Collaborate to create ideas: • Solve a challenge: ideasand recommendations, • Improved organization performance • Increased productivity – time, effectiveness • Increased sales – • Awareness and insight – ‘what’s on the horizon?’ 1 ROI from logistics Did this design add to the costs of the event? 3 2 ROI from learning • Ideas, insights • New skills and knowledge • Contacts, actions • Personal development –

“In the past 10 years we’ve moved from a period where there were simply too few new and original ideas about managing and leading our organizations, to where there are too many. • As we’ve said in Inc. Magazine many times before, this is the age of execution. • From this perspective, the Conference Navigator is an idea whose time has come… …helping people bridge the crucial gap between inspiration and execution.”

“…helping people bridge the crucial gap between inspiration and execution.” www.InnovativeConferences.com

Business meetings & conferences matter New thinking on ROI