Northstar

MAR-APR 2018 15 MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS • MCMAG-ASIA.COM 20. LEVERAGE MOBILE APPS FOR DISRUPTION. Mobile apps can be used to disrupt your meeting, as well. "It's fantastic to send a message out into the ether that you're going to check out X or Y tourist attraction nearby, and if anybody wants to join you, to meet at a certain place and time," says Blackmer. "I've had great interactions with a lot of random attendees at various events this way, and it denitely helps bolster the networking and attendee intercommunication." 21. TAKE CENTRE STAGE. Other ways to disrupt your meeting include putting the stage in the middle of the room, changing the set-up throughout the day, mixing hard chairs with soft chairs and even beanbags and large pillows. "No matter what set you use, make sure that your presentation can be both seen and heard by all participants," says Dr. Paul Radde, organisational development consultant of over 40 years and author of Seating Matters. 22. INCORPORATE THE UNUSUAL. Have participants change the seating set-up, from straight row theatre style to a rounded style in which every chair is facing the presentation, oers Radde. He also recommends challenging participants to sit in dierent seats after breaks instead of returning to their "home" chair. 23. PUT PLANTS IN THE AUDIENCE. And not the green kind. Think of Saturday Night Live, which uses cast members planted in the audience to take part in exchanges with the host that add an element of fun, confrontation, and entertainment to the monologue. Such a scenario easily translates to meetings and conferences. "An in-house event planner knows the personalities in the audience and who would be a good participant in a role play, responsive to a question, representative of a position, provider of archival history," says Radde. Presenters interacting with people well known to the group will add another element to the experience. 24. GREET FROM THE TOP. Dick and Emily Axelrod are co-founders of the Axelrod Group and co-authors of Let's Stop Meeting Like This: Tools to Save Time and Get More Done. Instead of just welcoming attendees to your conference, they suggest asking how this can be done thoughtfully. One company arranged for its senior leaders to greet participants at the door and to sta the registration table. 25. SPUR DISCUSSION. Instead of icebreakers, the Axelrods suggest asking, "How can we connect people to each other and the task?" Engage participants by asking: What brought you to this meeting? Why is the subject of this conference important to you? 26. SPUR SELF˜DISCOVERY. Instead of speaker after speaker, the two suggest asking, "How can participants discover the current state?" At an education conference, participants chatted about the most eective teacher they know and what made him or her eective. "Instead of listening to one speaker's answer, they discovered their own answers," say the Axelrods. "It's fantastic to send a message out into the ether that you're going to check out X or Y tourist attraction nearby, and if anybody wants to join you, to meet at a certain place and time." DAVID BLACKMER, DIRECTOR OF MEMBER EXPERIENCE, AAPC PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

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