[PODCAST] We talk to Mike Van Der Vijver about meeting-design

Meetings are an essential form of communication in the corporate environment. Just like websites or campaigns, events must be designed with a clear purpose, thinking logically and backwards from the end goal to the beginning – this is what meeting design is all about. This is why many organizers fall into the dreaded “default format”. Most meetings are agglomerations of content on the assumption that attendees are just “brains sitting in chairs”. So simply getting people to get up and sit somewhere else with other people can be revolutionary to the dynamics of the event and, more importantly, to the attendees’ journeys.

If there is one thing those of us in this industry know, it is that experiences create real change. Passing on facts and figures does not change people’s behavior; it is the experiences around that data that bring about transformation. That’s why the success of a meeting cannot be measured in concrete terms; you have to look for signs that participants have changed something even months later.

Fight against “cognitive waste”.

Having 500 smart people sitting in silence listening to one person talk for 45 minutes is a huge waste of potential and cognitive resources. Mike opens up the possibility of encouraging content networking. Instead of generic coffee breaks, events should include structured, small group conversations where attendees engage in purposeful dialogue. Just as activity management is necessary, it is also very important to know where to spend time. In an effectively designed environment, up to 75% of the time can be devoted to participants talking to each other, leaving only 25% for the expert, who adapts his or her intervention to what the attendees have already contributed.

The structural failure of the events industry

Another critical issue in the design of these events is the disconnect between logistics and content. Event organizers focus on production, while others are in charge of content (speakers), but a deep connection between the two worlds is missing. The figure of the “meeting designer” is crucial to bring these elements together and avoid damaging inertias, such as the use of 10-person round tables at gala dinners, which make good networking impossible.

The role of events in the rebuilding of trust

The podcast included a small plea for what we do, from a meeting-design perspective. In the face of the confusion, polarization and loss of trust generated by screens and social networks, physical meetings are essential and can be the antidote. Physically bringing people together, even with diametrically opposed opinions, for constructive and mediated dialogues is one of the most powerful tools for re-establishing human trust and cohesion in organizations and society.