Seth Godin throws out a few wise zingers about the necessity of travel in "The new standard for meetings and conferences." Wise words to speakers, particularly:
I think the standard for a great meeting or a terrific conference has changed.
In other words, "I flew all the way here for this?" is going to be far more common than it used to be.
If you think a great conference is one where the presenters read a script while showing the audience bullet points, you're wrong. Or if you leave little time for attendees to engage with others, or worse, if you don't provide the levers to make it more likely that others will engage with each other, you're wrong as well.
Here's what someone expects if they come to see you on an in-person sales call: that you'll be prepared, focused, enthusiastic and willing to engage honestly about the next steps. If you can't do that, don't have the meeting.
Here's what a speaker owes an audience that travels to engage in person: more than they could get by just reading the transcript.
Thanks, Stella, whose blog is always worth the read.
