The document discusses how conferences can be designed to better facilitate human interactions and experiences. It notes that current conferences often fail to enable meaningful networking, inspiration, or learning due to factors like short breaks and lack of interactive activities. The document proposes that conferences should be viewed and designed as event experiences that foster interactions both during and outside of sessions. It provides examples of conferences that employ techniques like varied activities and spaces, participant roles, and extended timeframes to facilitate richer interactions and experiences for attendees. The overall message is that conferences need to be experience-designed to truly support networking, learning, and inspiration among participants.

1. Human Interactions at Conferences
Event Experience
Design
IxDA 12.03.2014
Claudia Brückner
#IxDABerlin

2. Event Experience Designer.
Event Concepts. Event Management.
Innovation Consultant. Design Thinking
Coach. D-School.
Claudia Brückner
@clastronautin
#IxDABerlin

3. Why are you going
to Conferences?

4. Learning. Inspiration. Networking.
Exchange. Experience the Topic.
Why are you going
to Conferences?

5. And what do you
get?

6. Photo: Rob Hyndman
this.

7. • power point marathons or product pitches
• same speaker & talk you know from TED
• no time to ask your questions
• „neutral“ space
• no time for networking (too short breaks)
• bad coffee…
And what do you get?

8. Why this gap?

9. the Internet

10. 21Century
Conference Participants
1. new role of the expert (speaker)
(no exclusive knowledge)
!
2. new role of the audience
(used to interact & collaborate/co-create)

11. Status quo Conferences

12. Status quo Conferences
most Conferences are as
interactive, inspiring &
collaborative as watching
TV

13. Status quo Conferences
most Conferences are as
interactive, inspiring &
collaborative as watching
TV
fail

14. Conferences
fail, because
they don't design
interactions.

15. Why Interaction ?
is based on (human) interaction
Learning. Inspiration. Networking.
Exchange. Experience the Topic.

16. Can we design human
Interactions ?

17. Can we design human
Interactions ?
no.

18. facilitate (human) interactions
at conferences
Can we design human
Interactions ?
no.

19. by designing Event Experiences
Can we design human
Interactions ?
no.
facilitate (human) interactions
at conferences

20. Designing event
experiences that facilitate
(human) interactions.
Event Experience
Design:

21. How to?
1 Participant Roles & Needs
2 Activity & Space
3 Time
…designing event experiences that
facilitate (human) interactions?

22. Attendee
Speaker
Sponsor
Host/
Organiser
Attendee
1 Participant Roles & Needs

23. • activities that facilitate interaction
between participants
2 Activity & Space
• space is not neutral (context &
environment)
• space that facilitates interaction between
participants
online & offline

24. • facilitating interaction not only during
the event, but as well pre- event and
post- event
3 Time
pre- post-event

25. pre- post-event
space
Networking & Exchange
Learning & Inspiration
activity
Event Experience Design

26. pre- post-event
space
Networking & Exchange
Learning & Inspiration
activity
now
Event Experience Design

27. pre- post-event
now
possible
space
activity
Networking & Exchange
Learning & Inspiration
Event Experience Design

28. Event Experience
Design
Cases & Examples

29. pre- post-event
Activity
& Space
online & offline
Event Experience Design

30. ACTIVITY
SXSW

31. ACTIVITY

32. ACTIVITY

33. pre- post-event
space
Networking & Exchange
Learning & Inspiration
activity
EVENT
EXPERIENCE
DESIGN
SXSW

34. PICNIC FESTIVAL
Source: Picnic Festival 2012
ACTIVITY

35. Source: Picnic Festival 2012
ACTIVITY

36. Source: Picnic Festival 2012
ACTIVITY

37. pre- post-event
space
Networking & Exchange
activity
EVENT
EXPERIENCE
DESIGN
Picnic Festival
Experience Topic

38. pre- post-event
Event Experience Design
Activity
& Space
online & offline

39. CoThinkTank
ACTIVITY
& SPACE
Photo: tackle Service Design

40. ACTIVITY
& SPACE
Photo: tackle Service Design

41. ACTIVITY
& SPACE
Photo: tackle Service Design

42. ACTIVITY
& SPACE
Photo: tackle Service Design

43. ACTIVITY
& SPACE
Sketch: tackle Service Design

44. pre- post-event
space
activity
EVENT
EXPERIENCE
DESIGN
coThinkTank
Networking & Exchange
Experience Topic

45. re:publica
Photo: Gregor Fischer | re:publica 2012
SPACE

46. Video: raumlabor berlin
SPACE
http://vimeo.com/46297574

47. Photo: Gregor Fischer | re:publica 2012
SPACE

48. Photo: Gregor Fischer | re:publica 2012
SPACE

49. Photo: Anna-Lena König
SPACE

50. pre- post-event
space
activity
EVENT
EXPERIENCE
DESIGN
re:publica
Networking & Exchange
Experience Topic

51. Photo: Gregor Fischer | Summit of newthinking 2012
Summit of newthinking
SPACE

52. Photo: Gregor Fischer | Summit of newthinking 2012
SPACE

53. Photo: Gregor Fischer | Summit of newthinking 2012
SPACE

54. Photo: Gregor Fischer | Summit of newthinking 2012
SPACE

55. Photo: Gregor Fischer | Summit of newthinking 2012
SPACE

56. Photo: Gregor Fischer | Summit of newthinking 2012
SPACE

57. pre- post-event
space
activity
EVENT
EXPERIENCE
DESIGN
Summit of newthinking
Networking & Exchange
Experience Topic

58. Photo: HPI d.confestival
d.confestival
ACTIVITY
& SPACE

59. Photo: HPI d.confestival
ACTIVITY
& SPACE

60. Video: HPI d.confestival
ACTIVITY
& SPACE
http://vimeo.com/55534400

61. pre- post-event
space
Networking & Exchange
activity
EVENT
EXPERIENCE
DESIGN
d.confestival
Learning & Inspiration

62. Photo: Service Design Berlin
Service Experience Camp
ACTIVITY
& SPACE

63. Photo: Service Design Berlin
ACTIVITY
& SPACE

64. Photo: Service Design Berlin
ACTIVITY
& SPACE

65. Photo: Service Design Berlin
ACTIVITY
& SPACE

66. pre- post-event
space
activity
EVENT
EXPERIENCE
DESIGN
Service Experience Camp
Networking & Exchange
Experience Topic

67. pre- post-event
Event Experience Design
Activity
& Space
online & offline

68. Photo: Martin Jordan | Global Service Jam Berlin 2013
Global Service Jam
ACTIVITY
& SPACE

69. Photo: Service Design Berlin
ACTIVITY
& SPACE

70. Photo: Martin Jordan | Global Service Jam Berlin 2013
ACTIVITY
& SPACE

71. ACTIVITY
& SPACE

72. pre- post-event
space
Networking & Exchange
activity
EVENT
EXPERIENCE
DESIGN
Global Service Jam
Learning & Inspiration

73. Photo: Dieter Engler | a2n Camp 2011
a2n Camp
ACTIVITY
& SPACE

74. Photo: Dieter Engler | a2n Camp 2011
ACTIVITY
& SPACE

75. Photo: Dieter Engler | a2n Camp 2011
ACTIVITY
& SPACE

76. Photo: Dieter Engler | a2n Camp 2011
ACTIVITY
& SPACE

77. Photo: Dieter Engler | a2n Camp 2011
ACTIVITY
& SPACE

78. Photo: Dieter Engler | a2n Camp 2011
ACTIVITY
& SPACE

79. pre- post-event
space
Networking & Exchange
Learning & Inspiration
activity
EVENT
EXPERIENCE
DESIGN
Experience Topic
a2n Camp

80. Event Experience Design
main take aways
• Interactions need to be facilitated
• new role for the Event Organiser:
Event Experience Designer
& Community Manager

81. thank you!
IxDA 12.03.2014
Claudia Brückner
#IxDABerlin
your questions!!