There’s more to a great tech event than blazing fast Wi-Fi, flashy A/V, or cutting-edge VR experiences. In fact, the biggest variables for great tech events don’t involve tech at all. Take it from these tech event veterans—if you want a tech event with some real byte, focus on these fundamentals.
Bryan Mattimore, cofounder of the Growth Engine Innovation Agency, facilitates interaction with idea-generation exercises. He recently planned an event for the California Institute of Technology that combined keynote speeches and workshops with teambuilding. “They went a long way in helping build community amongst a group of people that didn’t know each other before the event,” explains Mattimore.
Here’s how Mattimore got people talking: After listening to the keynote, the attendees engaged in a triggered brainwalk. Mattimore put up flip chart “ideation stations” around the room. Small teams of attendees brainstorm together, writing their action-oriented ideas based on the speech they just heard. Next, these teams rotate to their neighbors’ station and add to the ideas or create new concepts.
“We usually have teams rotate three or four times, generating new ideas at each step in the process. As a final step, teams rotate back to their original station and circle the ideas they like. “People are moving, making new connections, being creative, exercising their brains, and having fun.” – Bryan Mattimore, cofounder of the Growth Engine Innovation Agency