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#EventDesign

Adrian SegarASegar
2026-02-03

How do you crowdsource a conference program in real time? I explain, using the 2017 Haute Dokimazo in Austin, TX as an example.

conferencesthatwork.com/index.

Screenshot of participants listening to facilitator Adrian Segar at the Haute Dokimazo unconference, Austin, TX, in May 2017
Adrian SegarASegar
2026-02-03

Here are two ways to take a hard look at your conference evaluations. You may be surprised by what you find.

conferencesthatwork.com/index.

hard look at conference evaluations: an illustration of people looking at evaluation forms
Adrian SegarASegar
2026-02-02

Hack the peak-end rule to maximize conference impact by including many different kinds of short experiences in our events

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Hack the peak-end rule to maximize conference impact: photograph of a person, silhouetted against the sky, making a triumphant gesture at the top of a rocky hill
Adrian SegarASegar
2026-02-02

Whenever possible, avoid squaring the circle of a room set design. Here's what to do when you can't use circular seating layouts.

conferencesthatwork.com/index.

An overhead photograph of a group of people sitting in a large circle with Leonardo de Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" superimposed at the center.
Adrian SegarASegar
2026-02-01

An independent review of my conference design work, published as a case study in Chapter 25 of "The Routledge Handbook of Business Events".

conferencesthatwork.com/index.

Image of the front cover of The Routledge Handbook of Business Events. This book, published in 2023, includes a case study of Adrian Segar's work.
Adrian SegarASegar
2026-02-01

Don't waste valuable meeting time with lectures! Social production is the way to maximize learning that leads to significant, valuable, long-term change.

conferencesthatwork.com/index.

Don't waste valuable meeting time having experts presenting to "learners". A panel from a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon. Calvin is sitting at a school desk saying "THIS IS A BIG, FAT WASTE OF MY TIME!"
Adrian SegarASegar
2026-02-01

Here are four unquestioned assumptions that lay at the heart of a traditional conference format

conferencesthatwork.com/index.

Photograph of a man in a suit standing at a sales window. A sign on the wall beside him says "NO MISTAKES CAN BE RECTIFIED AFTER LEAVING THE WINDOW".
Adrian SegarASegar
2026-02-01

Too many events still use child-based pedagogical instead of adult-centered andragogical modalities. Concentrate on the latter.

conferencesthatwork.com/index.

pedagogy and andragogy: photograph of two men sitting on tiny chairs in a nursery school
Adrian SegarASegar
2026-02-01

Can meetings where no one says a word exhibit significantly different interpersonal dynamics? After my third silent meditation retreat, I say: Yes they can!

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The interpersonal dynamics of silent retreats: a photograph of a group of people silently meditating, sitting indoors, on the floor
Adrian SegarASegar
2026-01-31

Meeting planners try to minimize surprises. But incorporating planned surprises into our events can improve attendees' experience and learning. Here are three examples.

conferencesthatwork.com/index.

Adrian SegarASegar
2026-01-31

Low-tech and high-tech voting solutions abound. Here's when to use no- and low-tech techniques for participatory voting.

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Low-tech and high-tech voting: a photograph of low-tech RSQP voting using sticky notes on wall-mounted flipchart paper
Adrian SegarASegar
2026-01-30

Three tips for facilitating group discussions by using a fishbowl format to create an effective focused discussion with a group

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tips for facilitating group discussions. A photograph of a fishbowl discussion. People sit in a large circle, listening, around a smaller circle of five filled chairs where a discussion is taking place.
Adrian SegarASegar
2026-01-30

How can we build connection and engagement with the people with whom we work? By giving up control over the choices they're offered.

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build connection and engagement: photograph of a square yellow plastic sign clamped to a wire mesh fence. The pink sign says "CONTROLLED AREA" with a radioactivity symbol underneath.
Adrian SegarASegar
2026-01-30

Do you create events that tug at heartstrings? If so, you should feel proud. I know I do.

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events that tug at heartstrings: A photograph of a young girl with a pink flower in her hair
Adrian SegarASegar
2026-01-29

Here's how to create amazing panels, where everyone has the opportunity to be up on stage, rather than passively listening.

conferencesthatwork.com/index.

Create amazing panels: Cartoon showing three panelists on a stage, a man with a microphone, and an audience. The man is saying "This is for anyone on the panel—how can I be up there instead of down here?" .Bruce Eric Kaplan cartoon displayed under license from The Cartoon Bank
Adrian SegarASegar
2026-01-28

Why we should be calling traditional conferences "unconferences", reserving the word "conference" for participant-driven event designs.

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Adrian SegarASegar
2026-01-28

"Give and Get": An innovative breakout session you can use to make the most of internal organizational resources

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give and get: an illustration of two hands, one giving, the other receiving
Adrian SegarASegar
2026-01-28

What makes attending conferences worthwhile? Some of the most useful conferences are those designed to solve participants' problems.

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solving participants problems: Cynefin illustration by Edwin Stoop (User:Marillion!!62) - [1], CC BY-SA 4.0
Adrian SegarASegar
2026-01-27

Six reasons that make a strong business case for participant-driven and participation-rich meetings to replace traditional conference formats

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Slide titled "Six reasons to change our conferences" 1 — Sessions provide no connections around content 2 — Lectures are a terrible way to learn 3 — The rise of online 4 — Professionals learn predominantly socially, not in the classroom 5 — Today, everyone has expertise and experience to share 6 — Most pre-scheduled sessions don't address actual attendee wants and needs
Adrian SegarASegar
2026-01-27

We live in a container culture that fetishizes form over experience, the funeral over the dead. What if events centered on connection, learning, and human meaning instead?

conferencesthatwork.com/index.

A split image illustration. On the left, a lavish, ornate funeral in a cathedral with grand architecture, rich decor, and solemn mourners. On the right, a small, informal outdoor gathering with people sitting in a circle, sharing stories, laughing and crying together, with real emotion.

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