Why some conferences suck?

One Idea Monday #4

I just finished a great book called “The Art of Gathering”. There are many brilliant ideas that Priya Parker discusses but I would like to share with you one - vertical vs horizontal connections.

In a conference, vertical connections are those between the speakers on stage and the guests like the keynote speech, the Q&A, the panel discussion... Every conference has this kind of connection. Horizontal connections, on the other hand, are those binding guests to one another like the facilitated small group discussions, the structured networking session...

Priya says that most conferences are full of vertical connections but are always short on horizontal ones. The most successful conferences at fostering meaningful connections always focus on designing horizontal connections. They know that meaningful connections don’t just “happen” because everyone is in the same place. There’s no point in getting a group of diverse participants in a room and making them listen to a few guys monologuing on stage.

If you’re an event organizer who wishes to create a space for meaningful connections, remember that it’s not about their connection to you. It’s about their connection to each other that will allow them to take risks, build together, and be awesome.