TSEA Turns F2F Events Upside Down At RDC

 Albert Einstein once said, “If we continue doing the same thing over and over, it is unrealistic to expect any different outcome.” Margit Weisgal took Al's advice in planning TSEA's Red Diamond Congress 2011.

Soft blue light radiated from walls protruding perpendicularly from the perimeter of the room. The space was laid out in non-traditional diagonal angles. Conversation centers were sprinkled throughout and arranged with plush, comfortable couches, inviting all who entered to sit down, relax, and talk. Gone was the classic theater style seating in front of the main stage for RDC’s general sessions – replaced instead with bistro type tables nestled with three or four chairs that created more of a coffee house feel and atmosphere.

Red Diamond Congress (RDC) was promoted as a new concept in face-to-face meetings, and TSEA set the tone visually from the moment I arrived.

Mike Hatch reminds everyone of the A, B, Cs of success

RDC was all about breaking the mold of past TSEA events like TS², and doing things differently. Not for the sake of just being different, but for the purpose of enabling dialogue between ALL attendees – exhibit and event managers, speakers and educators, and the product and service providers (RDC sponsors) in our industry – and changing the ways we think, the ways we do things, and the results we all get out of our marketing efforts. The chief architects of RDC’s dynamic new event, education, and interactive format were Robert (Bob) Hughes of The Hughes Group in Columbia, Maryland, and Margit Weisgal, President and CEO of TSEA.  

Bob HughesBob Hughes explained that, “We wanted to create a TSEA event that put the attendee at the center of the experience. We envisioned TSEA as enabling the connection between the exhibit and event managers, the sponsors, and speakers. And breaking all the stogy old stereotypes for room set-up, lighting, staging, meeting rooms and breakout sessions was critical for creating the right atmosphere to encourage and facilitate these connections. But that was just the start."

Bob also recommended that RDC be established as a “No Powerpoint Zone” for speakers and presenters. Bob explained “By doing so, I wanted to make sure the faculty used more modern and interactive teaching methods that engaged attendees in vibrant and solution-focused dialogue.  The old one-way ‘talking head’ type of presentations, just aren’t effective. Adults learn better through interactive learning experiences, and I wanted to facilitate this kind of experience at RDC.”  

While the Hughes Group was the architect of the new RDC format and physical environment, Margit architected the education strategy, speaker selection, and presentation guidelines.

Margit WeisgalMargit told me that, “Our education format allowed us to create an environment where there was shared learning between all participants and removed the pressure of sales from the equation. And because of the unique teaching environment, we individually selected all of our speakers and presenters versus using traditional call-for-papers methods. This allowed us to create several unique education dynamics for RDC, including:  

• Professors from some of the best business schools in the US to deliver new content and  facilitate many of RDC’s education sessions.
• A fresh group of MBA-class speakers and presenters to teach in RDC’s interactive teaching and coaching mode.
• Dynamically created mini-learning communities on-site among all participants removed the reservations in the attendee's mind about talking with sponsors.
• Unique dynamics with the vendor/sponsors to encourage them to send senior management or subject matter experts who could conduct exploratory conversations with the attendees to uncover their needs, and jointly create solutions.

Another important component that helped create the “community learning” experience and engaged all participants and attendees before, during, and after RDC was the matchmaking, appointment scheduling, and mobile application suite that Zerista from Denver, Colorado provided.

“There is always a wealth of information and expertise that permeates every TSEA event,” Margit explained. “And I wanted our exhibit and event managers to truly network with each other, our speakers and sponsors, and for everyone to learn from each other. I wanted them to plan out their RDC experience prior to getting to Orlando, and I wanted to give our sponsors the ability to help our attendees and stay connected with them for more than just the three days of our event.” 

Zerista delivered both a web and mobile application that allowed attendees access to the event pre- and post-conference. It put the entire program in the palm of every attendee, speaker, and sponsor while at the event, and eliminated the vast majority of printed materials needed by TSEA . The Zerista suite allowed attendees to schedule meetings with the speakers and solution providers/sponsors that they wanted to talk with. Over 75% of the attendees connected with each other using Zerista’s tools, including over 500 scheduled one-on-one meetings during the three-day event.

Success Achieved

One of the best examples of how the new RDC concept and strategies facilitated open dialogue and collaborative solutions was played out near the end of an open general session on “The Next Generation of Event Management.”  The dialogue and interaction between the speakers, attendees, and sponsors was so vibrant that one of the speakers sitting in the audience offered to use his next education session to continue the flow of ideas, solutions, and conversation.  When he asked for a show of hands of those interested in his offer, a third of those in attendance raised their hand and the session continued after the break, to rave reviews and everyone’s delight.  

The comment and question I heard from many attendees and sponsors at the end of this RDC: “That was great! When is the next one?”  The answer is RDC-Chicago next July. Don’t miss it!

Al Einstein, Bob Hughes, and Margit Weisgal have proven themselves to be among the world's top innovators.

About the Author
Michael J. Hatch is President of HATCH Marketing & Consulting, LLC (HMC);a business management, sales, and marketing consultant; a professional speaker, trainer and writer; a successful serial entrepreneur; and acknowledged trade show marketing expert. Before starting HMC, Mike was Partner at a2z, Inc. and served as Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing, helping the company to grow from a start-up to become the meeting industry’s leading event technology provider in several product categories.