Why Meet?: How to Design and Run Purposeful Meetings, Workshops, and Conferences

Summary

Events are exhilarating! When the right combination of purpose, structure, and people come together, something magical happens. We love being part of those moments. But we have all been a part of events that lacked that magic, leaving us feeling drained and uninspired. Have you ever finished an event and asked yourself, “What was the point of that?” 

We truly believe that although every event comes with risk, there are repeatable systems and principles we can all use to plan and execute consistently great events. We are frequently told by participants that our event was the best event they have ever been part of. These compliments are a response to the time we took to carefully craft each aspect of the event from start to finish. Our events are designed to serve a clear purpose, to use an intentional structure to serve that purpose, and most importantly, to recognize that people are key to great events. Events are all about the people. 

Our event design process is simple, but it is not easy. Every event is hard work, every single time. Every event is unique and uniquely serves the purpose of that one meeting, workshop, or conference. We are frequently asked for the template for how to run a meeting, and always disappoint: there are no pre-set event templates, one size-fits-all programs, and cookie-cutter budgets. Although we certainly have a few go-to components to our events, they are always strategically crafted to fit the purpose of each particular event. We constantly change our techniques as we learn new approaches or experience new things. We aren’t handing you an event in a box. That’s because we think we have something better for you. We want to take you inside our design process, bring you into our thinking, pester you with our relentless questions, and help you craft an event that fits you and your goals.