Staff Blog: Are conferences a thing of the past?
“WITH so much information available to us at the press of a few buttons, or a few words to Siri, why would we spend time & money on attending conferences, meetings, seminars and the like? Why not just have conference calls and be done with it!
Even though technology is amazing, and great for keeping in touch with friends, family, and acquaintances all over the globe, there’s nothing quite like a handshake, a hug, a face to face conversation in person to seal that all important business deal.
Getting out of the office, and networking with peers, can not only invigorate but fire up the creative juices, inspire, and impact on confidence levels. The real kicker is leaving an event having learned something new, found the solution to a problem, or even sharing your knowledge or best working practises with your peers can leave you with that all over glow you only thought possible from a good body scrub.
I think we can all relate to that scenario of not wanting to attend a conference because your workload is ridiculous, and those 247 emails will still be waiting for you when you get back.
A continental breakfast and finger buffet just isn’t enough of a pull to get you to commit, but your boss thinks ‘a change of scenery is just what you need’. You attend, you moan about your workload to some person you’ve never met before, have a few laughs, learn some new stuff, and discover that although you hate to admit it the boss was right, you did need to get out of the office!
OK, I’m slightly biased, but I don’t think conferences are a thing of the past. It is still a really effective way of sharing information and discussing topics, in person.”
