Consider the changing nature of communication: one-way, broadcast messaging (i.e. TV) has given way to multi-channel, simultaneous chatter among millions of people and brands (i.e. social media). As the industry slowly changes to adopt to this new communication model, its conferences have lagged. Shawn Pucknell wants to change that.
Pucknell and his cohorts at FITC–the tech-skewed events company behind North by Northeast Interactive [NXNEi]–launched what they say is a new kind of conference called Emerging Technology and Advertsising [ETA] in Toronto Friday. The goal: more two-way communication between subject matter experts and ticket holders.
ETA was limited to 100 attendees (plus a few lucky journalists and observers) who were either personally invited or successfully applied to sit in on the seven sessions over the course of the day. Whether invited or lucky enough to get past the application process, tickets cost $599.
“We wanted to engage the audience in a meaningful, intimate conversation, something that you can’t necessarily do in traditional event formats,” Pucknell said. Despite the integration of social tools like Twitter into most conferences, attendees are “usually locked into this format of one presenter on the stage for an hour–one-way ‘push’ communication.
“We’re trying to reinvent the event format.”
After each speaker’s presentation, attendees discuss the ideas they’ve just seen with those they’ve been seated with. The speakers themselves also sit with attendees, moving from table to table for each session.
An example: Faris Yakob, CIO at MDC Partners, elegantly illustrated media fragmentation and made the point that because there are now an infinite number of channels, media planning has become about asking the question “what part of infinity do you want to buy?”
His point was that, given infinite consumer choice, producing mere “content” is no longer enough. Brands must produce “awesome” content.
“The original meaning of the word ‘awesome’ is something that makes you stop and think or stare; it literally halts you in your tracks, makes you reflect and want to share it with somebody, ” Yakob said.
Tara Hauser-Pope, senior interactive marketing manager at Coca-Cola Canada, said she had never attended an event where so much emphasis was placed on intimate conversations.
“The format is really good,” she said. “We’ve got some really interesting speakers and time to digest and discuss them… There’s a lot of brain power in the room as well as on the stage,” which helped make presenters’ high-level thinking more practical.
Likewise, Frekerick Ranger, manager of digital and social media for Telus, said ETA stood out among the many professional development conferences he’s attended. “There are really great ideas here.”
Other speakers included :
• Derrick de Kerckhove, author and professor, past director of the McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology;
• Josh Harris, subject of We Live in Public documentary and founder of The Wired City project;
• David-Michael Davies, executive director of The Webby Awards and International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, and co-founder of Internet Week New York;
• Ariel Garten and Trevor Coleman of InteraXon, a Canadian company specializing in thought controlled computing;
• Evan Roth, artist and researcher; and
• Marco Tempest, techno-illusionist.
Pucknell said the speakers list was meant to include “thinkers” rather than pure-play marketing experts. “Part of the intent was to have a very cerebral event countered by discussions that bring it to a practical level.”
Does the conference model need a shake-up? Post your thoughts in our comment section.
