Comments on: Do You Conference?

By: vered - blogger for hire

vered - blogger for hire — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 21:20:00 +0000

It must be incredibly exciting for you, to see that the concept you have based your career on is becoming more and more central to organizations.

By: Tess The Bold Life

Tess The Bold Life — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:56:55 +0000

Karl,
I do love conferences but for a while I was going to too many. I realized I needed to put what I learned into practice. I did and have 12 CDs of interviews with experts that I sell. The temptation for me is to not put into action what I learn and go to another conference instead

By: Megan "JoyGirl!" Bord

Megan "JoyGirl!" Bord — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:12:17 +0000

You know, I haven’t gone to any blogging conferences yet but very much want to. I’m always eager to learn new things, even if at first, they don’t resonate. Almost always the information I pick up hits me at a later date, and is something I can put to good use.

I was reading some comments about spirituality conferences. THAT would be good, too. I need to add those to my vision board, I think!

On the other hand, I did attend tons of conferences in the corporate world. You’re right – attitude is everything. I was getting paid to be away from my desk, mingling, and learning. Not a bad way to spend one, two, or sometimes five days at a time!

By: Sue

Sue — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 05:31:41 +0000

Hi Karl,

I haven’t been to any work related conferences for a couple of years, but I used to really enjoy going to some of the national and international symposiums/conferences hosted by various professional organizations. I always appreciated the opportunities to hone my presentation skills–sometimes in collaboration with a colleague–if I was presenting a paper, learn how other organizations deal with similar kinds of issues whether it be collecting data or submitting data, meet new people, and visit new places. Conferences are great for building camaraderie with others in the same field or professional organizations in the same region.

I usually tried to add on a couple of vacation days before or after the conference so I could spend some time exploring the locale–and I made a point of taking some breaks in between sessions to walk around and let all that information “digest” if I was getting to the point of information overload. Since I usually take my camera with me when I go traveling, I’ve also managed to get some visual mementos of these various conference trips.

The last conference I attended for my personal interest was the “Be the Change. The Great Turning Unconference” in my home town, in May of this year–and this is how I became interested in volunteering for the organization. The conference I would love to go to but that is a bit out of reach financially and logistically at the moment (and a bit ironic considering the topic) is the “Economics of Peace” conference, coming up mid-October in Sonoma, California. Oh well, some other year, perhaps!

Have a great week.

By: Jodi at Joy Discovered

Jodi at Joy Discovered — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 03:03:46 +0000

Hi Karl!
The last conference I attended was the I Can Do It! Conference in San Diego, which is put on by Hay House / Louise Hay. I got so much out of it. Every speaker inspired me in completely different ways, even those whom I didn’t expect to have much impact. Now I think I would want to attend this conference, or one very similar to it, every year! It’s like a spirituality check-up!

By: Laurie | Express Yourself to Success

Laurie | Express Yourself to Success — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:15:57 +0000

While speakers are often great, so are the attendees – the diverse knowledge of the participants in the event can be staggering. One of my favourite parts of conferences is the break-out sessions when groups get together and brain-storm ideas and then share them with the rest of the group.

By: Audra Krell

Audra Krell — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:58:44 +0000

Hi Karl,
As a freelance writer what I wouldn’t give for someone to pay to send me to a conference! I love them and always come away deeply inspired, because I deeply engage, no matter who the speaker. My last conference, was surprise, a writer’s conference. There was only one speaker that wasn’t very engaging, so I focused on his speaking abilities, hand gestures, organization of material, etc and came away a better woman for hearing him speak. There is always something to be happily learned!

By: Lance

Lance — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:54:19 +0000

Karl,
One of the things I think conferences give you are a chance to break from the everyday norms. And in doing that, it’s just what might spark some new ideas. And if nothing else, there’s the opportunity to meet all sorts of new people. The latest conference I attended was a social media for business conference. And this was so good to see the impact of the different social media platforms within a business setting. I do find conferences highly valuable!

By: J.D. Meier

J.D. Meier — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:12:14 +0000

It’s funny how whether something feels like a chore or an opportunity, really is just our mindset.

By: Karl Staib - The Work Happy Guy

Karl Staib - The Work Happy Guy — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 02:44:29 +0000

Hi Stacey, good conferences always leave me energized. I leave feeling like I can accomplish anything. The more money I make from Work Happy Now the more conferences I will attend.