Are your conferences inspiring,
innovative and effective?

Once in a while a new idea surfaces that makes me wonder... "
Why didn't I think of that?"

George Gendron, editor of Inc. Magazine commenting on the Conference Navigator Guides.

Navigator Guides in Action

Who has used the Navigators?

What do people think about the Navigator Guides?

How to get started....

Sponsorship for the Navigator Guides

To make your conference more innovative!

Associations and corporations organise conferences for many reasons...

• Training & communication.
• Creating opportunities & solving problems.
• Networking, team building & inspiration.

Despite the sophistication of conference management, one aspect is overlooked – the participant’s use of ideas and information from the speakers. This prompted Ed Bernacki and Suzanne Merritt, the co-founder of the Polaroid Creativity Lab to create a new concept to replace the pad of paper that every conference gives participants with a fun yet serious 60-page idea journal designed to:

• Help people find more ideas and find better ideas.
• Prompt people to act on these ideas after the conference.
• Enhance the value and importance of a conference in the process.

The first 30 pages are interesting, colourful and useful. They help participants get more take-home value from the conference. It even includes tips for networking complete with a page for inserting business cards.

The second half of the Conference Navigator Guides provides ample room for participant’s notes. They are prompted to think about:

• Great ideas that they hear.
• Quotes from speakers or other participants.
• Questions that arise during the presentations.
• Ideas that they will ACT on!

Participants are reminded that finding great ideas is only the first step. They need to act on them to get the most from the conference!

Challenge your participants to be active - active listeners, note takers and networkers by using a Conference Navigator Guide!

Conference Navigator Guides in Action

The Conference Navigator Guides were launched in April 1998 at the Inc. Magazine Customer Service conference in San Francisco. Inc. recognised that everyone had access to the same information at conferences but some participants left its conferences with million-dollar ideas while others failed to create any opportunities.

The Result? At the first conference, Inc. found that 82% of participants used the Navigator with no prior awareness of the concept. Here are some of the 250 responses received when asked, what did you find most beneficial about the Conference Guide?

• Everything - great idea!
• Size and eat to keep notes together.
• Note pages - ideas on conference participation -
  who do you want to meet.
• Contact and idea space - great thing to imitate for other conferences.
• The size and blank sheets.
• Business card section and blank sheets
• Like the way the pages were organised.
• All notes in one place
• The notes area where it was convenient and compact
• Opportunity to keep all throughout in one place for future use.
• Better than just a note pad. My notes will be handy forever.
• I wrote all my action items in the book.
• Really appreciated the guide.  It really is a Great Idea.
• It was all great. More note pages please.
• The fact that its bound, rather than a pad.
• Contact and idea space - great thing to imitate for other conferences.
• The size and blank sheets.
• Business card section and blank sheets
• Like the way the pages were organised.

Who has benefited from the Conference Navigators?

These organisations have used the Conference Navigator Guides:

Inc. Magazine -  eight conferences in 1998 in the USA

Financial Planners Association Australia

Meetings Industry Association of Australia 

Australian Society of Association Executives

New Zealand Society of Association Executives

Global Business Women’s Summit

New Zealand Human Resource Institute

NZ Project Management Institute

Retail Merchants Association New Zealand

Gippsland Business Women’s Summit

SmartNet Knowledge Management Conference NZ

Australian Law Firm Marketing Association

Australia Greenleaf Servant Leadership Conference

What do people think about the Navigator Guides?

Here is a sample of the many comments that have been made about the Navigator.

George Gendron, Editor-in-chief, Inc. Magazine

I want to take a moment to let you know how excited I am about your conference navigator, Wow! that’s a great idea!. As you know, the word-of-mouth response from people who have seen and used it has been extraordinary. That is hardly surprising because of the superb execution. From my perspective everything about it is inspired, from the format and design to the overall organisation and page-by-page execution.

Once in a while a new idea surfaces that makes me wonder, Why didn’t I think of that? That’s precisely the effect you have head on me. In the past ten years, we’ve moved from a period where there were simply too few new original ideas about managing and leading our organisations to where there are too many.

As we’ve said in the magazine many times, this is the age of execution. From this perspective, the navigator is an idea whose time has come, helping people bridge the crucial gap between inspiration and execution. I have no doubt that will go on to become an extraordinary success.

Rebecca Morgan, Professional Speaker, USA 
Wow! This is a great idea! I spoke at the Inc. conference in San Francisco this week and we were all given this very cool, spiral-bound, steno sized conference notebook. It is like none other that I've seen before, very innovative, engaging, creative - kind of a steno pad on steroids.

It was focused on helping the conference participants get the most out of their time and money. I can't properly describe it - you'll have to see it. National Speakers Association member, Ed Bernacki, designed it.

Don Berry
Planning and Performance Measurement Customer Sales and Service Department

TransCanada Pipelines
In 1998 I attended the Inc. Magazine conference on Advanced Customer Service Strategies. At that conference they utilised a "User Guide" for conference participants to use to capture various components of the conference. This book recently resurfaced in my office, and I really started to appreciate the value of this tool both as a repository for notes but also from its perspective on how to become and stay mentally and physically focused on the conference material and ways to implement the material on the return to the workplace.

Beverly Main CEO, Human Resource Institute New Zealand
Many thanks for speaking at our conference. The audience loved your session and the feedback about the Conference Guides was excellent you’re obviously onto a winner and we’re keen to look at using them again. I’ve never received such unsolicited praise from HR people before. It was great to finally meet you also, that again for your support, time and ideas.

Frances Tweedy, Partner and Consultant,
human resource associates (nz)
Just to let you know that I really enjoyed using your Conference workbook. The Guide itself looked substantial - like it was worthwhile - and intriguing. Since the conference I have referred to the workbook - both the notes that I took and some key ideas from these which I have passed on to others. I have also read through all the information and think that the structure in turning an 'aha' into an action will be very helpful in the future.

John Albertson, CEO Retail Merchants Association of New Zealand
Just a brief note to than you for your contribution to our Major and Multi Store Conference. I am converted – I now have a book of useful headings and thought starters rather than a mile of paper that I wouldn’t look at again. We got some very good feedback on both your sessions and, of course, the guide. Thanks again.

How to get started....

People must become familiar with the Conference Navigator Guide concept quickly and start to use it right away. The process of using the Guides encourages people to look at their style of participation. People often recognise the limitations of their old style of conference participation very quickly.

The Conference Navigators work best in these situations:

• Conferences larger than 100 people that offer various workshops and presentations.
• Conferences designed for people to work with their ideas for their business or personal success.
• Conferences wanting to enhance their reputation for creativity and innovation.
• Conferences focusing on learning, sharing information, or creating new opportunities.

Sponsorship for the Navigator Guides
The Conference Navigator Guides offer a unique way to extend the benefits of sponsorship as people take the Guide back to work and use it again. You can provide this unique conference tool and create a new high-quality sponsorship vehicle.

Who has sponsored Conference Navigator Guides in the past?
Lucent Technologies, USA, Inc. Magazine, PeopleSoft, National Australia Bank, The Age, Australian Tourism Commission, AJ Park & Son Lawyers, New Zealand, Ansett New Zealand. Lawpoint.

Key benefits for sponsors: take home value!!!

1. The Guides have take-home value - extending the sponsorship past the traditional two-day event. People often take the Guides to the next conference they attend!
2. By linking participants to the website of sponsors, you enhance the potential for e-commerce and a greater involvement with the sponsor beyond the conference.
3. The Guide is a model of innovation. By associating with it, a sponsor enhances their reputation for innovation.

What can be sponsored or branded?

1. The sponsor or conference logo can go on the front cover.
2. The sponsor’s message with details can go on the back cover.
3. Extra pages can be created to be inserted into the beginning of the Guide.
4. A pocket page can be added for computer disks, brochures or other property.
5. Related workshops or presentations during the conference can be sponsored.

The Australian Tourism Commissioned included an extra page to promote its services to the meetings industry for the Meetings Industry Association of Australia conference in 1999. Some conferences even inset their conference program into the guide to greatly enhance the use of the Navigators.

There is an extra investment for customisation based on the volume, and the degree of development work and management involved.

To make your conference more innovative!

Call or e-mail your details now to info@wowgreatidea.com

Include your contact details and some specific information about your event:

1. Number of expected conference participants.
2. Nature and theme of the conference (eg association, public or corporate)
3. Date of your event.