by A conference is a meeting of people who “confer” about a topic. Conference types include:
Physical
- Academic conference, in science and academic, a formal event where researchers present results, workshops, and other activities.
- Athletic conference, a competitive grouping of teams, often geographical
- Authors’ conference, or writers’ conference, where writers gather to review their written works and suggest improvements
- Conference call, in telecommunications, a call with more than two participants at the same time
- Conference hall, room where conferences are held
- Convention (meeting), meeting of a, usually large, group of individuals and/or companies in a certain field
- Conference, between the two houses of a bicameral legislature
- News conference, an announcement to the press (print, radio, television) with the expectation of questions, about the announced matter
- Parent-teacher conference, a meeting with a child’s teacher to discuss grades and school performance
- Peace conference, a diplomatic meeting to end conflict
- Professional conference, a meeting of professionals in a given subject or profession dealing with related matters or developments
- Settlement conference, a meeting between the plaintiff and the respondent in lawsuit, wherein they try to settle their dispute without proceeding to trial
- Trade fair, or trade conference
- Unconference, or open space conference, who avoids meeting [with more persons], a participant-driven meeting that tries to avoid one or more aspects of a conventional conference
Virtual
- Video conference, with the reception and transmission of audio-video signals by users at different locations.
The Role of Conferences
The role of a conference is to gather like-minded individuals from across the country or across the globe, to learn, discuss thoughts, network, share ideas, create new ideas, and to ignite motivation. The benefits of attending a conference are different for everyone. By attending a conference, individuals are expanding their professional and personal development, and are provided with insightful information that couldn’t be taught internally from within the organization or online.
The Advantages of Attending Conferences
Fresh Perspective: There are many advantages to attending conferences. As Dr. Stephen Covey so eloquently says, “We must never become too busy sawing to take time to sharpen the saw.” Sharpen the Saw meaning preserving and enhancing the greatest asset an individual has – which is themselves. By seeking continuous improvement and renewal professionally and personally, an individual keeps themselves sharp. Essentially the analogy is saying that sometimes individuals must step away from the “work” of their work in order to sharpen their work skills. There is no better opportunity to sharpen one’s skills than at a conference.
Networking: Developing a strong professional network has become one of the key prerequisites for professional success. In fact, research indicates that successful managers spend 70% more-time networking than their less successful counterparts and that people with rich social networks are better informed, more creative, more efficient, and better problem-solvers than those with limited social networks. Industry conferences provide a tremendous opportunity to network. Attendees from other companies and from other areas of the country can become valuable resources for referrals, new ways of thinking, solutions, and best practices.
Learning: Another advantage of conferences is that they provide a blended learning environment with multiple opportunities for individuals to learn and engage in a wide array of formats. Conferences typically provide special guest speakers, breakout sessions, one-on-one engagements, group outings, and events for social interaction. The learning facet of a conference can expose attendees to new ways of operating and can help them discover ways to be even more productive. Whichever way an individual learns best, there are multiple ways to learn something new and impactful.
Spark New Ideas: Conferences are a great way for employees to be inspired by fresh ideas, to start rethinking the status quo, and to hopefully leave ready to tackle business challenges in creative and innovative ways. Conferences also allow individuals to share their progress, hurdles they’ve come across, and techniques devised for solving them. After hearing from leading experts and visionaries on how they found success, attendees are inspired and encouraged to think outside the box, which leads to successful outcomes for the organization.
