People no longer come to your meetings to get information. They come to make sense of the deluge of information they already have. They also attend face-to-face meetings to feel something, whether it’s to be transported to the moon by your keynote speaker, to laugh in a comedy club, or to meet a celebrity. People want to feel happy, sad, fearful, and joyful—they want to make memories. They want real experiences.
But before you, as a curator of meeting experiences, can create something “real” for your participants, your planning team, and your vendors, you have to get real yourself. You have to trust yourself enough to be authentic and honest about the goals, objectives, and results you need for your meetings. You have to be real about what is working, what is not, and what you need to do to make positive changes. You need to make yourself vulnerable.
The Vulnerability Paradox
Vulnerability is the state of being who you really are. Being vulnerable and real creates trust on a whole new level. Vulnerability is asking for feedback on a regular basis from all your event team. It’s being willing to take that feedback even when it’s not so glamorous.
While some see vulnerability as weakness, the paradox is that it truly can be a meeting professional’s secret weapon. Redefine “vulnerable” by inviting that authenticity and trust to your meeting planning team and partners. I guarantee that you will plan meetings that are more rewarding, more fun, and more profitable.
