Meeting Support Institute

(Re.: article of M&IT April 2008)

What is the effect of smell at conferences?
can we measure an increase in the number of networking contacts with certain smells?
Do people behave more extravert of more open to networking with certain smells?

What neurological / biological / sociological processes lie at the base of any increase?

What difference does it make to promote, support or organize networking?

When considering two identical meetings where the only difference is the presence of a moderator or facilitator.
How do we measure the value of the facilitator?
How important is the  impact of a facilitator?
When is a facilitator more important, for which kind of processes?
What is the influence in the Learning area, the Networking area and the Motivational area?

Send in your papers, research results or thesis to stijn.paridaens@meetingsupport.org

What is the real and perceived connection between things we know and even do, and the moment we learned it? Can we demonstrate that after so many years an individual does something based on what he learned so many years ago at a conference?
How much actually came from conference learning?
How much do we realize that is came from conference learning?

Send in your ideas, research results or thesis to: Maarten.Vanneste@meetingsupport.org

How to organise networking for optimal inclusion of introvert participants?

Use natural light.
Whenever possible, try to arrange for meetings (or breakout sessions) outside the classic four-wall meeting room. Windows that let in natural light keep people energized and contribute to mental stimulus. "Windows make a huge difference in our ability to think big and be open-minded" .
For example, on a wintry February day someone was hosting a creative idea session in a room with large windows on three walls. Winter snow on the surrounding fields made for a scene out of Currier & Ives, which became even more memorable when two baby goats nosed up to the windows looking for handouts. The experience sparked a variety of fresh ideas. When the weather is good, small groups can meet outdoors, even poolside, to stimulate creative thinking and allow attendees to breathe in fresh air.
This article is just an example of how the industry believes that daylight is important.

Research Idea: Introverts and extraverts Marti Olsen Laney describes in her book The introvert advantage the differences between introverts and extraverts. Research needed about how meetings and conferences can be designed to cater for introverts as well as extraverts. Introverts form about 25% of the general population but depending on the industry your conference is held in, they could be a majority. Extraverts are easy in networking and dominant in learning: they will use the microphone during Q&A. The smartest questions, from the good listeners and deep thinkers that introverts are, don’t get to the floor. In learning, networking and motivation, both react quit differently and catering to both types may be a powerful enrichment to any meeting or conference. What exactly are these differences and how do they influence an individual’s process at conferences? What can a meeting organiser do to support both?

Sport professionals that play well will often say ‘the ball seemed larger than usual’. It sounds like nonsense, but psychologists of the university of Virginia discovered that indeed sportsmen perceive a ball to be bigger on a good day and smaller on a bad one. Researchers studied play results of softball players and made them estimate how large the ball was after the game. Players with a good score pointed to significantly bigger circles than players that did not hit the ball so well that day. Psychologists will continue to research to see if visualisation techniques can improve the players performance.

Research idea / Question: Does a slide with larger fonts score better than a slide with a smaller font? December 2005

Should we be banning the bread, kicking the caffeine and passing on the pastries?  Bin the three-course buffet for grazing instead? Stand up networking lunch versus sit down lunch? What are the best ingredients, cooking methods and how should we be serving up food. Plus the effects of lunchtime drinking!