As a mark of respect, there was a moment of silence observed by hundreds of members of the industry before the first MPI keynote this morning.
It was a touching moment and a perfect way to introduce the topic of the day's keynote address. Janet Sperstad, program director of Madison College, opened MPI's Smart Monday day of education with an exploration of the five areas that define purposeful meetings: behavioral science, meeting design, technology, health and well-being, and leaving a positive legacy.
"We've become architects of exhausted people; technology has not shifted how we connect or maintain deep relationships, but it has cluttered the process," Sperstad told an audience of more than 400 at the Sands Showroom.
Her presentation explored ways to plan meetings and events that help attendees experience networking and learning opportunities more meaningfully. She also offered findings from industry research, including a new whitepaper on the topic, "Purposeful Meetings: How to plan with deeper meaning, innovation, and insight in mind," done in partnership with PSAV and IMEX Group.
One interesting takeaway: the ideal meeting size for forming meaningful and lasting connections is 150 attendees. "Any larger than that and the people we meet begin to fall into the categories of acquaintances," she said.