Blueprints, Balancing Acts and AI: Building and testing conference agendas
Conference production, learnings ... and putting our upcoming FIPP World Media Congress agenda to the LLM test
Conference programming is not immune to shifts affecting anything from shortening attention spans to changing media consumption habits, wants and needs.
Anticipating such shifts keeps speaker programming interesting and fun, but like most other things, it's not all stars and glory.
As a lone operator in developing programmes for our events, it takes me around six months with countless iterative steps to build the agenda and acquire speakers for an event such as the FIPP World Media Congress, which we produce on license from the global media industry body FIPP (more about that event, which takes place in a little over a month) below.
When I am asked about our approach to programming, my short answer is that it is like any other job where you curate content for a defined audience, but here is a little more for those interested.
Product focus
I pretty much approach the production of programmes from a product development and UX perspective.
There is often a tendency to focus on “big names” (the worst example is when you have panel upon panel with 4 or 5+ participants on stage. That’s just lazy programming).
Getting star attractions is obviously not wrong, but every post-event survey we have run over the years shows that the first consideration to attend is the agenda and its themes, with the second consideration being the speakers. We see the same pattern in our engagement data online.
The question to ask yourself as a conference producer is simple.
Are you programming to win over business associates by putting them on stage, or are you programming for the audience?
Then there is the programme's formatting and how that will affect content consumption.
Over the years, our sessions have become shorter and more compact and include short “brain breaks” after every three or so speakers. The reasoning behind it?
1. People’s attention spans are shortening. How often do you listen through event sessions without taking out your phone? How often do others do the same?
2. Constraints drive quality. With shortened sessions, speakers need to think harder about the essence of their message. Eliminating fluff benefits them and their audience.
AI’s impact
Like any other area, AI is changing programme production – for the better, in my mind. Whether that is research, ideation or testing assumptions. As an example of the latter, see below in the discussion about the FIPP Congress and how I tested the agenda for sentiment and for the themes it addresses.
Planning, preparation, oh sh*t
I start each project with research into the latest and developing themes in a sector and create a framework built with these themes. As part of this exercise, you want to develop a logical flow to the programme.
I then research speakers for each of the themes. Most of our events are international, so you want to have some geographical (and other) diversity.
In the media sector, our stakeholders typically include creators, small and medium enterprises, and regional and multinational companies. You think of your audience segments, and you try to target speakers who will be relevant to them.
Then you must accept that the best-laid plans will go to waste. The ultimate shape of the programme depends on the speakers you manage to get. In the process, you will go through several iterations and wholesale changes to ensure (1) you still cover the important themes and (2) do so with a sensible flow that helps attendees decide which sessions they want to attend.
Even then, you may still get late cancellations, sometimes within 24 hours of when someone was supposed to speak. You must have adaptability and a Plan B in your back pocket.
An example is the FIPP Congress in 2022, just after the return of in-person events post-pandemic. There were still travel requirements such as Covid tests and other requirements, and in the week before the event, we had eleven speakers drop out. We dealt with it thanks to having speakers on standby and pre-recorded videos to use in vacated slots.
Avoid the doldrums
You should make peace with the fact that you are completely exposed to criticism.
After all, your work is in the spotlight on stage for all to see, while the work (and challenges you overcame) to get to that point went largely unseen.
You will also find there is an inclination among people who haven’t produced an event in their lives to want to tell you how to do your job.
It can be annoying, but they are the audience, and you should listen to what they have to say.
Like other media, event consumption habits, wants and needs constantly change. In the end, you are (hopefully) the specialist and have (hopefully) put together the agenda with the various segments of your audience in mind.
This is not to say you should react to everything. An example: When I shortened speaker session durations for one of our events, I came in for a lot of stick ahead of the event. At the event, no one said anything at the event, and now we are praised for it as one of our USPs.
So, you must take criticism on the chin, take from it what is positive but not let it drag you down.
LLM-testing Congress
This brings me to the FIPP World Media Congress 2024, a little over a month from now, on June 4-6 (in Cascais, Portugal). We now have 54 speakers confirmed, with only another six or so where we are awaiting their details.
Congress is a global event, a nexus for international media to gather once a year around shared interests. In 2023, 43 countries participated. Currently, we are on 39 countries and well-positioned to surpass that number.
In 2024, we will have speakers from (at least) the following countries.
Americas: USA, Mexico, and Canada
Africa/Middle East: Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco, and UAE
Asia-Pacific: China, India, the Philippines, and Taiwan
Europe: UK, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, and Netherlands
They come from various media, tech and advisory businesses and have roles such as the following.
CEOs, Founders and Presidents
C-level/Senior Executives
Editors/Publishers
Consultants/Strategists
Media Commentators
Media Creators
Academics/Researchers
When I started building the agenda, I knew the sentiment and themes I wanted to convey. But that is my subjective view, so I uploaded the agenda and prompted ChatGPT and Claude for an “unbiased” sentiment analysis. Here are the responses.
ChatGPT: "The sentiment of the FIPP Congress agenda is overwhelmingly positive and future-oriented, reflecting an industry at the intersection of tradition and innovation. Keynotes and discussions emphasise transformative change, particularly through the integration of AI, suggesting a proactive embrace of new technologies. Panels and case studies signal robust discourse on evolving business models and monetisation strategies, while spotlights on diversity, sustainability, and digital media underscore a commitment to social responsibility and adaptation. The narrative throughout the document is one of growth, learning, and anticipation of a dynamic future for media."
Claude: "The overall sentiment of the speaker programme is positive and forward-looking. The themes and speaker selections convey a sense of excitement and anticipation around the future of the media industry, with a focus on innovation, transformation, and emerging trends. The language used in the descriptions is generally upbeat and optimistic, highlighting opportunities and success stories."
I then did the same for an “unbiased” content analysis of the themes included in the agenda. Here is ChatGPT and Claude.
ChatGPT's response:
AI and Digital Transformation
Media Innovation and Sustainability
Monetisation Strategies
Storytelling and Audience Engagement
Regional Media Perspectives and Challenges
Ethics and Compliance in AI
Impact and Investigative Journalism
Print Media's Relevance
Diversity and Inclusion
Claude's response:
AI and Generative AI
Monetisation and Revenue Diversification
Digital Transformation and Innovation
Magazine Media and Print
Content and Storytelling
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Impact and Investigative Journalism
Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility
Creator Media and New Generations
Join us in Cascais, Portugal, from June 4-6 for the FIPP World Media Congress