InSession

In this interview, co-founder and director of San Francisco’s Bonfire Communications talks about his experiences at past IABC World Conferences, including the benefits his company has realized as a conference sponsor.

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As outlined in the IABC 2010 World Conference program, there’s an “UNconference” session entitled  Emerging Communication Channels scheduled for Sunday, June 6^th from 2- 5pm. We want as many of you to join us as possible. Your facilitators, aka The TorontoTalks Crew (TTC) are Jeremy Schultz, Christopher Swan, Bryan Person and me, Linda Johannesson.

So, what is an “UNconference” anyway? An UNconference:

·         Taps into wisdom of the crowds

·         Provides an opportunity for passionate people to share

·         Facilitates learning through conversations

It’s different from most conference sessions where you’d have one or two leaders speak and the audience listens, here, it’s the opposite.  It’s the audience who has the floor – participants decide the topics – the content is determined by the wants, needs and desires of those in the room that day.  You can participate as much or as little as you like in the discussions. The UNconference session will be a place for you to exchange your challenges, your victories, your concerns and your lessons learned with a diverse global audience of your IABC peers.

The session is free for conference attendees and will take place over a three hour time period, but feel free to come and participate for however long suits you.

A format skeleton for the session can be found here but, remember, the content will be up to you!

So, at 2pm Sunday afternoon grab your laptops, your mobile phones, ipads (if you’ve got’em), digital cameras, flip video cameras - come equipped with your case studies, your best resources, your stories, your burning questions, your best practices, your challenges and join us for the Unconference. It should be UNique learning opportunity and we hope that you’ll join us to enrich the experience .

In the meantime, if you have questions for the UNconference facilitators, ideas for discussion, want to share your stories, your experiences with other UNconferences, indicate your interest in attending, volunteer to lead a discussion, or just want to join in the conversation, you can find us online at grou.ps page , twitter, and on facebook.

I truly believe we can find wisdom in crowds, strength in communities and insight through conversation. So, join us in Toronto for our UNconference session and experience all three!

We are grateful to IABC for the opportunity to bring you this session. This kind of experience offers the entire membership another chance to “Be heard”.

We can’t wait to hear what you have to say!

The IABC 2010 World Conference hotel rate at the Sheraton Centre Toronto of CDN$242 is valid through today, 5 May. Book your room immediately in order to take advantage of this great offer!

All reservations made by attenders of the World Conference will receive the following:

• Complimentary guestroom internet
• 10 percent discount in Bistro on Two and Traders Bar & Grill (alcohol excluded due to licensing agreement) for registered Hotel guests

Reservations made before 15 May will be entered in a random drawing to win:

• One of three upgrades to small suites

Call 1.416.361.1000 or visit the hotel web site to make reservations.

Learn more about the pre-conference community project on Saturday, 5 June.

Information on registration is available here.

Sharing a room at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel with another conference attender can be a fun opportunity to get to know someone else who has a common interest in communication. Also, it’s a great way to save on the cost of a hotel room!

If you are interested in pairing up, please add a comment on this post in order to connect with others.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone, I’ve received e-mails about room sharing, so let’s get the conversation started!

Shel Holtz, ABC, interviews Craig Kielburger about Free the Children, communication, CSR, and his session at the 2010 IABC World Conference, “Me to We: How to help employees find meaning in a material world.”

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Listen to Shel Hotlz, ABC, interview Guy Kawasaki about his career, social media, and his presentation at the IABC 2010 World Conference, “The Art of Innovation.” Download Interview

Welcome to the official networking site for the IABC 2010 World Conference! Over 600 people are registered for the 6-9 June conference in Toronto with the early registration deadline still nearly a month away. In the weeks leading up to the event, InSession will feature discussions and debate on session content, tips on Toronto restaurants, hot spots, shopping and attractions, and blog posts written by conference speakers. But what will make this site especially relevant are the interactions and conversations that will take place here.

For example, want to share hotel expenses in Toronto? Write a post in the Hotels category to recruit a roommate. Need restaurant recommendations for a group dinner? Post your request on the About Toronto—Dining category. Want to know more about a conference speaker?…you get the picture.

Speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, IABC members and others are invited to comment, ask questions and start the conversations now as we get ready for Toronto in June.