That title probably dates me! Wonder if Memorex still exists? I’ll be leaving this afternoon for Computers In Libraries in Washington DC. I’ve been thinking about all the different types of conferences that now exist and their operating premises, partly because I’m so involved in various conferences and partly because I was interviewed yesterday by a student in Scotland who’s doing a masters thesis on the role of conferences in transmitting knowledge into organizations. She’s using Online Information as her source of interviewees.

Traditional conferences revolve around speakers. Attendees go into a room and listen. Sometimes there’s time for questions from the audience, sometimes not. The unscripted part of conferences, which is often the most interesting, are the questions, the repartee among conference-goers, and the chance meetings with friends, acquaintances, and strangers during conference activities. Completely virtual conferences are much more about conversations and interactions. Instead of being dominated by formal speeches, virtual conferences exist in chat rooms and discussion boards.

Both are very useful, but each could learn from the other. We need more conversation within traditional conferences, but we also need a way to capture it. And some virtual conferences could benefit from greater structure. It will be interesting to see how conferences evolve to meet attendee expectations and to accommodate new technologies.