Why I Love Conferences & Why They're Bad For Me

It's true, I LOVE conferences! I love the environment, the presenters, the swag bags, the people... everything! Even things like getting to a conference pump me up! It's a whole adventure for me! I like conferences so much, I even organized and hosted a Kids Ministry conference last November, Fuel Conference!

This month, I'll be heading down to Atlanta, GA to the Orange Conference with a group from my church and I'm already giddy about it! Here are some of the reasons I absolutely love conferences: 

• Networking - It is because of conferences that I have learned tonnes, been able to network and meet high influential people in my life - in person(!) - Jim Wideman, Sam Luce, Kenny Conley and Jonathan Cliff top my list! I love that you're able to meet with like-minded people who are on the same journey as you and who are willing to share their experiences!
• Team Building - Some of the best memories come when you're in a car for 8 hours with your team! You get to talk about what you want to learn, you get to process the conference in the hotel rooms after the day and then share your experiences on the ride back home. Take your team to a conference, and I guarantee you'll have a stronger team because of it!
• Swag! - Yes, I know that I throw most of it into the garbage, but I LOVE swag! The free shirts, bags and promo material are so much fun to go through. I have sometimes found the diamond in the rough in my swag bag and encountered a new product that has benefited my ministry.
• Feeling Valued - I love conferences because it makes me feel valued. When my employer or leader is willing to spend money to help train and equip me, I feel like I am a superstar! Felt need? Sure. But I sure feel valued and honoured to go to conferences. Maybe you need to send one of your employees or team members to a conference as a way to show them their valued?

However, conferences also have a shadow side for me and there are times where I probably shouldn't attend any conferences. Here's why conferences are really bad for me (and probably you too!):

• No Action - It's easy for me to go to a conference, fill up my moleskin and Evernote will all sorts of notes and pictures and tweetable leadership quotes, only to come home, put the notebook away and never actually put any of it into action.
• Overwhelmed - Conferences are designed to let you drink from the fire hose. At the end of the day, the amount of information I've been exposed to is so overwhelming, I end up doing nothing with it. I don't even take notes! 
• Great idea, wrong system - I've sometimes fallen into the trap of taking a great idea straight from the presenter, and tried to implement it into my context. This usually does not work. I'll spend a lot of time, energy and money trying to make a great idea work in the wrong system. Not every great idea will work where you are - don't get caught in thinking that each solution is meant for your problems (Thinking Systems is a whole other post coming up!)
• Junkie - I could easily be a conference junkie - travelling from conference to conference, meeting people and accumulating swag, but never actually accomplishing anything. Conferences are supposed to enhance and supplement what you're actually DOING, not take the place of doing something.

So, in the end, I'm still a huge fan of the conference... it's just that I have to be aware of the shadow side too. I suggest that you treat your team to a conference - it'll show them their valued, enhance your ministry and team building, and potentially network you with so many other people on the same path!

What conferences are you attending this year?